"I would never budge...

This is really lovely. Your orchids look so happy. And those pansys, are they getting ready for a trip? :-)

: - ) ....actually I just wanted to give them some sun and maybe a little drink...I won't put them out for a while yet...They are very frost hardy but they've been in a grnhouse so will not chance the outdoors yet. Spent the afternoon dividing and potting up echinacea, hosta, chives and lysimachia... a couple of beds needed a redig and some compost.
going to have a BIG yard/plant sale soon!

Oooo, how nice to be out there. I am in three feet of snow. I'm going to dig out the beds, and I'm putting in a greenhouse!!!

Oh good for you, GT....Just what you need! I'm with you in spirit...too bad you're at such a distance...would gladly help you build it.! I'm wondering how you will deal with closeup in the fall? Your little house is going to be full to the rafters!!! LOL...

Lori:

I love the orchids! They are so healthy looking.
I hate to say this without sounding like I'm bragging...however,
we can grow so many of these orchids outside under trees or in semi-shade.

Orchids tend to bloom in Fall through Spring...and of course, some genera/species bloom in Summer.

Brag away, that sounds wonderful...I'd like to go to the Andes to find a specie of orchid that lives in the high altitude rainforests along the pacific coast...I believe it is epiphytic (could be terrestrial, my memory sometimes lets me down!) and I believe it's called Masdevallia. they are blue! (at least the pic I saw was!) and they don't require high temps, in fact they like a very humid, but cool, temperature with lots of precip. Do you have any experience with this type of orchid?
I really was impressed with the Cymbid that you keep outside!!

Lori:

I know of many species of Orchids that grow in the high elevation of the tropics and do well in many Coastal areas of California. Masdevallia orchids grow here I know...I've seen them in the Botanical Building (which is the big lath-house that I've posted in the past). Many of the cool growing orchids do very well in San Francisco and many of the cities around the S.F. Bay Area.

I only have about 5 types of orchids. Cymbidiums and Epidendron hybrids are the most widely seen orchids growing outside in California. They are so easy.

Epidendrons are tree growing epiphytes, correct? that would be our fav's the Phal's also? It must be amazing to see these exotics growing au naturel?! I have a cymbidium that is doing absolutely nothing and has for the last four years... I guess it doesn't get enough good light at the time of year it needs it...but I haven't given up on it...I never will. I just hope it can stand the wait until I finally find the combination!
what I like most about the Masd...is the triangular shape...just like a flower fantasy...and the colour is like an azure butterfly's wing...gorgeous.

I love Masdevallia as well Lori, though my orchid days are passing for now. :-) I do know that Cymbidiums are more cool tolerant and one of the harder to bloom if it can't be left out to get a nice cool winter. It requires at least a month around 50-55F to start up. I don't know of a special light requirement, but the cool is hard to pull off indoors. Thats my bit. :-)

Thanks GT... It is cool in my house in winter but rarely as cool as 50F! maybe now would be a good time to put them outdoors (under cover, of course) give them a little shock! Thanks for your bit!! :-)

Lori:

Epidendron Orchids grow here directly in the ground...they are a cane-type orchid...some places around have many colors...and sometimes I'll see a whole front yard covered with just this orchid. They grow pretty tall more than 6 feet / 2 meters tall. Large ones look shrubby. I have posted several photo in the past of many colors. The most common colors are: pink, red, orange, yellow, white and purple.

Greenthumb is correct... that Cymbidium must have some cool weather to bloom well. They are native to the higher elevations of the tropics. That's the reason they bloom here in Winter.

Oh Lori,

you made me giggle with your caption, as it reminded me of when we did Pygmalion as our school play in the 6th form (many many moons ago!!!)and our drama teacher made each one of us say the word "flower" - she was quite irate at our inability to talk correctly, as only one girl (she was quite posh) in the whole class got it right by saying "flar" and not "flowwer" !!!!

"OW..! Wouldn't it be loverly?"

Oi! I love the Rogers and Hammerstein version of that story too... We have a Shaw Festival every summer at Niagara-on-the-Lake...and a Shakespearian Festival at Stratford, Ontario!!!