Growing orchids outdoors is the same as any plant, you need to select an orchid that suits the position and adjust your care to suit the plant's needs. Auckland being sub tropical suits a wide range of orchids and with care i manage to have something in flower throughout the year in my garden.
This Laelia anceps is growing in a basket hung in a Pohutakawa in my garden in central Auckland.
L. anceps is a semi-hardy warm to cool grower suitable for a frost-free position, and as an epiphyte in the trees of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala it adapts well to life in baskets/rafts or attached to trees.
Bright indirect to direct morning sun. Remember as always if increasing light levels do it bit by bit to avoid burning leaves.
Flowers will last up to a month and slug bait is helpful (this one started blooming in late April and was starting to show signs of spotting in late May with the display over by June).
Flower count per spike is normally 2-4 on this plant with the occasional 5 blooms. Planted in a basket in large grade bark it is watered every second day during summer and active growth and then relies on nature through winter to spring. I fertilize lightly with a slow release every year.
Not noticeably scented the long stems leave the flowers appearing to float in the air and the species has been used extensively in breeding - both with other species and genera to create complex hybrids and within the species to create many-colored variants.
Another thing attached to this plant is memory - it came from the collection of Ray Hogan a former member of Waitakere Orchid Club.
Here is a L. anceps alba - not in the best shape due to me forgetting the slug bit in this area.
And here a hybrids- on display at club night a few years back- no id on this unfortunately. Note the rounder fuller flower and more compact form
happy growing -
Toby
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