My personal experience with them. They get heavy and lopsided, so you'll want to mount them on something or find some way to weigh them down to keep them from flipping over. Mine's in a metal basket with a coconut coir liner and a bunch of sphagnum moss, which doesn't hold enough water to rot it or anything. They don't seem to care about humidity that much. Having some humidity is probably a good thing, but it's not like some ferns that start falling apart if the relative humidity in your home dips below fifty. Light's also not a huge issue. They won't die in lower light, though they won't grow. They don't really grow regularly throughout the year, but sort of in spurts. Shield fronds normally turn brown. Fertile fronds only last about three years before dropping off. Water I've never honestly figured out. I initially heard they were rot prone and that you shouldn't water them until they wilt. I used to do this and ended up killing one. This was when I was new to plants, though. The typical water-when-dry method seems to be the best bet. What's odd though is that they're sort of succulent, especially when they get older because the mass of shield fronds acts like a sponge and stores water (and the fertile fronds seem succulent too, but I'm not sure). So, the one I have that I didn't accidentally kill... well, it's outside, it hasn't wilted or behaved strangely at ALL this summer, and I haven't been watering it that much. So I'm going to guess that smaller plants need more water and larger plants don't.

I grow numerous orchids, both epiphytic and terrestrial, as well as a large collection of sarracenias and a few nepenthes. The most successful orchid/cp combinations in my garden are bog gardens, and they are spectacular right now. I have Platanthera (aka. Habenaria) ciliaris in full bloom planted in combination with Sarracenias, VFT's, and Calopogon orchids. I'm still experimenting with Epipactus species, but they are not terribly vigorous here (lots of west coast plants tend to languish in our summer humidity.) Another successful bog companion, as noted in one of the posts above, is Spiranthes cernua. I'm also experimenting with Pogonia ophoglossoides (sp?), but it's taking a while to get established; it's pretty far south of its normal range here, so the heat may be a factor. I have tried cypripediums in bog environments before, but can't recommend that. I find that they need much better drainage to prevent fungal attack than do the CP's, and they're too expensive to risk. Bletillas are a possibility while in growth, but would need to be lifted and stored in a drier, cooler place during the winter - I've seen them sold as bog plants at a couple of local nurseries lately, but wouldn't count on their being perennial without decent winter drainage. As far as the epiphytic species go, I don't see why a combo of Nepenthes and Phals, for instance, wouldn't work, but I agree that it would just be easier to grow them separately. Weight becomes a consideration when you're dealing with plants which hang (I grow all of mine on mounts or suspended in pots or baskets), and you can always group them together for display purposes. Another issue is that epiphytic plants (which includes most of the orchids which are commonly available) need the excellent drainage afforded them by a container which will dry out to the core before being watered again; when you start combining plants in containers, you increase the volume of potting medium and likewise the time it takes for moisture in the center to evaporate. I like the idea of the bromeliad/nepenthes/orchid "tree"; I snagged the remains of a beautiful crepe myrtle from one of my neighbor's trash heap a couple of years ago with the notion of creating something like that, but so far it's just providing a climbing wall for squirrels behind my shed. The best laid plans...

Thanks so much Ann, Zak and everyone responding! Yes, I was originally thinking that styrofoam is essential for those teas, but if it needed any electrical wiring system, knowing my luck and common sense, I'd probably cause a fire, lol! And as Ann says, it may survive one winter but consecutive winters is a problem and yes Kansas does get very, very windy! I didn't think of this and thanks! The only respite is that the raised porch, trees and house help buffer that wind. I will be curious Maureen if your Lady Hillingdon survives. RU says that there is a Marie Van Houtte which survived a customer's zone 5, Mad Gallica. But yeah, I think Ann is right that in the long haul it's gonna be tough and unlikely...I would end up having to keep replacing roses. But it'd be coool if we just happened to have hardier tea that can put up with our zones. What about Mrs. R B Cant (what RU says may work). Looks like my other choices of the OGRs are far more safe so far because they aren't teas. But is Mrs. B R Cant as fragrant as the ratings say? That's another option I can look into. I will just have to sacrifice my wish for an apricot color.

I do it 2 ways- I have the bottom of one of those 'seedling trays' you see all over the place in the spring. I've some pygmy drosera & a bunch of baby sarracenia in there, all in 4" tall pots. (those standard 4" tall, 4" square plastic 'nursery pots') I'll put about 1/2" of (rain not sink) water in there & refill it when the level drops to the point where the bottom of the tray is moist. Then I've a hanging pot- It's one of those ones from Rite Aid with the "thingy" (girlfriend's word) in the bottom so there's a water reservoir there under the media. About 1/2 inch up from the thingy I drilled a few 1/8" holes 'round the perimeter of the pot. Filled it with media & at first I had a little 1/2" piece of PVC pipe I could pour water through down to the reservoir. That got plugged somehow so I took it out. Anyway, I wait until the peat is still moist but starts to pull away from the side of the pot a little- 1/8" or so. Then I gently pour in the water letting it flood across the peat. The bottom fills, excess runs out the holes & it's good for another week in the summer, perhaps a month in the winter. The hanger has pygmies & flytraps & a nepenthes- I just scattered a bunch of byblis seeds in there. Outside I've a pedestal pot- Picture the hanging one sitting on a post. Pretty much the same deal except without the thingy in the bottom. Holes are about 5" down from the top leaving about 2" in the bottom for the water. That's where my adult sarracenia & a few flytraps live.. Plus a little voodoo lily- I've no idea how that got in there nor how it hasn't rotted away yet. So that's how I do it. The plants get to "reach down" to the water without being waterlogged. Seems to work.