Outdoor Epiphytic Orchids for Temperate/Mediterranean Climates
 

Hi Everybody,

I'm currently compiling a list of epiphytic species orchids that can be grown outdoors year around in temperate/mediterranean climates and would be interested to know what epiphytic species orchids people in those types of climates are growing outdoors year around.

Please try and include your highest average temp and your lowest average temp for your city. For example, for Glendale, CA (my location) the average highest temperature is 86F and the average lowest temperature is 41F (source).

Here's a list of my 'proven' orchids...

Dendrobium delicatum
Dendrobium kingianum
Dendrobium nobile
Dendrobium speciosum
Dendrobium teretifolium
Epidendrum parkinsonianum
Laelia albida
Laelia anceps
Laelia gouldiana
Laelia pumila
Laelia/Schomburgkia superbiens
Oncidium flexuosum
Oncidium ornithorhynchum

Here's a list of my 'testing' orchids...

Barkeria melanocaulon
Bifrenaria harrisoniae
Bulbophyllum ambrosia
Bulbophyllum congestum aka B. odoratissimum
Bulbophyllum intersitum
Coelogyne fimbriata
Dendrobium densiflorum
Dendrobium dichaeoides
Dendrobium falcorostrum
Dendrobium findlayanum
Dendrobium gracilicaule
Dendrobium linguiforme
Dendrobium pugioniforme
Dendrobium striolatum
Dendrobium vonroemeri? (Herpetophytum sect)
Dinema polybulbon
Diplocaulobium stelliferum
Encyclia hanburyi
Encyclia tampensis
Epidendrum conopseum
Epidendrum porpax aka E. peperomia
Eria reptans
Laelia autumnalis
Laelia furfuracea
Maxillaria sophronitis
Mediocalcar decoratum
Mexicoa ghiesbreghtiana
Pholidota chinensis
Phymatidium tillandsioides
Rhyncholaelia digbyana
Rhynchostele rossii
Sarcochilus ceciliae
Sarcochilus hartmannii
Stanhopea hernandezii

Here's a list for Sydney, Australia (temperatures occasionally down to 0C and up to 49C)

Here's a list for Kerang, Australia (temperature down to -5C)

So if you live in any of these locations... Southern Australia, New Zealand, Central to Central and Southern Argentina and Chile, Central and Southern US (minus Hawaii and S. Florida), Spain, Italy, Greece, Southern Africa, Central to Northern China, Japan, Korea, Northern India, Nepal, etc. ... I'd love to hear what epiphytic species orchids you are growing year around outdoors.

By epiphytic do you mean growing outside attached to trees or do you mean epiphytic orchids in pots? The list compiled for the Manly area is referring to pots and in particular under shadecloth/in a bushhouse.

I have a bunch of Cymbidium hybrids, Dendrobium speciosums, Dendrobium kingianums, Dendrobium gracilicaule, Dendrobium x delicatum, Dendrobium linguiformis, Dendrobium aemulum and Dockrillias all growing out in the yard either in the ground, on rocks or in trees.

But there's an absolute tonne that could grow in pots.

From your tester list, the falcorostrum might need a little bit too much cool humidity to survive a dry temperate summer as a true epiphyte. The Sarcochilus sp. are similar and they are clump-forming so aren't great for vertical branches of trees.

Also for the speciosums, the D. speciosum var. speciosum works better in temperate conditions than the more humid growing Den. speciosum var. rex, var. hillii, var. tarberi etc. The named hybrids usually have more of the humid variations in them.

Undergrounder, by epiphytic I mean orchids that grow on trees in their native environment. I'm interested in hearing about any and all epiphytic orchids... whether they are growing in pots or mounted. Just as long as they are grown outdoors year around in non-tropical climates.

It's not very clear cut for many orchids though. Not sure how true this is but I heard that Dendrobium speciosum is found mainly growing on rocks because frequent fires burn away the ones growing on trees. Also, it seems many growers are switching from bark to rock... further blurring the epiphyte/lithophyte distinction.

Perhaps another way of looking at it would be from the angle of medium size. The larger the medium the more epiphytic and the smaller the medium the more terrestrial the orchid is. I'm interested in the orchids that grow in medium to large mediums.

