Well I moved from NJ to SWFl 28 years ago. At that time I had a few orchids- Oncidium Splendidium and Lycaste Aromatica are two that I remember the name of. THey are both gone. I think it was too warm and humid for the Lycaste here. I grow mine outside under a grapefruit tree. YOu might post on the Florida forum which is very active. There are a couple growers of superb orchids-Olyagrove and Annafl who might have some input.
I put a lot of effort and expense to keep orchids going in NJ. Here-not so much. It's really a lot easier.

Jane which do you prefer - summering your orchids outside, watering with a hose, the mess outside or inside in less than ideal light, too cool temps and dragging orchids back and forth to the sink to water.

Picture this - the lanai around your pool, screened in and maybe with shutters, east light until 11 a.m., living quarters with windows that surround your lanai.

Sure sometimes you will have to drag your plants in for the cold spells (and you'll laugh at their idea of cold for a couple of years) but don't you already do the drag in and out dance in NY in the spring and fall.

If you moved to a new house across town you would have a new learning curve. You said you always wanted a greenhouse. Move to FL and you can live in one. And you might even get that C. Serendipity whatever you haven't been able to bloom living in the FL sun.

Have you started packing yet.

Brooke

Oh Jane (yearning tone), there are such fabulous nurseries in Florida. And the shows. Are you kidding? Take me with you!!

Laura (tuezday) will probably answer your post if she's keeping an eye out at the moment.

John

Do you remember the posts after Hurricane Katrina from the GW forum members who had lath houses ruined and orchids in pieces, all over their yards and the neighbors' too? I have never lived in Fla and probably won't because we don't do heat all that well, but it seems to have its challenges. My friend who moved to Orlando area from VA is still trying to get used to it, and may move back up here.

Holly, you are too funny. I do remember and I HATE the heat. Having family living there, all these years, we've spent a lot of winters in Fla and enjoyed it. We also spent a few summers and...OMG!

Brooke you are very right. I know I'd get my George King flowering and quite a few others. My neice has her orchids growing all around her lanai and forgets about them. She always has flowers. She is the one who tugs on me. But my daughter has a house and everytime I try to plant something, I'm sweating, digging in nasty, sandy soil, and bugs, bugs. But then again, she's got the sweetest oranges and lemons hanging from her trees and Plumeria's bursting with color. My granddaughters run around in shorts in February as we freeze.

John, I know the nurseries and Selby. Everytime I go for a visit I wind up dragging plants on the plane. Okay, its a deal. IF I go, so do you.

Guess we'd have to get rid of all our cool growers...

Jane

I live way south of Tampa on the east coast, but you are going to enjoy outdoor growing- Tampa does get cooler- you have to lug your plants in for a few days in winter. If you can make a shade house or green house - that will be heaven!
Pull the hose out- watering/fertilizing is a breeze.
I don't bother growing miniatures- they get lost outside.
Any plants which needs a slight cool down sulks( that comes from my experience trying to grow some cooler growing species dends). You may be ok in Tampa.
If you have a set up for the cool growers and mini's - you will have nothing to complain about- esp when you see multiple spikes on one plant and the plants get bigger and fatter in no time!
Non stop rainy days are a pain, and I am not going to scare you with hurricanes!
Welcome down to FL!
ps
Don't forget all the other tropical plants down here!
I am going to woo you with the Pink Tabebuia
{{gwi:143952}}

2 times this winter i had to move aprox 175 orchids into the lanai,after work,its a bit stressful.some previous winters i had to wrap it in plastic.with hurricanes i just lower them to the ground,neighbors don't apreciate orchid bombs!!!!!!!!lost a few and had a prob, with water /humidity damage.i'm west of tampa and get stressed over a mild frost...usually 3 per year,its march 1 and my plumeria is spiking,gladiola is blooming,wild iris are blooming,12 months of blooming orchids,tomatoes are being picked daily,chiles are picking up(and some being picked)got a bit to much sun today listening to the rays win on radio today,i'm an expatrioted washintonian,and i'm good here!

