Not a UK grower but here are a few references that might be of some use...
In the really old book...
Cool Orchids and How to Grow Them (you can download it for free) there's a fun passage on summering orchids outdoors in what I believe is now the Czech Republic. If you take a look at this article...
Growing Orchids Outdoors in Southern California...you'll notice many orchids in common. I think it's safe to say that orchids that people grow outdoors year around in nearly frost free climates are good contenders to summer outdoors in frost prone climates.
My friend in Rome, Italy grows orchids outside year around...here you can see
snow on his Vanda coerulea. If you're on Flickr you can send him a message and I'm sure he'd be happy to share a list of his orchids with you. However, looking at a chart comparing the average temps of East Midlands, UK and Rome, Italy...
52.8N | 272 ft | East Midlands, United Kingdom ---
41.95N | 79 ft | Rome, Italy
Sources: Orchid Culture,
Weather Reports,
Temperature Charts
...his temps are a lot warmer so that's something to take into consideration. It's warmer in the sun than it is in the shade so for the warmer growers (ie Dendrobium bigibbum complex) I'd recommend trying to gradually acclimate them to as much direct sun as possible. Here in Southern California I've seen Dendrobium nobile growing in full sun so I wouldn't be surprised if some from the Dendrobium bigibbum complex could handle full sun as well.
Threaded Mode
