Grow cool-loving easy orchids
Not all varieties love hot and steamy conditions – some prefer it a lot cooler!
We tend to think orchids need warmth and high humidity but there are lots that naturally grow at high altitudes in mountain ranges, exposed to much cooler temperatures. It wouldn’t be as cold as our British winters though, so these plants still need to be kept indoors, but if you have a conservatory or greenhouse with a small heater then there are a wide range of orchids you can try.
Cymbidiums and dendrobiums originate from northern India and south East Asia,
growing on trees as epiphytes in cool mountain forests. The hybrids we commonly buy in the UK have been bred from these species so also benefit from cool conditions, especially when it comes to re-flowering.
To recreate their natural climate, give them a dry season during winter. This rest period initiates flowering in the spring or following winter, depending on type. With all cool-growing orchids it’s important to give them a drop in temperature and less water in winter as this sets their seasons and lets them know what they need to do. This is not unlike the flowering of our garden plants that also need a change in seasons to get them synchronised throughout the year.
If they’re too warm in winter they can skip their flowering season altogether and grow more leaves so this is why the change and drop in temperature from summer to winter is so important.
Keeping a minimum of 10C (50F) on winter’s nights will be just what’s needed to keep these orchids happy. It’s natural to go higher during the day, especially with a bit of welcome winter sun. Cymbidiums love to stand outside in summer but remember to water them well during their spring and summer-growing season as this is when they produce new leaves and pseudobulbs for the year.
So you’ve grown the more common coolgrowing orchids, but which others could you try? At our nursery we grow many different species of coelogyne and this a lovely group to grow. They’re south east Asian and enjoy the same culture as the cymbidiums and dendrobiums, most needing that winter rest.
Some are spring-flowering, others more in autumn time. The colour of flowers ranges from snow white through creams and pale yellows and even peachy tones. Many are also fragrant.
Coelogyne cristata, the rag orchid, is a favourite with hobbyists and one I have in my own home conservatory. The sparkling white flowers come in late winter and have crinkled edges with a contrasting orange centre to the lip. Its plump, rounded pseudobulbs need a monsoon summer with regular water and spraying, followed by a drier rest in winter as they have very distinct wet and dry seasons in the wild.
On the other side of the world, in the Andes of South America, grows the genus Masdevallia. Also known as the kite orchids, tailed flowers are held on tall, wispy stems. Famously growing in the cloud forests around Machu Picchu, these orchids are a little more challenging to grow at home but if you can give them a cool, shady, humid and well ventilated space they can thrive and form into easy -to-handle clumps with multiple flying flowers.