Hi, I'm not an expert, hopefully someone else will write in with tons of advice for us, but I did get a vanilla cutting a few months ago and it's growing like gang-busters. But I do recall the guy I bought it from saying it needs a shady spot. So I would be afraid there might be too much sun after the crepe myrtle loses it's leaves. I also recall they get enormous - 20' feet long, plus. I still have mine in a pot, but I'm planning to plant it out in my shade garden.

Julie

Evelyn, the vanilla orchids burn very easily. I have to keep mine in constant shade. The friends I got it from lost a lot of their huge plant after the hurricanes removed most of the shade in their yard. The do grow up trees beautifully without hurting the tree, but it needs to be an evergreen. I learned something new on the Echo site the other day about vanilla orchids. A test they did showed that verticle growing orchids were less likely to bloom than those bending and winding around trellises or structures. I have mine under my pergola and am constantly bending new growth back down under the slats to move vertically rather than upward toward the sun. Mine had 3-5 blooms last winter! HOWEVER, it is cold sensitive. We had another cold snap after the buds started last winter and I lost all but one of the tender buds to cold. I forgot to cover the pergola. They do not like temps below 35. Also tip pruning is supposed to help encourage blooming on 2-3 year old plants.

thanks Julie and Cindee, it makes sense. Cindee, I already pulled it off the tree, did the tip pruning and placed it under my pergola. Let's see if I am so lucky as you to get it to bloom next year :)

Evelyn

Ev, I was just thinking of you again as I was out under my pergola. That pretty, delicate Den. Aphyllum
{{gwi:954949}}From Orchids

is getting really tall and sporting a Kiki. Does it hurt to leave the Kiki? She was blooming last year about the time Vanilla was! Here she is today.
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Notice the little Froggy Head in the back. This guy is all over the pergola pots. Last week he was in D'Ann's Jewel Orchid which is behind yours.
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Cindee, I am glad the Den.Aphyllum is doing so well for you. Let it hang, it is not a climber and the kiki, either leave it as is, or, as soon as the roots are a few inches long pry the kiki off and stick it in the pot to make it fuller (or trade it away)
That's a realy pretty jewel orchid!

Evelyn

Great Orchid Pictures...

I have been wondering about my vanilla orchid. It is two vines, more than ten feet long each, wending around my pergola. It grows like crazy. If I cut the ends off and start new plants, will it branch? What do the blooms look like?

Ev I got the Jewel I think same swap I got the Den from you. And like the Den it was just a small stick I stuck in a pot and hung under the pergola and forgot...VOILA! With a fertilizing frog and the shade and humidity under the pergola, it is doing great. Thanks for the kiki tip.

Hi Maggie-snipping the ends will ofter make it branch out. Here's buds and blooms of my Van Orchid. They are a breath taking flower in person with a heavenly scent. {{gwi:954954}}From Orchids
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Wow...It is beautiful. The book I have said the flowers weren't too impressive, didn't even have pictures. I bought the plant just because I thought is was cool that it was so long...and it just keeps growing and growing...

So,you think I should cut off a piece with roots, and try and start it? Anything I can do to encourage it to bloom?

I don't have problems getting my other orchids to bloom. (Hi, my name is Maggie and I have an orchid addiction)

I have an idea I am going to try. Using a tomato cage upside down in a pot and weave the vanilla orchid around that. I can keep them growing horisontal that way, by winding them around the cage. I have done that with hoyas. I cut the cage at the top in a couple of places to make stakes that will ancore the cage once it's turned up side down in the pot.

Hi!

I've lurked this thread for awhile. I love the idea of a tomatoe cage upside down. Will you share your potting medium for the vanilla orchid? Orchid Bark and spagnm moss? Or something heavier?

Imatallun, I use Expert potting soil from Walmart for the one in a pot. The other one is outside growing up my poincianna tree. :o)

Cindee, what do you use?

Mine is in just plain dirt! The strange thing is the original trunk and roots rotted off from where they were planted. Now it's just into the dirt under my pergola with long trailing roots running down the Tithonia tree and wooden posts of the pergola to the ground. When something does this good on it's own...I don't mess with Mother Nature! For those of you that got cuttings from me at Rickys, toss it in a pot with soil, give a little time release fert and tuck it in the shade somewhere for winter. Come spring/summer you should have roots. Just ask Kate(solstice) these babies take a while to root. Best when left ignored.

I have mine in lose potting mix (with some orchid bark added, just to make sure it is nice and lose)
in zone 9b, do we have to bring it inside during winter? Kate, what do you do with yours? good thing I can ask Kate she lives down the road :)

Evelyn

In Tahiti, the small family owned farms grow vanilla orchids in the trees behind their homes. The farmer goes back there every day to pollinate the few newly opened blooms with a fine brush. Those orchids never see temps dropping below 60 degrees. (My DH drams of growing vanilla in zone 9 .:-))))

The Tahitian orchid blooms are by far not as beautiful as the yellow one in the photo. They are small and white.

thanks Florah, that means I for sure have to bring it inside. Poor thing, will never be allowed to crawl up a tree....