Hi all- I am new to the group.

I am wondering if any/many in this group grow all of their orchids outdoors
in a naturalized setting?

I bought several species many years ago, had rotten luck with them, got
angry and tied them into trees with a "sink or swim" attitude. Wouldn't you
know it they have done better for me this way than when I kept them babied
in baskets.
Over the years I have collected many more and primarily keep Dendrobiums,
Vandas, a few Cats, Oncydiums, and some Phals- a couple of other odds and
ends but mostly those.

I do feed- when I feed the rest of the garden I slop some
onto the orchids g, but I don't do much more. Mother Nature seems to be
doing pretty well on her own. If it gets cold it gets cold, and if a storm
comes through they just have to hold on- I never detatch any to bring
inside.

In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't believe
I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants exclusively in trees
and I just have to wonder how well my stories and problems will fit in here?
Do folks struggling with indoor humidity problems really want to hear about
my "mount 'em and forget about 'em" plants?

I'm not much of a joiner so don't do clubs, and rarely have the time to get
to a show- but gardening is my passion and I sure do enjoy sitting outside
gazing up into a tree and seeing fabulous color.

And is there a FAQ available?

Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Hello Toni & welcome to our group. We have much in common except, I
have no trees to hang my orchids in. My back yard is covered with
shade cloth! Two small greenhouses are chock full!
A friend gave me some outside growing orchids & they are doing
very well considering. (S.Calif., had 4 months of odd rain!!)
You are in the 2nd best area to grow orchids. Great weather,
humidity etc.
Not sure about a FAQ but just don't post pics here!!!!

We post to :- alt.binaries.pictures.orchids
Would love to see some photos & hear more about growing outdoors.
--
Cheers Wendy

Remove PETERPAN for email reply

Toni wrote:
Hi all- I am new to the group.

I am wondering if any/many in this group grow all of their orchids
outdoors in a naturalized setting?

I bought several species many years ago, had rotten luck with them,
got angry and tied them into trees with a "sink or swim" attitude.
Wouldn't you know it they have done better for me this way than when
I kept them babied in baskets.
Over the years I have collected many more and primarily keep
Dendrobiums, Vandas, a few Cats, Oncydiums, and some Phals- a couple
of other odds and ends but mostly those.

I do feed- when I feed the rest of the garden I slop some
onto the orchids g, but I don't do much more. Mother Nature seems
to be doing pretty well on her own. If it gets cold it gets cold, and
if a storm comes through they just have to hold on- I never detatch
any to bring inside.

In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't
believe I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants
exclusively in trees and I just have to wonder how well my stories
and problems will fit in here? Do folks struggling with indoor
humidity problems really want to hear about my "mount 'em and forget
about 'em" plants?

I'm not much of a joiner so don't do clubs, and rarely have the time
to get to a show- but gardening is my passion and I sure do enjoy
sitting outside gazing up into a tree and seeing fabulous color.

And is there a FAQ available?

Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Toni wrote:
..............................
......................................
In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't believe
I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants exclusively in trees
and I just have to wonder how well my stories and problems will fit in here?
Do folks struggling with indoor humidity problems really want to hear about
my "mount 'em and forget about 'em" plants?
................................................. ..

Your story fits in great. I don't think I'm assuming too much when I say
that several us like to dream about growing orchids outdoors all year.

Steve in the Adirondacks (where growing outside for 2-3 months is about it)

Toni: We have participants from all over the place, including several in
south Florida.

I can't grow my inventory on trees [hard to sell that way G], but I have
and continue to naturalize both "scraps" [old backbulbs from repotting the
inventory] and orchids from my personal collection. It's a great way to
grow, if you have the climate -- and yes, those that had been established
for any length of time weathered last year's hurricanes pretty well.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Toni" wrote in message
. ..

Hi all- I am new to the group.

I am wondering if any/many in this group grow all of their orchids
outdoors
in a naturalized setting?

I bought several species many years ago, had rotten luck with them, got
angry and tied them into trees with a "sink or swim" attitude. Wouldn't
you
know it they have done better for me this way than when I kept them babied
in baskets.
Over the years I have collected many more and primarily keep Dendrobiums,
Vandas, a few Cats, Oncydiums, and some Phals- a couple of other odds and
ends but mostly those.

I do feed- when I feed the rest of the garden I slop some
onto the orchids g, but I don't do much more. Mother Nature seems to be
doing pretty well on her own. If it gets cold it gets cold, and if a storm
comes through they just have to hold on- I never detatch any to bring
inside.

In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't
believe
I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants exclusively in
trees
and I just have to wonder how well my stories and problems will fit in
here?
Do folks struggling with indoor humidity problems really want to hear
about
my "mount 'em and forget about 'em" plants?

