Vanda tricolor v. suavis

Marni, I grew it years ago in an unheated glass house and it grew and flowered well. I have a plant again now and in slightly warmer conditions, 10c > and its doing fine. Lots of light and only slightly on the dry side in winter is the way I used to grow it, not too dissimilar now. Basket or pot etc as for an Vanda.

 

A couple days ago I talked with Butch from the Rowland Collection down here in Garden Grove. He says that there's a Vanda tricolor in Solana Beach that fairly regularly tolerates temperatures below freezing. When the temp hits 29 degrees the owners turn misters on that encase the orchid in ice.

Both Roberta Fox and Don Brown also grow this one outdoors year around.

A member of the Orchid Society of Southern California has also been growing Vanda tricolor outside year around for many years. Personally, my Vanda tricolor v. suavis had no problem with this last winter's low of 33F and bloomed ok...

 

Last winter my GH got down near freezing, and all of my vandas survived. Some got black spotting on their leaves, but the tricolors came through well. I haven't bloomed tricolor yet, but all vandas seem to do well in my conditions. I grow mine like the one in the photo - bare root with some live Spanish Moss to help with humidity.

 

Marni, I had a one many years ago and bloomed it in a greenhouse with not really super high light. It did very will, I believe that the suavis is the is the variety with the beautiful purple lip and purple spots on the white petals and sepals.

That was what I had and lost it when I moved due to the facility where I had arranged to keep them in temporarily, suddenly not being available. They ended up on a garage floor in 10 degrees with no insulation under them and not very good tarps over them.

I have tried to replace it but one one seemed to know about the purple lip v. suavis. Recently I have found Troy Meyers and hope that I will be able to get a seedling/ or bigger plant from him. Mine looked a great deal like the variety that they used for part of his cross, called "Whisky Creek". I have a picture of my old one, will put it on here. I think, and I don't know a whole lot, that you will do well with your giant. You are going to need a balcony or a ladder to see the flowers 10' up in the air.

 

I am going to post my picture of Vanda tricolor suavis, am trying to learn how to post a picture so here goes.

 

I think I messed up, Did it go that time?

 

Kelly,I am going to try again. Well I went to upload a file and it was the same as before.

Upload file takes me to where I can chose a photo [in my IPhoto] the photo is a jpeg, one says it is undefined.
When I double click or single click the picture goes away and the forum screen that you get when uploading a file comes on. There is a tiny picture of my picture and its id I think, I can choose or close. choose takes me back to my IPhoto, close makes it all go away and back to my draft. The selected picture does not follow along.

 

Reviving another old thread, I know, but Marni, If you still have the Vanda I would love to see a pic of it sometime. I have never seen a 10 ft. Vanda!

 

Did it outgrow your greenhouse?

 

Dang, Sorry to hear that!

 

I have a Vanda Paki which has suavis as one of it's parents. I just grow it outside next to my Cymbidiums and it flowers twice for me every year.
I got it from Santa Barbara Orchid estate. They told me it is a cool growing Vanda hybrid because of the suavis parentage. For your info, winter can chill down to 45 on the occasional nights but usually hovers around 50 and usually day time highs in 60s to 70.