How long did it take to adjust? You are very tempting as my Plumeria is still in the dark basement. Tomorrow they get moved upstairs but have to be kept far away from my orchids. They are spider mite magnets. I doused them with an oil spray today.
They can't go outside until May.

I just don't know about the heat and humidity and the BUGS!

Thanks for making me drool,

Jane

Jane - you know how you've been bundled up inside all these months and can't do any gardening? In FL, you unbundle during the summer and stay inside an hug the air conditioner and swimming pool.

My "gardening" friends, as opposed to my orchid friends in FL, garden starting in the fall and work outside until spring.

Which do you prefer - coats/scarves/gloves or shorts/bathing suit/flip flops?

Brooke

Ohhh, almost missed this thread - perfect place to vent!

I came originally from Russia, then lived for a year in NJ/Philly...so moving to Florida was quite a change.
For a long time, missed tulips, lilac and daffodils, lilies-of-the-valley and peonies...I tried to grow them all here, and failed!
Then, my hubby bought me an orchid, for Valentine's Day...

Florida Gardening Forum, already mentioned here, is a very good place to get advice - friendly, no drama, lots of trading and offering of cuttings - I really like it!
Here is a good thread on climate in Florida
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flgard/msg1115430322563.html

It might seem like a cool place to grow orchids, but there are some serious adjustments one has to make...

1. Temperature
While it is very tempting to grow heat lovers and humidity lovers, it becomes a bit of a challenge in the winter months. It is easy to grow to a hundred orchids in one season, and then, without a greenhouse, you are stuck carrying them in for the cold night. That is what I did for a few years.
Cold nights are a bit annoying (though, nice for us, humans - what a lovely change!) One night it dips below 40, and then the rest of the week is nice and sunny. You move them all in, then finally out, just in time for another night below 40..and so on.
I learned to not freak out until it is 38 and lower...
Shadehouse is really an ideal solution - a structure that you can insulate for a cold night and then take off the walls/plastic once the cold front has passed...That is what I have now.

2. Growing media
If growing outside, bark does not work. Maybe, for a few people out there it does, but majority of orchid nuts I have met sworn off bark, and so did I.
It rots, and gets nasty fungus, besides being a heaven for roaches that will eat all the juicy root tips..
When the rain season hits, it rains every evening for a few days in a row...good drainage and air circulation is a must
I grow everything in lava rock, or tree fern mix...lots of mounts (that are hard to maintain in winter!)

3. Wind and bugs
These two a constant challenge for me. With a change in weather we get some strong winds...Now, I put heavy rocks on the bottom of my cymbidium pots - still, some fall over!
Lots of bugs..Roaches love to hind out in pots when the medium is a bit too old. And snails.
But then you get lots of lizards and tree frogs to help out!

Overall, I love gardening in Florida (Tampa)

Here are some pictures of the plants I grow (my albums)
http://picasaweb.google.com/OlyaGrove

And here are some pictures from a canoe trip on Hillsborough river we took yesterday

Hanging out in someone's backyard, one lovely alligator
{{gwi:143953}}

Baby enc. tampensis
{{gwi:143954}}

Epidendrum magnoliae, in full bloom
{{gwi:143955}}

Enc tampensis
We saw lots and lots of enc tampensis specimens- huge clumps covered with seed pods..
{{gwi:143956}}

{{gwi:143957}}

Good luck!
Olya

Well,
I don't know much about NY, but I lived in Chicago for 16 years, and winters there are horrible. I grew what little orchids I had in my office windowsill. However, (I'm from S. California) I kept my collection back in Southern California down by the beach. There the temps are moderated by the Pacific Ocean and winters rarely dip into freezing. However, I have a greenhouse so plants are protected. Orlando south to Miami and Homestead would be ideal for growing orchids. Though you will get the occasional frost, especially if you live in the northern part of the state. Hence places like Krull Smith have greenhouses. In Redlands, many growers have shade houses. But the most worrisome problem of growing on the southern east coast is the hurricanes. They can rip the roof or shade cloth off your plants, and the next day, the merciless sun can burn your plants. Be prepared for that.