I'm not much of a joiner so don't do clubs, and rarely have the time to
get
to a show- but gardening is my passion and I sure do enjoy sitting outside
gazing up into a tree and seeing fabulous color.

And is there a FAQ available?

Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Toni -- when we lived in Boynton Beach I did the same -- in the ground I had
Phaius, epidendrum radicans, cymbidiums, and vanda terrete. Then I put some
Cattleya into the crotches of shade trees, and they did well. As I
experimented, I planted an Australian tree fern, then tied Cattleya to the
trunk. They liked that and gave me good blooms at least twice a year.
Abell's nursery in Palm Beach County has usually been a good source for
epidendrum radicans, and they gave me the initial idea to install that plant
near the lake shoreline.

As the quality of life in South Florida went downhill, we sold the house and
moved to Highlands County (central Florida) and had to leave most of the
orchids behind. We did take some of the epidendrum radicans, which have
also flourished here. I tried naturalizing cattleyas in our live oak trees,
but they didn't survive a hard winter and a few hurricanes. I do, however,
have a good stand of epidendrum radicans, and my vanda terrete have grown to
be six feet tall climbing up our royal poinciana trees or in our bamboo
grove. The vandas are getting ready to bloom and I'll have a picture on
alt.binaries.pictures.orchids in a few weeks. I've also replanted an
Australian tree fern and tied on a couple of cattleya -- one more try, and
not with expensive plants -- and I have a really nice hanging planter with
an oncidium that's about to bloom with multiple stalks about 4' long.

In general, the plants that I've naturalized here have done better than
those I've kept in pots, although the spathoglottis haven't flourished.

Coincidently, Mounts Botanical Garden (West Palm Beach) is having its spring
plant sale on Sat-Sun, Apr 23-24. This is a big event and there are a
couple of vendors who can give you more advice. One in particular who is
always at the corner of the sidewalk near the pavilion (sorry -- the name
escapes me) has vandas, cattleyas, vanilla orchids and other material and a
lot of advice on orchid care. Go early -- this is always a big event.

It's "neat" being able to live in a place where you can just grow orchids in
a natural setting without devoting a lot of care to them, and those that do
well do as well or better than those in a greenhouse setting. Good luck
with your orchids -- Regards --


"Toni" wrote in message
. ..

Hi all- I am new to the group.

I am wondering if any/many in this group grow all of their orchids
outdoors
in a naturalized setting?

I bought several species many years ago, had rotten luck with them, got
angry and tied them into trees with a "sink or swim" attitude. Wouldn't
you
know it they have done better for me this way than when I kept them babied
in baskets.
Over the years I have collected many more and primarily keep Dendrobiums,
Vandas, a few Cats, Oncydiums, and some Phals- a couple of other odds and
ends but mostly those.

I do feed- when I feed the rest of the garden I slop some
onto the orchids g, but I don't do much more. Mother Nature seems to be
doing pretty well on her own. If it gets cold it gets cold, and if a storm
comes through they just have to hold on- I never detatch any to bring
inside.

In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't
believe
I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants exclusively in
trees
and I just have to wonder how well my stories and problems will fit in
here?
Do folks struggling with indoor humidity problems really want to hear
about
my "mount 'em and forget about 'em" plants?

I'm not much of a joiner so don't do clubs, and rarely have the time to
get
to a show- but gardening is my passion and I sure do enjoy sitting outside
gazing up into a tree and seeing fabulous color.

And is there a FAQ available?

Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Toni, wise old sayimg: More orchids are killed by overloving than by
underloving. They *do* grow in the wild, you know. Of course, that
assumes your back yard environment is in at least the same ballpark as
their native one. But welcome. Mine are all grown outdoors, albeit
on shelves in the main, not on trees. Can't bring trees indoors to
show off when the orchids bloom ;-)

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 07:00:21 -0400, "Toni" wrote:


Hi all- I am new to the group.

I am wondering if any/many in this group grow all of their orchids outdoors
in a naturalized setting?

I bought several species many years ago, had rotten luck with them, got
angry and tied them into trees with a "sink or swim" attitude. Wouldn't you
know it they have done better for me this way than when I kept them babied
in baskets.
Over the years I have collected many more and primarily keep Dendrobiums,
Vandas, a few Cats, Oncydiums, and some Phals- a couple of other odds and
ends but mostly those.

I do feed- when I feed the rest of the garden I slop some
onto the orchids g, but I don't do much more. Mother Nature seems to be
doing pretty well on her own. If it gets cold it gets cold, and if a storm
comes through they just have to hold on- I never detatch any to bring
inside.

