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...

Thank you Dr Larry, yes I realized it's quite hard to judge those beauty. Our judging criteria for Bromeliad are: -Beauty and hamony of the whole plant's appearance in foliages, form, color and others. -Quality of foliage and others. -Conditions of display of the cultivar's characteristics. -Conditions of mannagement for cultivations : existing or not damaged by disease, insect or weeds etc. -Uniformity of exhibition plants. -Distinction. Unfortunately, this's the first time for Brom contest in our East Coast, so the organizer didn't class every categories for contest. Cryptanthus was not in the list !!! and sure, don't think about my spineys. LOL BTW...I've been success in making Cryptanthus hybrid. I've about 5-6 months yr old 10 crosses form yours and other parentages. Some are quite remarkable, especially from C.argyrophyllus crosses.

ok, so then i'll just wrap some coir matting around the joint, like what you see sticking out on the side of the pot? and keep it moist? i am indoors strictly, so can't put it in the wire basket or tree :)). but it needs to put roots out into smth, right? the black shoe lace is just temp to hold it up against the shelving, so the pup can clear the pot rim. so it is in 7" pot - 3 big growths and 2 pups which will grow big this summer. it will never be in the tree or even outside. is the 7" pot. enough for such a massive cluster?

Zephirine Drouhin is for real. It's not new, by any means--in one of the Hercule Poirot novels by Agatha Christie the villain gets caught because she claims the mark on her arm (actually from a hypodermic needle) was made by a rose on a trellis, but Poirot knows the rose was Zephirine Drouhin and therefore thornless. I've never seen one in FL, though, so I don't know how they do here. They're gorgeous in England, but then so are lots of roses that don't like our heat so much. If you find anyone growing this (a new cultivar?) successfully, I'd love to know about it. Please let us know if you try it. This post was edited by writersblock on Sun, Feb 17, 13 at 19:11