Cold hardy bromeliads and orchids

[Kailua_Krish]

Just wanted to know if anyone knew of any cold hardy bromeliads or orchids that would do well in zone 9a or maybe a lower zone 9b.

Thanks!

-Krishna

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

There are some Aechmeas that will tolerate down to freezing, generally the thicker leaved varieties......some Billbergias will do the same, along with some Neos...although the key word here is tolerate, and at that the shorter the duration the better.....frost is a deal breaker.

Sorry i dont have any info on specific varieties.

On orchids there is a Florida native reputedly hardy to zone 9....Encyclia tampensis is a pretty orchid and darned near bullet proof, nothing seems to affect it.

There are some Cymbidiums and Dendrobiums that can put up with low 40's but the lower the temps the less likely flowering occurs.

Hope this helps a bit...I'm sure there is more detailed info here on board, perhaps others will be more specific.

Rusty

[gsytch]

I'm in New Port Richey, and I grow hundreds of bromeliads in my yard. Last winter, we saw 4 freezes here, hitting 28F three mornings and one night was 32F at midnight. NO damage. None. Bromeliads were all fine. However, all mine have some kind of shelter....pine trees above, palms, norfolks, etc..or, like the Neos, are so low to the ground. One morning saw ice thick in a bucket and frost glazed everything. I grow all my orchids in a shadehouse. No greenhouse. Except for the freezes, I just drop them to the ground under benches. I have Encyclia tampensis in palms and they are fine. Phals not touched, blooming away. Again, sheltered somehow. I did bring my BIG cattleyas inside, but if its not 32F they receive no protection except dropped to the ground where it is warmer. My back yard is half exposed open, half with trees. However, I lost my big oaks in the 04 'canes. Now, if it was 1989 when it hit 24 here, or 1983 where it hit 20F, I'm probably toast which means Ocala is 14-16F. But, experimenting is what I did. Everything said Phals above 50F. I also use frost cloth over plants and have rolls and rolls stored in my attic just in case. It works wonders from 27/28F on up. Just FYI...Greg

[mnorell]

I have found three epiphytic orchids to be bulletproof to low 20s in long, wet freezes here, and they are in fact often quoted as being just fine into the teens fahrenheit: Sedirea japonica, Neofinetia falcata, and Epidendrum magnoliae (=E. conopseum). The former two are Japanese/Chinese/Korean in origin and despite their tropical appearance, their cells can somehow tolerate it no problem. Flowers are small on all of these but lovely nonetheless. For showier flowers but perhaps a little less cold-tolerance, there are also bifoliate Cattleyas from southern Brasil, a number of Laelias from Mexico (L. anceps is hardy to I think about 24F before getting damaged), and a number of others, including hybrids involving the first really hardy orchids I mentioned. a great one is Dendrobium moniliforme from Japan, a deciduous dendrobium with very nice white flowers, and I believe there are pink-to-purple forms available. Mine did just fine hanging under a small live oak with my other orchids through the recent snowstorm and the two light freezes to 29F and 31F that accompanied it. The plant never skipped a beat and is still in bloom. Call some of the orchid suppliers such as Santa Barbara Orchid Estate or Andy's Orchids (both in California) and they are pretty knowledgeable about cold-tolerance on their outdoor stock.

For terrestrials, I have good luck with Cymbidium sinense. It blooms every year for me here and has never been damaged by long freezes down as low as 22.8F. Also try Arundina graminifolia in a sunny spot. There are other very hardy terrestrials, you just need to research it a bit.

As far as Bromeliads go, I seem to do pretty well with some of the Neoregelias and Aechmeas in protected spots; and certainly many Tillandsias and Billbergia nutans are quite hardy indeed. There is a good bromeliad hardiness sheet located on the website of the Sarasota Bromeliad Society: http://fcbs.org/articles/cold_sensitivity_of_bromeliads.htm

[Sim01]

You can also try species belonging to the genus Bletilla, I grow few of them in France, they're very cold hardy and easy to grow.

Simon

[Kailua_Krish]

Thanks for all the responses! Simon, I dont think Bletilla like the heat we get in Florida, I have tried them before and they always die when it gets hot. I have a Laelia aniceps but this is its first winter so we will see how it goes. As far as the others I will give them a try in the spring!

Thanks!

-Krishna

[iwan]

Bletilla survive hot "desert" heat here, but need shade or the foliage will burn to a crisp. Maybe it is a heat/soil moisture issue for you Krishna.