Hi
Have never gardened anywhere except 10 florida so have no experience with other places.
Have often thought it would be wonderful to get a break from it. You have to mow the lawn on Christmas day as well as the Fourth of July .
If anyone finds a place without flaws would they share.??
I suspect if i lived in a cold climate I wouldn't grow orchids at all. Way too much hassle and expense for this lazy guy. I think I'd grow some of those fabulous fir trees
bearded iris, hybrid tea roses.
Sure we have hurricanes ,way too crowded ,all the beautiful areas are being overrun You MUST depend on air
for long periods.
Funny story about climate . I was talking to my daughter about the horrors of having to move my orchids due to a temp drop. She was sitting in the dark at 14 degrees while ice was tearing off the roof. She didn't grasp my problem at all.?? Children can be soooo insensitive.lol gary

It may take you awhile to get use to the FL heat, that is for sure. I am a FL native born in Daytona lived in PA for years, the winter, which seemed to last 10 months, was horrible. There is a big difference in north FL and the southern half of state, and even greater in the very southern tip. And the West Coast does get a bit colder in Winter than the East coast.

I grow my orchids out side year round, every year or two I do have to get some freinds to help bring them in for a night or two when it gets cold. Our heat does have limits on what orchids you can grow. Unless you have a cooling pad or a seperate greenhouse with A/C. Things like Masdevallia, Dracula, Standard Cycmbidiums, Ondotoglossum, Milt. and many Lycaste will for the most part be a dream. One the other side things like Vandas, cattleyas, Epi/Enc, catasetum/cycnoches will grow and bloom like weeds.

When I left Tampa after 30 years south of Gandy I gave a friend a half dozen Vandas in baskets, some epis and some phals.
He hung the Vandas in his tangerine tree and they have been blooming every year since 2002. If frost threathens he puts them in his storage shed. Works fine.

But.....for orchid weather its hard to beat Chapala Mexico.
5300" elevation. Been here since 2003 and yet to see below 40 or more then 90. Do close up the catts when the cooler night weather comes but grow phals both inside and out. Epis, dens, cyms never any worries (except a couple of my cyms didn't bloom this year and I wonder if they are getting enough cold).

I can see you Florida/warm growers love it. I was curious how people who lived up north, adjusted their gardening and growing methods and how easy it was after they moved.

Olya, thank you for the beautiful photos. Coming from Russia to Florida had to be a huge change. When you write about roaches in your pots, my skin crawls. I hate, hate bugs! One thing about living up north, winter keeps bugs in check. I don't want bugs, snakes and lizards jumping out of my pots.

Brooke, I get it about freezing and sweating, although the thought of putting this body in a bathing suit doesn't appeal to me. One thing about winter clothes, you can hide many of your sins under layers of sweaters and coats.

The biggest draw for me would be how I would learn to 'regrow.' I spend the winter chasing the sun around my living room trying to give my Catts all the sun I can muster.

That's my winter exercise...

Thanks all,
Jane

I moved from Tampa to DC over 7 years ago. I miss watering my orchids freely in my old Tampa garden. Now I grow orchids in enclosed cases and window sills during the winter and summer them outside and yes, it's a chore to haul the collection out side in the spring. But DC is worth it.
I say pack your bags and move already! ;-)

Hi
Interesting discussion. Are you moving to Florida simply because of the weather?? WOW it would be wonderful to have that luxury!!! I moved here for a job and now I'm old and nervous about moving lol.
If I were going to move for climate alone I'd go to Costa Rica.,probably at mid altitude in a drier area.
Orchids are weeds there not to mention all the other fabulous epi's and birds and waterfalls both ocean a,and ,and lol
gary

When I win lotto and am footloose and fancy free, I'd love to move to Hawaii. That's my fantasy. I did date a guy from Miami for a number of years and I liked it down there, although summers were pretty brutal. But the guy I married hates the heat, so I'm stuck in Maryland. Although with global warming, I'm doing a lot more zone pushing with tropicals outdoors!

Funny, I'm not packing any bags yet. My entire family lives in Florida and my daughter moved there 3 years ago. We have been pressured for years to move, but because of my husbands work we never considered it. Now it is possible because he is self-employed.