In trying to get a feel for this group in the last few days I don't believe
I have run into anyone else who keeps all their plants exclusively in trees
and I just have to wonder how well my stories and problems will fit in here?
Do folks struggling with indoor humidity problems really want to hear about
my "mount 'em and forget about 'em" plants?

I'm not much of a joiner so don't do clubs, and rarely have the time to get
to a show- but gardening is my passion and I sure do enjoy sitting outside
gazing up into a tree and seeing fabulous color.

And is there a FAQ available?

Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10


Dave Gillingham
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To email me remove the .private from my email address.

Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...

Just curious.

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...

Just curious.

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

When we moved to Palm Beach County in 1993 our quiet subdivision was
adjacent to a two-lane paved road and the county had about 600,000 people in
it. By 1999 that road had grown to 6 lanes wide and the county had a
million people. The county will reach saturation at 2 million people, and
that's forecast for about 2012.

Driving to work was bumper-to-bumper and I-95 was stop-and-go. Worse, the
southern charm had been overtaken by the New York attitude -- aggresive and
abrasive.

So we looked for a new place, and one of our primary requirements was that
you couldn't reach it from I-95. We settled on Highlands County near
Sebring, about 100 miles south of Orlando. This is cracker country, all
orange groves and cattle. We sold our 2000 sq ft house on 1/4 acre in Palm
Beach County for $200K, and bought near Lake Placid -- 150' of real
lakefront, 1 acre, 6,000 sq ft house, for $200K. I know everyone's houses
have increased in value, but this one has gone up by 2 1/2 times since 1999.
(of course, we put in some major renovations, as well.)

The first evening in the new house, a bald eagle landed on our TV mast.
We've got deer, bear, otters, cranes, egrets, gators, and all kinds of wild
life. We got through the hurricanes without a scratch (lost some tree
limbs). We're 3 minutes from Publix and CVS, but 100 miles in any direction
from an Interstate Highway, 30 miles from Home Depot, 100 miles from
Orlando, Tampa or West Palm, 120 from Miami. This is one of the best things
I've ever done, up there with marrying my wife and a couple of special
military assignments. Regards --

"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...



It's a busy, overcrowded place.
But as my husbands job is here so am I, and I am quite happy.
I have a marvelous little patch of ground to play in and don't often need to
venture out into high traffic areas.

Would I like to be a tad bit further north in a less congested area? Sure.
But at least until he's able to join me in retirement here is where I'm
going to be and I'm making the very best of it.


--
Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Hmm - interesting. I was down in the Homestead area 3 years ago and found it
to be very low-density suburban, with houses on 3 acre lots and no traffic.
My friend was about 45 minutes south of Miami - is that farther out than
either you or World Traveler?

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

"Toni" wrote in message
...

"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...



It's a busy, overcrowded place.
But as my husbands job is here so am I, and I am quite happy.
I have a marvelous little patch of ground to play in and don't often need
to
venture out into high traffic areas.

Would I like to be a tad bit further north in a less congested area? Sure.
But at least until he's able to join me in retirement here is where I'm
going to be and I'm making the very best of it.


--
Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

You're right -- we never seriously considered that area, and I can't tell
you why it doesn't appeal to us -- . The lakes in the highlands area were
one factor in our decision.

Most of the expansion here has been from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale north. We
were in Palm Beach County and there is now one big strip city from Miami all
the way north to Port St. Lucie or further, bounded by the Atlantic on one
side and the Everglades/agricultural area/Lake Okechobee on the other.
Tampa and Orlando are also growing equally fast, in all directions. Orlando
environs have moved almost 20 miles west along I-4 in the 6 years since we
moved here, and in a decade or so you'll have another strip city along I-4
that runs from Tampa Bay to Orlando, Sanford and perhaps all the way to
Daytona Beach.

There has also been an increased migration of long-time Floridians north to
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina

Regards --

"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hmm - interesting. I was down in the Homestead area 3 years ago and found
it to be very low-density suburban, with houses on 3 acre lots and no
traffic. My friend was about 45 minutes south of Miami - is that farther
out than either you or World Traveler?

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

"Toni" wrote in message
...

"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...



It's a busy, overcrowded place.
But as my husbands job is here so am I, and I am quite happy.
I have a marvelous little patch of ground to play in and don't often need
to
venture out into high traffic areas.

Would I like to be a tad bit further north in a less congested area?
Sure.
But at least until he's able to join me in retirement here is where I'm
going to be and I'm making the very best of it.


--
Toni
South Florida USA
Zone 10

From Port St. Lucie:

We love it here. Yes, there has been explosive growth since we moved here in
late 1999, but the city was underpopulated prior to that. We live on what is
called a "greenbelt", a swath of water which is part of an extensive network
of non-navigatible canals. It is 100' wide (behind our property, so
provides a good buffer between neighbors), and is home to a great variety of
wild life, birds of all kinds, large and small, turtles, etc. We have the
occasional eagle, hawks of course, an owl or two that we have heard but not
yet seen, painted buntings, you name it. The occasional bobcat sends Casper
the Wonder Cat running from the screen proch into the bedroom. (Way to go,
brave kitty!)

