"Spider" wrote

Thanks for that, Bob. I may try mine outside again, but in clay troughs so
I can keep them close to the house. I love the edge-of-pond idea but,
unfortunately, our pond is out in the open and would probably get too much
sun. Otherwise it's an excellent idea and would probably help to keep
cranes and other critters from attacking the fish.

I may still keep a small pot of bulbs indoors to replenish any that are
stolen by squirrels (drat! I'd forgotten them) or eaten by slugs. I don't
know how you get away without slug/snail damage, especially since you offer
them constant humidity in the summer. We are overrun with marauding
molluscs:~(.


If you have it try Vesuvius outside first, it seems the most hardy of those
I've got other than the species P.formosana and seems to be making a bid to
take over all the pans. Shantung was hit badly by the last couple of bad
winters, Eiger doesn't seem to increase much, some times it does well others
it doesn't, Tongario does OK too and more than holds it's own.
One benefit of growing them outside is that as I repot every two years,
because they are orchids and like most obviously use a fungus, I do get
seedlings of my Dactylorhiza in the pans too. This year only one but also
what looks like a seedling of our Pinus aristata, repotting is a bit like
lucky dip.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK