Outdoor Orchids

This list of orchids for growing outdoors is to give you some suggestions for the more hardy types. However, they may need frost protection. During the coldest parts of the year you may have to move them under a tree, a patio, or some shade cloth. These orchids represent the easiest to grow, the hardiest, and easiest to obtain. The links will take you to the culture sheet if there is one available. Also see the expanded outdoor orchid list.

Cattleya citrina - (Now Encyclia citrina) Interesting haniging growth habit with bright, very fragrant yellow flowers.

Cymbidiums - Among the easiest of all orchids, usually spring blooming.

Cymbidiums, minature - Similar in growth to standards, blooms earlier, smaller flowers.

Dendrobium kingianum - Good hanging, tiny flowers usually in shades of pink in the spring.

Dendrobium speciosum - Gets pretty big but will have thousands of tiny white to cream flowers.

Dendrobium, Yamamoto types - A cool grower, best in hanging baskets, lots of color.

Encyclia aromatica - Good basket plant, 18" sprays of white flowers, very fragrant.

Encyclia cochleata - Can bloom all summer with green and almost black.

Encyclia tampense - Native to Florida, withstands cold well, fragrant gold flowers in summer.

Epidendrum radicans - Lots of colors. Frost will nip it if not protected.

Isochilus linearis - Looks like a pot full of grass, tiny purple flowers in late winter.

Laelia albida - Hardy and rewarding. White flowers, perhaps a little pink and fragrant.

Laelia anceps - Several varieties, the very best to start with. Takes low temperatures.

Laelia autumnalis - Our zoo has these scattered among the trees by the bus loading. Very hardy.

Laelia speciosa - Good grower and hardy but can be hard to bloom. Flowers are 6" across.

Lycaste cruenta or aromatica - Both cold tolerant, fragrant orange flowers around the base of the plant.

Maxillaria tenuifolia - Coconut fragrance, likes hanging baskets, filtered light.

Ondontoglossum bictoniense - Blooms all summer and likes a loose planter mix changed each year.

Ondontoglossum maculatum - 3" flowers in early summer, takes pot or cork mounting.

Ondontoglossum pulchellum - Tiny white, very fragrant and long lasting in summer. Planter mix.

Oncidium flexuosum - Tiny yellow and brown, also very smog tolerant.

Oncidium incurvum - Great for a basket, long sprays of pink flowers.

Oncidium leucochilum - Hardy growers, baskets, mounted, pots of loose planter mix, good starter.

Oncidium ornithorhynchum - Fragrant tiny pink, likes good air circulation, filtered light.

Oncidium tigrinum - Very rewarding flower, large and colorful, try them mounted or potted.

Paphiopedilums - Many species you can grow with your cymbidium, very easy.

Rossioglossum grande - Spectacular huge yellow and caramel colored in summer.

Zygopetalums - Many new hybrids, excellent color in the blues, long lasting and fragrant.