need ideas for outdoor grow space for neos

[LinhT]

Any of you put your neos outside during Spring & Summer? I'd like to gather some ideas on creating an outdoor area for my Neos, Dend moniliforme, Sedireas and Cym goeringii at my new digs. The backyard is full sun, southern exposure. Right now I just have my stuff hanging in an area between the deck and the gate that leads to my front yard. Any other space in my backyard would be complete shade or full sun.

Neofinetia falcata, Denodrobium moniliforme, Sedirea japonica & Cymbidium goeringii - YouTube

Most of the areas in this video are either very sunny or very shady.
neofinetias, sedireas, den mons & japanese cyms - YouTube


Anybody have photos of your outdoor grow space to share here? For those who built some kind of outdoor structure, please post pics. I'd love to see. Thanks!

6/13/12 update - got a greenhouse (see last post)

[DelawareJim]

Tracy;

After looking at your vids, I'd go with a lath house or a pergola. Probably in the gravel area that gets the most sun.

Depending on your budget, something as simple as this lath house:


To more elaborate like this:


Here is a simple pergola:

With a pergola, the thickness and spacing of the overhead rafters determine the amount of shade, wider boards, or closer together give more shade.

If you wanted a tree instead, and could wait a couple of years, I'd go with a honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). They're inexpensive, grow moderately fast, have small leaves that filter down into the grass in the fall (no raking), and they provide a light dappled shade ideal for plants.
Shademaster Honeylocust Trees | Gleditsia triacanthos Tree Pictures | Moon Nurseries
You can click in the pics for a larger image.

We built a small breakfast deck off the laundry room with a pergola above that we have Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) growing up the supports and we're training into the rafters for shade. Only problem is, til the Jasmine gets large enough, my Neo collection will have outgrown the deck.

Cheers.
Jim

[Craig Gibbon]

Hey Tracy,
Fortunately, I stay in a climate where I can grow Neo's outdoors all year round. I move my Neo's twice a year. My current location is west facing but is shaded by a Macadamia nut tree, it provides just the right amount of dappled shade. The current spot gets lots of airflow and sometimes gusts of wind. The spot is also open to the elements and they often get watered naturally by the rain. I had my Neos in my shadehouse a few metres from this spot and they didn't enjoy the conditions, perhaps too much humidity and not enough air flow.
Come winter, I move my entire collection of Neo's (all twenty of them!!) To a north facing spot (Southern Hemisphere). This spot is under the eaves of the house so they don't get too wet with some of the winter rains that we get. This spot also gets a lot more sun in winter and the Neo's get a few hours of early morning sun and then very bright conditions for the rest of the day.

Hope that helps!
Regards,

Craig

[tcrane]

Are you on Orchids Interactive?

New, improved mini cool greenhouse!!

Jacob Uluwehi posted some photos of his amazing cooler-grower greenhouse he built in his backyard. I was able to visit in person, and he has a wonderful collection of Neos all growing happy inside. It's way more complex than I'd be able to build, but perhaps could be inspiration?

Also, your dog is adorable!

-Tristan

[LinhT]

Jim, that one in the 2nd photo is beautiful. I'll have to start saving up for something like that. I actually just had a locust tree removed from my backyard last year. It was very close to the house and all the heavy shade coupled with the moisture from the rain and mulch near my patio door created a wonderful home for ticks. I had them everywhere last year. It was horrible. Thanks for the photos! I will definitely look into something like this for the future.

Thanks for the info, Craig! You're very lucky to be able to leave them out all year round. It's so much more convenient. You definitely need to find a way to get more neos into S. Africa.

That's so cool that you got to meet Jacob in person and see his collection, Tristan! I can't believe he built that thing. It looks amazingly well constructed. Thanks for the link

[Wjs2nd]

Hey Tracy,
You could build a very simple pergola and cover it with shade cloth.

[tcrane]

Tracy, I just remembered that you and Jacob are flickr contacts, so of course you've probably seen his photos already! His plant structures are extremely well made and I'm in awe of his prowess! Very inspirational, and if I ever move out of SF and find myself with a backyard area, I'm going to have a million questions for him.

Best of luck figuring out your outdoor grow area. In a way, it's a good problem to have, and I'm sure your plants are going to love being outdoors.

-Tristan

[LinhT]

Originally Posted by Wjs2nd

Hey Tracy,
You could build a very simple pergola and cover it with shade cloth.

Hi Bill, I'm not sure if I can build anything that elaborate. If I did it myself, it would probably collapse on a windy day. Maybe I'll ask some of my handy friends to help out with a project.

[LinhT]

6/13/12 UPDATE
I would have loved to get a pergola built but I ended up finding a simple greenhouse on clearance at Fleet Farm about a month ago. I spent 4 hrs this past weekend assembling the frame myself. On Monday, OB member, Wjs2nd came over with his wife and helped me lay the gravel, anchor it and pull the plastic covering over the frame. I had to add some burlap on the top because it was still too bright for the orchids. Hopefully, this will provide the right amount of light.

I still need to get more gravel and install a border on the ground to keep the rock in but for the most part, it's done! It's not as fancy and high tech as many of the greenhouses I've seen here on the forum but for now, this will do. I can't splurge on a greenhouse. I still have too many other Japanese orchids I want to get later on. Here's how it's lookin' in there so far...
greenhouse for the Neofinetias - YouTube

[Paul Mc]

Looking good there!