The Torturous Laelia experiment Phase #1: The boulder or the wood slab

[peeweelovesbooks]

Hello all.

I have some yard space available. I wanted to try and naturalize a Laelia anceps or a purpurata onto a huge rock or slab of wood and keep it in my backyard.


I have several questions:

1) is this possible at all?
2) which one: Laelia purpurata or anceps? What I've read is that the anceps tends to tolerate weather extremes much better than the purpurata and is showier.
3) if the answer to #1 is yes, then wood or rock?
4) I want it to be a big slab, I saw a piece of rock that was sliced in the diagonal like a piece of baguette and was about 6 feet tall.--do I need a specific type of rock or should I avoid a specific rock?
5) If I grow an orchid like this, can I show it at a competition?
6) the most important question: Is Maria crazy for thinking this?

[Royal]

I don't live in FL but I'll take a stab at this.

1. Yes
2. I think you answered that in your question
3. Rock is a cool idea, a tree would work too.
4. I'd research the geology of its natural habitat.
5. Cut flowers are accepted for AOS judging.
6. YES -

[peeweelovesbooks]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

I don't live in FL but I'll take a stab at this.

1. Yes
2. I think you answered that in your question
3. Rock is a cool idea, a tree would work too.
4. I'd research the geology of its natural habitat.
5. Cut flowers are accepted for AOS judging.
6. YES -

What do you mean by cut flowers? What I meant was whether I could lug the rock to an AOS judged showing and enter the orchid. Sorry if my question wasn't clear. !!!

[kavanaru]

I can only add: if you decide for rock, try to check which kind of rock it would be... I have no experience of Laelia anceps growing on rocks, but I could assuem for example it would not like calcareous rocks... e.g. many brazilian Laelias grown on granitic rocks, and are adapted to it... some paphies grow on calcareous rocks and are adapted to it... just remember that rocks are not (always) an inert substrat!

as for having it judge... well... if you can carry the rock with the plant.. why not?

[catwalker808]

Hi Maria. I love your questions, past and present ... and your interesting dual personna.

1) Sure it's possible.

2) For Florida, both would be suitable. But anceps being showier is a matter of preference. Anceps have long graceful spikes, but few flowers. I prefer purpurata. There are many beautiful color forms of purpurata and plants produce many flowers on a bloom, especially with multiple spikes.
Anceps tends to grow upward in one direction. Purpurata produces more lateral growths, therefore more simultaneous blooms.
Purpuratas are summer only. Anceps fall or winter.

3) Either wood or rock would work, but select an inert type of rock

4) Go for the dramatic if you and your yard can handle it. It would be good to have some nooks or cavities in the rock to be more interesting and to give a foothold for the plants. And I would orient the planting so that the plant doesn't face the afternoon sun where it might get baked by the reflected and stored heat from the rock. That being said, you also need to prevent the rock from becoming overheated ... either by some tree shading or supplemental plantings and maybe sprinklers.
5) From the start, I read Maria as wanting to haul in the rock to a show. Great if you can get it done. If it's too heavy and you really want to do it, there's also the option of using artificial rock sculptures. Some are very realistic and you can choose your size. But remember, you may have only one plant blooming on this huge monolith, unless you interplanted your own orchid show on the rock.

I met a guy years ago who would use a fork lift and a flatbed truck to haul a 10 foot tall Grammatophyllum with 50 or more spikes ... over a thousand flowers ... to an orchid show. He said this was a baby, his big ones couldn't be moved.
6) If Maria can do it Maria should go for it.

[natasha]

hi... i can't give my comment much just that from a book i have, it was mentioned that they use fibreglass rock. it does look natural too. personally, if i plant on a rock, i'll just let it be and not move it, i'm afraid the rock will break. a tree is great too. here, some trees usually used to attach chids are frangipani & coconut tree.

Originally Posted by catwalker808

I met a guy years ago who would use a fork lift and a flatbed truck to haul a 10 foot tall Grammatophyllum with 50 or more spikes ... over a thousand flowers ... to an orchid show. He said this was a baby, his big ones couldn't be moved.

i read that the last time my state's king exhibit his giant plant, they use a large truck and a crane to move it to singapore for show. it weighs about a tonne or something