When do you put your Orchids outside in the UK

[RosieC]

I would like some advice from some UK growers as to when you put your orchids outside.

Previously I've always grown in the house, but now I have some that I intend to have outside for the summer but I'm not sure when it's safe to do that.

I have some Den Phal types which I know others grow outside in the UK and I would like them to get the higher light levels offered outside. I also have a Cym which I plan to summer outside as well as a few other little things. Things like my Phals will stay inside.

I guess that's a secondary question... which Genuses do you put outside for the summer in the UK?

Just wondering if anyone has any experience they can share with me to help with this question. I have some shelving all ready to receive some plants, but don't want to risk them getting too cold if I put them out too early.

[Triffid]

Glad you asked that, because I'd love to hear peoples responses to this as I am planning to puts a couple of Chids out this summer too!

Here's my
This will be my first summer with Orchids (Phals and a Den), but I am intending to see if I can put them outside.

Been doing a bit of research though and aquired a camo net, for dappled light and as a bit of a wind break. When dealing with potentially windy spots I have read that using a slatted wind break system is far better for your plants than sticking them up against a solid wall. This is because the slatted system allows the airs to moves through at a reduced rate rather than up, over and straight down onto the plants.
Also find out which parts of your garden act like wind tunnels.

I will not be putting any out until maybe June and I wont be leaving them out over night. Summers where I am can get quite hot and sunny. The area is a bit of a weather trap to be honest, so rain clouds rarely stay for too long. The main worry I'd have is strong winds.

As for what will happen I have yet to see.... Perhaps I'll be killing Orchids sooner rather than later, but I hope not

[epiphyte78]

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.

[RosieC]

Thanks for all that info. It will take me a little while to digest all of it.

I know that OB member Hedge has said she grows Den phal/bigibbum hybrids in full sun here in the UK. I'm sort of interested how early I can put them out because I think the earlier they go out the better because they will gradually get used to the increasing amounts of light as the weather gets better, on the other hand I don't want them to get too cold.

I'm currently getting mins arround 46F in my unheated greenhouse, but I recon it's a bit colder outside at the momment (which fits well with the Min blue line on your graph). I'm at a point where the greenhouse window is open in the day but I close it at night. While some of the orchids I plan to put outside are in that, others are currently in the house (the dens) and so are more used to higher temps.

[Triffid]

Wow. Thanks for the links!

Plus you reminded me of something, how it slipped my mind I will never know but here it is.

This Link is to a British Nursery specializing in Hardy Orchids, including British native species.
Been really tempted, but I'm not convinced they will survive in the habitat my garden provides, as most Brit' 'Chids seems to be Marsh and Meadow specialists.... Maybe one day.

Hardy Orchid Nursery

[RosieC]

I've looked at that Hardy Orchids quite a few times. I might try some Cyps at some point, but I think I will have to try them in tubs so that they get enough drainage as my soil is full of clay.

Triffid, your profiles says 'Up North', not quite sure how far north you are but I've seen Dactylorhiza growing in 'Upper Teesdale' in the wild.
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...a-fuchsii.html

I think many of that sort grow far better in the north and up in to scotland then down where I am (according to the map of wild distribution anyway).

[Triffid]

Sorry the "Up North" is just me joking because of my now considered "Honoury Northern Bird" status (Blame Hubby).
Not in Scotland, but Lancashire.

Problem for me is I'm relatively near the coast in a sandy area. Keeping the garden from going bone dry can be a real chore some summers. Though I have considered a pond and doing something drastic to alter the conditions... But after having a look at your link I may do a little more digging for info, bite the bullet and just give it a go.... Why not!? After all I keep going back to that site window shopping and dreaming.

Beautiful Orchid, and how nice to see in the wild. Hoping to go on our own wild orchid hunt this year, just hope we are as lucky as you were.

Hope it goes well with the Cyps!

[epiphyte78]

The three factors to consider when deciding when to put an orchid outdoors are elevation, latitude and perhaps length of the dry season. The higher the elevation and/or latitude the earlier you can put it outdoors. For example, Dockrillia striolata grows all the way south to Tasmania which is at around 42S latitude. Dendrobium falcorostrum occurs at a lower latitude (around 30S) but higher elevation (around 1400m) where it occasionally snows.

Dendrobium bigibbum, however, occurs at around 12S latitude and at low elevations...where, to my knowledge, it does not experience any significant cold. But...some in the complex experience a fairly long dry season. For example, according to the book, "Australian Tropical Orchids"... Dendrobium bigibbum var. bigibbum and var. superbum both experience a long dry season lasting around 7 to 8 months. Even though the book recommends that for successful culture they must be kept warm and dry during the winter and spring....so far I have not lost any of the half a dozen or so NOID Den bigibbum hybrids from the typical amount of cold and rain that we experience here in SoCal. They are all mounted so they dry off fast. My theory is that perhaps some of the same adaptations which allow an orchid to survive long dry periods also help enable it to endure periods of relative cold.

So if your Dendrobium bigibbum is one of the long dry season types...and it's not actively growing...you should be able to put it out fairly early in the year...especially if it has excellent drainage and receives bright light. Not sure how frequently it's raining over there but just to be on the safe side I'd recommend protecting it from the rain as well...at least until summer.

To help visualize the dry season here is a climate diagram of Normanton, Australia. Dendrobium bigibbum occurs further north but it's the closest location with climate data that most closely matched what was described in the book. The red line represents the average temperature (Celsius), the blue line represents rainfall (mm) and the brown area represents the period of drought...which appears to last around 6 months. The area above the red line and beneath the blue line represents the growing season and should ideally be shaded green but my Google Graph skills fell short.


Source: Weather Reports

[RosieC]

Thanks Epiphyte. Two of my three NoID bigibbum are actually starting new canes at the momment, only just at the first signs of growth stage, but still there. Maybe I need to wait that being the case.

I think our temps are significantly lower than your graph shows (not suprisingly).

[Triffid]

epiphyte78 you're a star!

Rosie: Can't find it at the moment, but I did find the UK weather records... Had stuff from years back for different areas.
If I do locate it again I'll be sure to post the link here.