Having spent so many years visiting, we have always had mixed feelings. We love being there because of family. But northeast has always been home - Boston/NY. We have reached a position to move anywhere, but if we do it would have to be near family...thus Florida.

Just musing over it.

Jane

jane
A few more thoughts on this lol. When we moved to this area the population was under 100,000 is now over 1.2 million and still growing lol
I remember the "good old days" when you could go the theme parks for just an arm rather than arm and leg. I could go scuba diving without appoinments for under 50 bucks. Could go to the beach and actually find a place to park !! I could drive down the highway and actually move I could even be certain I'd arrive within a reasonable time lol Funny that we chose this area rather than Miami because it was a small town !!! I would say that the best of Florida is long past or maybe I'm just getting old?? lol
I can remember actually speaking to my neighbors and yardman lol. They actually understood my spanish verbs lol
I guess if your new you won't misss all the things that are gone.
Interesting that you mention family because that is the only reason my wife would consider moving lol. But they live in a small town in SW Kansas. It has had the enourmous
growth from 900 to almost 1300 in less than 30 years!!!
They now have two stoplights and my uncles house has a street number!! They have 2 school busses and the students actually go to different buildings almost 3 miles apart.
They had a traffic jam just last week when some cattle got loose from the slaughter house. made front page lol.
When visiting I asked my daughter how to sleep without the hum of the interstate.?? has been no breakins or gunfire on the streets in well over 20 years.
No way could I live in that lol
On a side note got to see the grandkids who believe it or not actually were doing things on there own. So I got to see them maybe ten minutes tops Not a one of them would take me along on a date!!!
Enough of my ramblings lol Good luck with whatever you decide. gary

Great story, Gary. Sort of like where we live now. Close to NYC and 30 yrs ago was like living in the country. Beautiful, yet convenient to the City. Now almost every piece of land is being built on. Luckily, in my area it is still acre zoned, so the houses can't be that close together. We live by the Rockefeller property which the family holds thousands of acres which will never be built on. They maintain horse trails and nature conservatories.

Everytime I see one of those McMansions go up, I get sick. So weird because these people are lucky to have one child, but have to have these enormous houses.

It is happening everywhere,

Jane

Hi
Imagine the adjustments for me ??.Florida to Kansas lol
About the only advantage I can see is I could have a "farm" with a lake for half what my house would bring here lol I coukd even have that buffalo ranch I've always been wanting.
I could boss my daughter around anytime I want. Could see the grandkids if they are at home and they don't hide. Could get my son in law to mow the yard for nothing!!! Okay that's a maybe. lol
No orchids ,no palm trees, no trips to the beaches orchid shows and sales no trips to the animal parks.no outdoor aviaries. Come to think of it I really don't like buffalo that well !!! gary

Ha! there's always orchids - anywhere!

Good luck getting your son-in-law to mow the lawn.

Around here, that died fast..

Jane

Hi Jane, Just finished reading this wonderful thread and have to tell, you... I grew up in Rockland county. I tried many times to grow orchids but even if I got them to live, they usually wouldn't bloom again unless I got lucky. When I first started growing Orchids, I went to a friends house in Manhattan.. he had a Brownstone with a great rooftop Garden. He had all these plants along the edges (about a 40 foot bed that ran around the edge) that I thought were some type of lillies, based on their leaves. They looked really nice and during dinner I mentioned them and asked what they were and he said they were Cymbidiums his neighbor left him when he died a few months earlier so not having a green house he planted them around the garden. A few months later (winter) I asked what he did with them and he said "nothing.. they're all dead". Well, I was pretty disgusted, but I didn't have anywhere to keep them either.
Now that I live in Land-O-Lakes (Just north of Tampa), I LOVE it! Sure it gets hot, but the AC is great! Winter, Fall and Spring are GREAT!!! Would you rather have 10 months of Cold weather with Blizzards, Rain and sleet or 2 months of hot humid weather?
Sure we get some Hurricanes in the state.. but The Tampa Bay area rarely gets hit. Most either hit south of us and cross over or bypass us and go up to the panhandle. If you have to deal with one or two a year... sure Beats a noreaster that knocks out your power, ices over everything and gives you tons to shovel off the drive and walkways.
Here you can grow all the plumerias you want, All the Citrus you can fit in your yard, Grow Pineapples and even cactus!!! I DO have friends that grow cymbidiums on the north side of their house where they have a large tree and they bloom no problems. Stays cool on that side I guess.