Would we like to have a little more land than what we have? Probably yes,
but we don't want big acreage either - to take care of - so we are happy
here. If we were to move north west it would be essential to have a larger
plot, because I would insist on a greenhouse due to the colder weather. As
things are, we added on to our screened area a few years ago, and we are
always looking for new ways to maximize growing areas.

Personally, I think the Homestead area is totally funky and wonderful, and
has retained its rural atmosphere despite being convenient to services, but
we won't be moving any time soon. I can understand why WT likes the rural
life, and respect it too. But we like our conveniences; it's nice to be able
to travel for five minutes - literally - to a supermarket. And probably most
of all, we don't want to be 30 miles away from a nail or a screw, let alone
having to travel an extra hundred miles to go play.

Bottom line: it's all a matter of one's priorities, isn't it? The Miami and
Fort Lauderdale areas have been congested since I lived there in the 70's,
so nothing is new there. Palm Beach County has been crowded for a long time
too. St. Lucie County is making some mistakes - we need to change mayors
here in Port St. Lucie before he unwisely spends any more money on his
beloved "City Center" in an area where few will go - but that can happen
anywhere.

Happy in Port St. Lucie, I remain

Your Faithful Correspondent,

Diana Kulaga

The short answer: Immigration -- from all directions! New York, New
Jersey, Massachusetts, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, etc., etc. When I was
growing up in Ft. Lauderdale, the tallest structure in town was the steeple
on the First Baptist Church; there was actually empty land in between it and
its neighboring towns; etc., etc.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com


"Eric Hunt" wrote in message
...
Hi,

What happened to the quality of life in So. Fl? Most people I know would
love to live in that climate...

Just curious.

-Eric in SF
www.orchidphotos.org

Diana: I think PSL/Stuart/Fort Pierce are nice locations, on the leading
edge of the major development -- PSL is about at the stage that Palm Beach
County was when we bought there in the early '90s, but you have to wonder
what it'll look like in 10 years. But even here in "remote" Highlands
County I'm only 3 miles from Publix and Wynn Dixie, same distance to Ace
Hardware -- but I'm a lot further away from major cultural events (Sebring
12 hour race doesn't qualify --).

We've never been reluctant to drive, and actually will be at the Mounts
plant sale in WPB on Sunday, and we occasionally eat at a large Chinese
buffet on US1 in the PSL area. But it's nice to have the additional land,
space for gardens, lake front, etc.

Rush hour in Lake Placid is TWO pickup trucks stopped at the traffic
light --

Regards --

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
k.net...
From Port St. Lucie:

We love it here. Yes, there has been explosive growth since we moved here
in
late 1999, but the city was underpopulated prior to that. We live on what
is
called a "greenbelt", a swath of water which is part of an extensive
network
of non-navigatible canals. It is 100' wide (behind our property, so
provides a good buffer between neighbors), and is home to a great variety
of
wild life, birds of all kinds, large and small, turtles, etc. We have the
occasional eagle, hawks of course, an owl or two that we have heard but
not
yet seen, painted buntings, you name it. The occasional bobcat sends
Casper
the Wonder Cat running from the screen proch into the bedroom. (Way to go,
brave kitty!)

Would we like to have a little more land than what we have? Probably yes,
but we don't want big acreage either - to take care of - so we are happy
here. If we were to move north west it would be essential to have a larger
plot, because I would insist on a greenhouse due to the colder weather. As
things are, we added on to our screened area a few years ago, and we are
always looking for new ways to maximize growing areas.

Personally, I think the Homestead area is totally funky and wonderful, and
has retained its rural atmosphere despite being convenient to services,
but
we won't be moving any time soon. I can understand why WT likes the rural
life, and respect it too. But we like our conveniences; it's nice to be
able
to travel for five minutes - literally - to a supermarket. And probably
most
of all, we don't want to be 30 miles away from a nail or a screw, let
alone
having to travel an extra hundred miles to go play.

Bottom line: it's all a matter of one's priorities, isn't it? The Miami
and
Fort Lauderdale areas have been congested since I lived there in the 70's,
so nothing is new there. Palm Beach County has been crowded for a long
time
too. St. Lucie County is making some mistakes - we need to change mayors
here in Port St. Lucie before he unwisely spends any more money on his
beloved "City Center" in an area where few will go - but that can happen
anywhere.

Happy in Port St. Lucie, I remain

Your Faithful Correspondent,

Diana Kulaga