Yes and yes, Petite Orange, as Stitz says. For 2 gotta-have-no-matter-whats, I pulled out all the stops & emailed every vendor with an email address. :) One was the Hab medusae. For that one, I also went on all the forums that seemed remotely relevant. It worked. A guy on a terrestrial orchid forum said to email him early Nov. this year, when he'd know if he had any extra. Awfully nice of him. Both "campaigns" were successful. Two vendors had the Hab last spring and one had the Phal Leopard Prince 'Sogo Diamond.'

Hi Olya I'll bet your temps dropped below 32 .?? Big difference between a frost and freeze. Must tell you a story about the time I used plastic as a wind block . I covered the outside and was feeling smug the next morning when it was 55 in the shadehouse. 33 out side. Went to work before daylight came home at 5 temps were in the 60's. Inside the shadehouse the temps were 140 due to the solar warming !! Only things I lost were those in the shadehouse!! If your going to cover the shadehouse I'd suggest frostcloth or canvas. If that sun is beating down you'll still get heating but not nearly as bad as transparent plastic. My last attemp at exterior covering was partial with frostcloth . The main problem with that has been storage. One giant piece of cloth If you use it be sure to roll it up don't fold!! come that cold day you unfold it will fall apart. This can also be left in place with simple venting for the next night. Plastic will have to be removed and replaced depending on daytime highs. A lot of work!! As for me I'm going to remian wide open. I found some tables for calculating heat loss from water so should give me a better idea of wattage needed. This system also has the added advantage of evaporative cooling in the summer .So far have not had to wear a jacket lol I'm also using this system as a semi,hydroponic setup I want to turn the shadehouse into sort of rainforest with all plants in fixed positions . Sort of an overgrown terrarium.lol BTW See no damage to any of my orchids ,I brought some indooors to a 60 degree heated hoom the shadehouse which I know fell to under 50 much colder in spots. Those on the trees were covered while some were left uncovered.. So far see no difference. I registered 35 in the yard. so no frost. Good luck with whatever you decide!! gary

Oh, wow, thank-you. I really don't do much for them. Olya, the one in the front is Bc.'Roman Holiday'. It is a very, very old cross. I bought this plant in 1992 at the Selby Plant shop. Needless to say, it has been divided and repotted a number of times. It was huge at one time. I love the color contrast and the fragrance is heavenly. The salmony-pink one is an even older cross, C. Barbara Kirsch. I got a division from an old orchid friend in 1995. I grow my orchids in a lanai house. It has a plastic roof that transmits about 70% light, and the sides are regular screen. I chose this because I wanted good air circulation from all sides, and very good sun exposure. However, I wanted control of watering. Specimen plants are what I like. Therefore, I go years without repotting. Because of this, I have to choose media that won't rot in that period of time, and that will stay porous. I never use bark. I mix my own media, nilly willy style. Usually medium charcoal chunks mixed with tree fern fiber, maybe some aerolite and maybe a tad of canadian peat moss. I don't really have a regular watering regimen. Many times I forget to water them. Less is always better than more. I never water past noon unless it is hot or windy. I never let them stay wet overnight. On average, I water most of my orchids twice weekly. A couple that aren't in pots get watered more if I remember. I do have a cistern with rain water, and usually I water my orchids with this. I fertilize very little and very weakly. In general, either compost tea that I make myself, or fish emulsion, or liquid kelp. I would say I do one or the other about twice monthly in the spring and summer and less the rest of the year. I don't spray any pesticides, fungicides of any sort. Not organic nor synthetic. They haven't needed it since I stopped fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers several years ago. That's all I do. I know everyone grows orchids differently, and most everyone has a good success rate. They are such resilient plants. Thanks again everyone for your nice comments. Anna

If you stop in San Jose, don't pass up the grounds of the Egyptian Museum http://www.rosicrucian.org/mus-plan/0-museum.html very near the Rose Garden. 40 miles south of Portland is the new Oregon Garden (haven't been there yet, but the photos in the newspaper article about the Grand Opening looked wonderful!) http://www.oregongarden.org/ Portland has a wonderful rose test garden http://www.parks.ci.portland.or.us/Parks/RoseGardens.htm A few miles north of Portland, across the border into Washington is Collector's Nursery http://collectorsnursery.com/ Friendly owners, unusual plants (specializing in dwarf conifers and shrubs) and a great display garden. In Tacoma, you might want to stop at Point Defiance Park. http://www.tacomaparks.com/ Click on 'gardens' They have a garden divided into several areas including herbs, natives, roses, Japanese and a dahlia test garden. There is also a five mile drive through the forest, with wonderful views of water, islands, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Tacoma also has one of the three west coast (others San Diego and San Francisco) Victorian-style glass conservatory. Was just there yesterday - always a new display. East of Seattle in the city of Bellevue is a public garden noted for its perennial borders. http://www.bellevuebotanical.com/ And there is always Heronswood - perhaps the most famous Northwest Nursery. http://www.heronswood.com/ Don't forget Van Dusen Gardens in Vancoeuver. http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks&gardens/vandusen/default.shtml But Buchart is still my favorite! It is a DON'T MISS!!!!!!!! http://www.butchartgardens.com/ Have fun!