Make the move! You'll wonder what took you so long!

I grow pretty successfully in NYC but I have the advantage of lots of light from a wall of windows and being on the 28th fl. of my place. The only thing I hate is my limited space. I'm always very envious when I go down to Ft. Lauderdale and see people growing orchids mounted on palm trees. If I lived down there I'd go crazy mounting and hanging them in baskets.

Great thread , I have been riding the fence for a long time about moving out of Mo.aka Misery , Like Gary it seems like a lot of work at this point . I am a Ca. native No. Ca for the most part then later So. Ca.
You may of just talked me into moving . There is nothing here as far as Orchids. I am in a small town if you don't like to cook or babysit grandkids.... zilch . Gin

Good for you Gin. California seems every bit the enticing orchid Mecca as Florida (I'm thinking Santa Barbara, expensive though).

For myself, the main reason I'd like Florida is the orchid buying opportunities, but I guess I'll just have to come down for buying trips. Ideally, I'd like to stay in a more temperate zone and have a greenhouse. I worry about the expense of a running gh though. If I sold orchids locally (farmers markets and such), I could deduct the monthly gh expense, at least partly!

John

I think when all is said & done one has to simply accept the fact that every place has its draw backs and its perks. Personal tastes and preferences will determine in part how much you will or won't enjoy it.

For example a cousin of mine moved from PA to Florida and loves it. He was all excited about moving down there and my family was quite happy for him getting his dream. For him, it was a good fit.

However, he was really quite mystified when he asked my folks and I about how much we missed it and was told we don't. [My dad was stationed down there when I was a kid.] Florida -- been there, done that & don't want to do it again. I don't like the heat or the humidity. [My mom would be quick to add "hated the bugs" to that list too -- especially the roaches. LOL]

Hey John, let me know where you are thinking. My husband would move to Calif in a flash. Did his internship in Sausalito and 'left his heart there.' I don't want to be so far away from everyone.

Our son went to college in N. Carolina and I really liked the state. The weather was nice and there are seasons. He also lived in Hawaii for 5 yrs, and - wow, orchids everywhere!

I wouldn't miss winter at all. It is too long and I hate being cooped up for so many months. I love working outside in the garden. It's my therapy.

But I really hate bugs....

You should move to CA, central coast. I moved here over 30 years ago from Illinois. You can garden all year long but it never gets too hot or too cold and NO BUGS! No roaches,mosquitos or other biting insects. You can actually sit outside and enjoy it all year long. And no AC where I live, just open the windows at night to get the ocean breeze to cool off after a hot day.

I am going down to Florida this week for my Mom's 90th birthday. I like to visit there in the winter and spring but hate the summer. I did that once and nearly died from the heat. I prefer the cooler weather here. I like wearing sweaters and jackets in winter but no heavy coats, hats, mittens, or scarfs.

And we can grow both tropical and cold loving plants. I have brugs, guavas, citrus and other tropical plants. But also grow roses, lilacs, spring bulbs, pears and apples. This area is nicked named, "Where the palm tree meets the pine."

And you can grow orchids outside here too. I just posted "Know the name of this orchid." My friend grows them outside. I have 2 unheated greenhouses for the tender plants to stay during winter then put them outside in April/May to Dec.

Just something to think about.
Clare

I forgot about the bugs :( we were in Chiefland Fl.looking at birds a lady was raising . I thought it was odd she had on a turtle neck top, long sleeves and jeans in July didn't take me long to find out why .I looked down and my legs were covered in mosquitoes . By the way her place was for sale it was very close to water. Then there are the Love Bugs met them too, and the palmetto bugs (aka) roaches maybe cold is not so bad lol .. Gin

Clare, that sounds like my kind of place. Wish I could move my family with me.

