In temperate regions of the world, orchids that are normally grown indoors or under glass can be placed outside for the summer growing season. A carefully chosen position will provide your plants with conditions that are nearer to those of their natural habitat.
Orchids that benefit most are lightloving, cool-growing types such as cymbidiums, odontoglossums, coelogynes, encvclias and dendrobiums, all of which have fairly robust foliage that may become a little spotted or marked throughout the course of several months but will not come to any harm. Those orchids with softer, wideleafed foliage, such as lycastes, anguloas and the deciduous calanthes, would very soon become notably spoiled by blemishes as a result of the effects of the weather.
Place pebbles or expanded clay pellets in the base to create your own individual tank effect. You now have a miniature orchid garden to house those tiny plants that would otherwise dry out too rapidly. Place this in a bright spot, but not too close to a window where it may overheat. It is a good idea to place a minimum/maximum thermometer inside the aquarium to assess the temperature range you have created.
Masdevallias and other smallgrowing related genera are shadedwellers that would be particularly unhappy placed in the open. In no time a rapid loss of their almost succulent leaves would result. Their culture is more specialized, and difficult enough to achieve in the greenhouse. Among the intermediate genera, those members of the vast Cattleya alliance do well in tropical gardens, but in temperate regions the foliage is prone to heavy marking by the excesses of wind and weather.
If you do not stand the plant on a damp base, you will need to remove it for watering and replace it after the pot has drained. The flowers of some orchids can also be highly scented, which adds immeasurably to their overall appeal.
Alternatively, you can build your own indoor growing case as large as conveniently possible and with the inclusion of electric lighting. This will provide a permanent home for those plants that do not need bright light. These include the phalaenopsis and paphiopedilums.
It blooms during the autumn and is highly fragrant at night. Well-chosen colour combinations can create beautiful effects, as is shown by this display of pale pink Phalaenopsis schilleriana and the deep pink P. Mad Milva. Orchids can be displayed in most rooms in the house.
An indoor case can be a simple design fitted into an existing windowsill, or it can be quite an elaborate affair, with built-in ventilation from fans, and some lighting to stimulate the plants in winter. This can be placed almost anywhere in the home to provide an eye-catching display, with something of interest always flowering in the case. The larger the case, the greater the number and the size of plants that can be grown.
Orchids that benefit most are lightloving, cool-growing types such as cymbidiums, odontoglossums, coelogynes, encvclias and dendrobiums, all of which have fairly robust foliage that may become a little spotted or marked throughout the course of several months but will not come to any harm. Those orchids with softer, wideleafed foliage, such as lycastes, anguloas and the deciduous calanthes, would very soon become notably spoiled by blemishes as a result of the effects of the weather.
Place pebbles or expanded clay pellets in the base to create your own individual tank effect. You now have a miniature orchid garden to house those tiny plants that would otherwise dry out too rapidly. Place this in a bright spot, but not too close to a window where it may overheat. It is a good idea to place a minimum/maximum thermometer inside the aquarium to assess the temperature range you have created.
Masdevallias and other smallgrowing related genera are shadedwellers that would be particularly unhappy placed in the open. In no time a rapid loss of their almost succulent leaves would result. Their culture is more specialized, and difficult enough to achieve in the greenhouse. Among the intermediate genera, those members of the vast Cattleya alliance do well in tropical gardens, but in temperate regions the foliage is prone to heavy marking by the excesses of wind and weather.
If you do not stand the plant on a damp base, you will need to remove it for watering and replace it after the pot has drained. The flowers of some orchids can also be highly scented, which adds immeasurably to their overall appeal.
Alternatively, you can build your own indoor growing case as large as conveniently possible and with the inclusion of electric lighting. This will provide a permanent home for those plants that do not need bright light. These include the phalaenopsis and paphiopedilums.
It blooms during the autumn and is highly fragrant at night. Well-chosen colour combinations can create beautiful effects, as is shown by this display of pale pink Phalaenopsis schilleriana and the deep pink P. Mad Milva. Orchids can be displayed in most rooms in the house.
An indoor case can be a simple design fitted into an existing windowsill, or it can be quite an elaborate affair, with built-in ventilation from fans, and some lighting to stimulate the plants in winter. This can be placed almost anywhere in the home to provide an eye-catching display, with something of interest always flowering in the case. The larger the case, the greater the number and the size of plants that can be grown.
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Garden Orchids suitable for growing in a small growing case are Coelogyne corymbosa, Cirrhopetalum guttulatum, Dendrobium cuthbertsonii, Encyclia polybulbon, and Ludisia discolor.
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