Honestly, it's probably one of the last orchids I'd suggest for your growing conditions. A while back I ended up purchasing a batch of orchids which contained more than a few that I was pretty sure wouldn't grow outside. So I posted them on the forums and traded them for orchids that I was more confident of their survival.
That being said, more and more I've been experimenting with lowland tropicals with pretty good success. However, none of them have been from rainforests...they've all come from dry forests.
Here are a couple charts comparing the climate of Ierapetra, Greece to that of Phalaenopsis gigantea...
Sources: Orchid Culture,
Weather Reports,
Temperature Charts
Sources: Orchid Culture,
Weather Reports,
Temperature Charts
I'd give it a 1% chance of survival. It sure would be very awesome though if it survived! I've tried probably a dozen or so common Phalaenopsis hybrids outdoors and none have survived...but some have held on longer than others. Here's a chart comparing the average temps of Ierapetra, Greece to where I live here in Glendale, CA...
Sources: Orchid Culture,
Weather Reports,
Temperature Charts
Here's an excellent AOS article on
Growing Orchids Outdoors in Southern California.
Maybe Pyrgos has a climate more like Santa Barbara? My friend in Santa Barbara has posted more than
743 photos of orchids he grows outdoors.
In an even more difficult climate...my friend in Rome, Italy grows quite a few orchids outdoors. You can
contact him on flickr for his list of outdoor orchids.
If you get a Zamia pseudoparasitica...let me know how it does. I'm interested in epiphytes in general and would love to try growing epiphytic...
-
Clivias (Clivia caulescens, Clivia gardenii),
- Amaryllis (
Hippeastrum calyptratum)
- Rhododendrons (Rhododendron lamrialianum, Rhododendron lanceolatum, Rhododendron leucogigas, Rhododendron lindaueanum)
- Fuchsias (
Fuchsia fulgens)
- etc. etc. etc....
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