Thread: Hanging Orchids
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Old 03-07-2005, 09:20 PM
halgren
 
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Richard Witt wrote:
I'm new to orchids and would like some in hanging baskets with the flowers
growing down two or three feet.

I'm sure that in the wild, no one goes around tying orchids to sticks to
keep them upright.

Will all orchids naturally droop or are there specific varieties that are
better at this?

Thanks for any info.



There are many varieties which have pendant infloresences. But many are
naturally erect. A Doritis pulcherrima for example, ramrod straight.
Probably most orchids bloom somewhat in between, with the inflorescence
bending based on the weight of the flowers. And of course longer spikes
will tend to droop more than flowers held close to the leaf.

Some things that would be very interesting and fairly easy to grow for
you might be Stanhopea or Gongora. Not all that common, and the flowers
don't last too long, but they make up for it with a lot of spikes. On
these, the spikes will come out of the bottom or the side of the basket.
Paphinia is another fun genus. But there are lots of other genera
to choose from, I'm sure somebody else will make some suggestions.