Hanging Orchids
 

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.

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.

Hi, Richard,

There are a couple of questions in your message. First, not *all* orchids
naturally hang down. Cattleyas grow upright. So do most Dendrobiums, though
some have long spikes that will curve. A notable exception is the
Phalaenopsis, which has long spikes that naturally arch, some as long as
three feet. There is a species that actually grows out of the bottom of the
pot, and there are some pendulous Dends and Cymbidiums, but the best bet for
a starter plant is the Phal.

As to the reason why we stake them, Phal spikes become heavy when the
flowers are out, and can snap (every orchid grower knows that sound!). And
no, nobody goes out into the jungles to stake up the orchids, but the plants
don't grow the same way as when we intervene. We put them upright in pots
for our convenience, not theirs. You'd probably find Phals in the wild
attached to trees, etc, on their sides so that water won't stand in the
plant's crown and cause it to rot.

I have some of my Phals mounted that way, with a pad of spaghnum moss
attached to the mount. They need water more frequently when mounted, but no
staking is required, as the flower spike hangs downward on its own. An
alternative to mounting that might work for you is slat baskets. Instead of
hanging the basket level, attach the wire hanger to one side of the basket.
Same effect as mounting, as far as flower presentation is concerned.

Welcome to rgo, and to orchids. If we can answer any other questions, fire
away.

Diana

Hello Richard -
There are many pendulous orchids, but the most beautiful example I see of
this come from the denrobium alliance. Specifically, Den. superbum, a
pendulous orchid that starts out upright but within a few years can hang as
much as 6 feet from the pot's edge. The flowers are numerous and sweetly
fragrant and bloom from leafless silvery stems in spring, right after its
winter rest (where it looses its leaves). The flowers come in shades of
purple/pink and there's a beautiful alba (white) form. They have easy
cultural requirements, but without their basic needs being met, specifically
lots of light and a hard winter rest, they will flounder. Den. pierardii
is another I've seen that made me go wow!, though the flowers
are more dainty. Good luck.
Kevin

"Richard Witt" wrote in message
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.
--
***
A path is made by walking. - Chuang Tsu

halgren schreef:
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.

OK, some suggestions:

There are species of cymbidium (like devonianum and madidum) that flower
pendulous. I have also seen beautiful pendant cymbidium hybrids on a
show in Germany last year.

Other interesting and not to difficult species are Coelogyne massangeana
(intermediate temp.) and Coel. dayana (hot temp.). They both have very
long (until 3 or 4 feet!) inflorescences. Coelogyne cristata
(intermediate with a cool rest) is as well a nice plant for hanging
baskets. It will ramble over the brim of the basket and thus form a real
hanging bush.

So pick your choice!

Grtz. Niek

Well, and then there are the Grammys [Grammatophyllum]. But those are
difficult to ship, so you would want to find them local. Kenni

"Richard Witt" wrote in message
news:2sTxe.2010$%H4.991@trnddc02...
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.

"Richard Witt" wrote in message
news:2sTxe.2010$%H4.991@trnddc02...
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.
Richard -- I posted a picture of an oncidium in abpo. It's one type that
will do well in a hanging baskets and is easy to grow. Regards --

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 15:25:50 GMT, "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.

Richard, from the Dendrobiums alone:
D. anosmum (aka superbum, as suggested by Kevin)
D. aphyllum (aka pierardii)
D. crepidatum
D. crystallinum
D. falconeri
D. lituiflorum
D. loddegesii (pendulous, but not very long - it will smother the top
of a basket in due course)
D. maccarthiae
D. primulinum
D. ruckeri
They have varying cultural requirements (but that doesn't have to mean
difficult), so a web search or a visit to your local reference library
could be helpful. Two books I recommend are :
Baker & Baker "Orchid Species Culture - Dendrobium"
Lavarack, Harris & Stocker "Dendrobium & its Relatives".
Dave Gillingham
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