How To Grow A Few Species of Orchids In The US Southeast

There are many species of orchids, but some orchids like warm humid environments such as those featured in states in the southeast like Florida or Georgia. While you can hire a landscaper who can work with you to pick out the best orchids and flower arrangements for your property, it is possible to plant and grow them yourself as well. Here are a few species of orchid that grow well in the southeastern United States and how to best care for them.

Vanda

Vanda usually produces a beautiful range of blooms, including purple, orange multi-colored hues. This orchid tends to bloom in the summer months, and does very well in the southeast of the country. It's an orchid originally from the Philippines, and each flower usually ranges between 2 and 4 inches with each flower "spike" producing between 2 to 12 flowers.

Cattleya

Cattleya is one of the most popular orchids in the world, famous for its delicate and attractive pattern and particularly long life. There are many different types of cattleyas, but they tend to do well in humid and hot environments, flowering once a year in the spring or fall, with their blooms lasting for 6 to 8 weeks.

Coming in numerous colors, including pastels, these flowers are featured either in small clusters of large flowers or large clusters with smaller blooms, giving you plenty of options.

Oncidiums

These orchids are thankfully easy to grow, and feature beautiful blooms nearly all year long.  These orchids produce small yellow, white or brown flowers referred to as "dancing ladies". Oncidiums will do well even if you don't give them the best care, but can really thrive when given special attention and extra soil nutrients.

Light

Now that you have an idea of what species do well, there are a few tips you can follow to keep your orchids blooming as beautifully as possible. For all the species featured in this guide, they should do best in partial shade conditions, so planting them under trees is often a good idea. Speak with your local landscaper about the best way areas to plant them outside to get the best results.

Repotting

For certain species of orchid, such as oncidiums and cattleyas, it's important to repot them approximately every 2 to 3 years, as their soil mediums will likely have used up all the nutrients over that time. At the same time, a species like vanda requires less repotting due to its single stem growth cycle, which eats up less nutrients.

Watering

Often the southeast sees a lot of rain, reducing the need for watering, but you should make sure that the soil medium you use does not become dry on the surface.

Hopefully these tips help you have the best looking landscape possible. With orchids renowned for their beauty, having a few on your yard should add a layer of beautiful landscaping to your home's look that you can enjoy for years to come.