In any case, moisture is definitely an important consideration but the primary factor I'm looking to narrow the orchid list by is temperature intolerance. It's easier to increase moisture by including sphagnum moss, installing misters or watering more frequently but it's harder to protect against cold temperatures... past putting up shade cloth. In other words.... I'm more inclined to stand out there with a hose than with a heater.

Thanks for your thoughts on my 'testing' list... I just mounted the Sarcochilus and was debating putting them on a horizontal or vertical branch and deciding to go with the vertical branch because of their monopodial habit. I'll definitely keep a close eye on them to make sure they are getting enough water.

Also, is a bushhouse the same thing as a lath house? I have a book on Australian orchids and they list the orchid as either requiring a greenhouse or bushhouse but I've never heard of a bushhouse before.

In that case you can add my entire collection written down in my profile. Minus the Phals, Masdevallias and the marble-leafed Paphs.

Keep in mind where i am and where that Manly list was collated, we very rarely if ever get frosts.

Yeah plenty of the Thelychiton genus grow on rocks, most of mine are growing on a rock in the backyard. They're by far the hardiest and most spectacular in flower, i think by far the best choice for low-maintenance temperate gardens.

The monopiodal habit is true except that they grow new growths from the base like Paphs. So unless you split them constantly, all the new plants will form a large clump, i've seen clumps up to a metre in diameter. That's OK if you have a mount that can support the weight, but shallow pots are more successful. The best Sarcanthinae plants for mounts are the smaller ones (falcatus) or the truly monopiodal Plectorrhiza or hybrids with Plecto in them.

A bushhouse is just a 'glasshouse' made from shadecloth instead of plastic/glass.

Here is my outdoor grow list for the Monterey Area, A.K.A. Coastal Central, California. This past winter had the coldest night at 28 degrees(-2 degrees celcius) and everything is still growing!

Masdevallia coccinea alba
Masdevallia coccinea purple
Onc. flexuosum
Onc. Makilii x ornithohynchum 'Boso Sweet'
Zygo. Adelaide Charmer x Zba. Kiwi
Wils. Ursula Isler
Bllra. Marfitch 'Howards Dream' AM/AOS
Schomb. superbiens
Encyclia citrina
C. intermedia
C. intermedia var. Aquinii x L. purpurata var. Striata
Iwan. Apple Blossom
Pot. Free Spirit 'Lea'
Lc. Mini Purple
Lc. Fair Catherine
L. Purpurata var. coerulea x self
Slc. Love Castle 'Kurenai' BM/JOGA
L. anceps
Den. speciosum var. hillii 'Don Brown' x self
Den. speciosum var. speciosum collected from Yattalunga
Den. Lynette Banks x speciosum var speciosum
Den. Yondi Brolga
Den. nobile NOID
Den. Super Ise
Den. chrysotoxum
Den. kingianum
Den. NOID (Australian type)
Den. Delicatum 'Rosminah'
Sarccochilus hartmanii
Holc. amesianum
Aerides odorata
Phalaenopsis taenialis
Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom 'Santa Cruz Sunset'
Epiphronitis veitchii
Epidendrum radicans

hi, im new here and hardly understand how this works. im from spain so my english isn´t good enough to understand everything but i can understand most of it :)

carlos, is it you? im andres, i hope you remember me :)

this is a very interesting subject so please write here all the orchids you mantain this way.

in my city we have very cold winters (-10º celsius, usually frost), so anyone who can help...thanks!!

Hi Andres! Yup...it's me. Welcome to the board! If you look through some of my old posts I'm sure you'll find some information on cool / cold growing orchids.

yeah i know, i saw some of them, they are really good and useful. people arent usually interested in which plants can addapt to low temps, so this is quite interesting. for exmaple, i have had a phalaenopsis hybrid which stood night with 5 degrees celsius for more than 2 months. the maximum was 16º sometimes less (like 12º-10º). finally it died, inside, my father dropped it and all its roots broke so it (dehidratated )lost all the water. its health was perfect. you cant add phals to your list hahhaha anyway, but they are ok.

The Phalaenopsis subgenus Aphyllae, contains a few species which appreciate colder night temps in winter. One that has done wonderfully for me down to -2 degrees Celsius and has bloomed twice a year has been Phalaenopsis taenialis. While I will be testing out practical cold tolerance with Phalaenopsis hainanensis soon.

hi there again!! im back, im almost finishing my final exams so i have a bit of time right now

well i just found that oncidium spilopterum can stand frost.

have a look at this website: Orchid News # 19