Gin, I agree with you. I forgot - noseeums? Those giant, flying roaches....

But then again, it was so cold and windy today, my hubby said, "I'm so sick of the cold!"

Jane

Jane,

Yes, I've lived in Minnesota since '80 and in Arkansas before that. Plenty of bugs in Arkansas. Also spent a couple of years in Jackson, Mississippi, Land of the Humongous Flying Roaches. I had nightmares for years.

If I could live any place else, it would be the CA Bay area or the central coast, as Clare says. I go there every chance I get. Just about as close to paradise as you can get, except for the earthquakes.

You can visit family in Florida, as many times a year as you like and for as long as you like, but you'd always be coming home to paradise. Even inland, the air coming from the ocean is good for your soul.

My absolute prejudice, so take that into account.

Whitecat8

Born and raised in northern IL, currently residing in central IL... we did pick up one gardening zone moving south a bit.

I'd give anything to live in central coastal Cali, but I'd never get my husband to agree to moving. He claims to like the winters, and does have a good reason... the cold kills off a lot of bad things, and keeps nature genetically strong. I'll buy that, but I still don't enjoy the bone-chilling cold! I get chilled in fall and don't thaw until spring! And the older I get, the more the cold bothers me physically... I'm old enough to dislike winter!

The only way we'd ever move to warmer climes would be if our children moved their families there first... only then would my husband agree to a move.

So, it looks like I'm stuck gardening in IL... where I must emulate a warm climate to grow orchids and other tropicals, dragging them out for summer and back in for winter... but I do get to enjoy lilacs, peonies, tulips and other bulbs and plants that are deciduous or require a chill in order to bloom.

I guess it's not so bad... we have white Christmases, germ killing cold, and can enjoy plants that need the lower temps... and summer brings all the warmth and humidity that makes the garden bloom so beautifully...

It may make orchid growing a challenge... but real gardeners aren't afraid of a challenge, and in fact, we welcome the chance to prove our prowess!

What the hey, my Epi is still alive... I must be doing something right! :-)

Before I moved anywhere, I'd check the drought conditions. These new droughts that have sprung up in unexpected places are expected to persist. NC, especially central NC, is really bad right now - who'da thought? Parts of Florida. Southern Ga. looks ok, Louisiana I'd be tempted by if I knew a soul there. Screw the hurricanes. I love all that spanish moss and slow lifestyle. Just call me Steel Magnolia. And cajun food and music -I'm there! If Florida, I'd go north of Orlando where Laura is. Closer to the coast, between Orlando and Jacksonville...

That said, the NE still looks pretty good from a drought perspective. Warren or Huntingdon counties in NJ, not too far from the city but reasonably close to Parkside, long may it wave.

Jane, you just need a big fat greenhouse where you can go and wile away those dreary winter days in a warm,fecund, oxygen-rich environment. Don't move to Florida, move (if you have to) somewhere you can build yourself a greenhouse! The "chilluns" can come up and visit you!

John

Here is a link that might be useful: US Drought Monitor

Jane, check out "PSLOS Orchid Show Pics" over on the Gallery. From Ft. Pierce, Fla. Esp. weblink to "My yard in Ft. Pierce Florida" in the post.

J

I live in NE Georgia. The mountains. Foxfire country. We have 3 recreational lakes surrounded by million dollar homes and flocks of Floridians house hunting to move away from heat, crowds, crime, or whatever their pet peeve was. Many of them went to Florida to escape the snow and discovered they missed seeing the seasons change. A few years ago Rand-McNally or something similar named us the number one retirement spot in the country and everyone came to look. A few who chose to move will say they regret leaving all their orchids, but they know they couldn't grow them here. I enjoy the look of shock when I say, "Why can't you grow them here. I have about 400." Once spoiled by the ease of tropical growing, they forget it only takes a little more effort, to take what they like about the climate somewhere else. That being said, I like my GH, but I'll be glad when I can safely move the plants outside. I'll only do it once per season change though. Here that usually means late April to early May.
MsFlintlock