Thanks for all the responses! Simon, I dont think Bletilla like the heat we get in Florida, I have tried them before and they always die when it gets hot. I have a Laelia aniceps but this is its first winter so we will see how it goes. As far as the others I will give them a try in the spring!

Thanks!

-Krishna

[Kailua_Krish]

Just an update that even with the record cold temps here my Laelia aniceps wasnt damaged at all. I have it mounted on a live oak. Unfortunately it hasnt grown all that much either...

-Krishna

[Alicehunter2000]

Bump......good info. on orchids here.

[Kailua_Krish]

I was actually looking in the trees two days ago and noticed that my Laelia anceps is still alive after no supplemental watering, the deep freezes it endured, and now the native epiphytes and vines trying to cover it. Another that is still growing, and is doing better than the Laelia is Dendrobium nobile. It seems to handle winter very well since it goes dormant. I kind of lost interest in orchids because of the cost and the fact the squirrels like to eat them here and started collecting bromeliads instead.

[Kailua_Krish]

Oh, and I discovered several of the Phaius cultivars do very well here with proper siting. The tankervilliae are the hardiest

[yachtingone]

The chart is awesome! It's the tool I need to put more plants in the garden!!!

[epiphyte]

Awesome bump! Cold/drought tolerance of epiphytes (especially orchids) is one of my favorite topics. When I get a chance I'll put a list together. In the meantime...here's another great thread...

Why not grow orchids?

[cycadjungle]

I didn't see anyone talk about Dyckias. I have a few 1000 plants and most took 18F with little problem. They also take high 90s. They grow fast when taken care of well, but are also very xeric if needed. They don't even die after flowering. My most popular dyckia is the Cherry Coke, which is dark red in full sun.

[Eric in Orlando]

Back in the 80's, we had 3 winters with record freezes; 12/83, 1/85 and 12/89. Around Orlando the temperatures dropped to 20F to the low 20sF. The 12/89 freeze was the worst. There were old "heirloom" bromeliads in my mom's yard and lots in the neighborhood. These bromeliads were common around and this is how they fared;

Aechmea distichantha- no damage at all, even in open areas, they are also very drought tolerant

Aechmea fasciata- killed, no regrowth

Ananas comosus- killed

Ananas bracteatus var. tricolor- killed

Billbergia nutams- moderate to severe burn, grew back quick. There was a huge clump of this at my mom's house and after the 1/85 freeze I just mowed over the clump in March to let it regrow. The clump produced about 3 dozen inflorescences with no foliage, it produced new plants after the flowering

Billbergia pyramidalis- severe burn but new plants grew back from the rhizomes

Billbergia 'Foster's Striate'- severely burned/killed, some came back

Bromelia pinguin- no damage to this either, it is also very drought tolernt, it is also very very spiny and forms colonies quickly if not controlled

Cryptanthus (several unknown species/hybrids)- all killed

Dyckia brevifolia- no damage

Neoregelia compacta- mostly killed, a few regrew

Neoregelia spectabilis- severe burn but they grew back quick

Neoregelia 'Fireball'- killed

Quesnelia testudo- moderate burn

Vriesea carinata- killed

Vriesea splendens- killed

[Kailua_Krish]

Has anyone tried Billbergia nuts "Blondie" or "Variegata"? I just ordered these two. I have picked up quite a few other ones on this list, they've done well so far but we haven't had any really cold weather since I started collecting.

[edbrown_III]

I got these spreading all over the rain forest very hardy --- also different cultivars of the V. nutans B.. pyramidalis also is very cold hardy as well as a the Neo red rocket. I gotta a bunch of others but dont know the names --- the secret is to grow them as understory as much as possible and they dont get the full brunt of 20F when it visits us .

Best regards

Ed

[WonderKeeper]

Most neoregelia bromeliads , Billbergia ,Dendrobium nobile, Cymbidium are hardy to zone 9a or 9b. The problem is that the plant were sold on the market usually were grown in greenhouse,so it would need sometime to adjust to the cold weather. I would grow them at filter light ,under a tree, next to a wall...there are trees or things surrounding that can block the cold wind. Make sure to cover them during freezes period. If not, it could burn the leaf and flower bud.

[SubTropicRay]

The small Aechmea recurvata is cold hardy into the teens and a beautiful plant.

[Kailua_Krish]

Thanks Ed! I actually have started accumulating quite a few different species and cultivars. My favorite so far is the variegated Achmea distichantha but darn that thing is sharp!

Ray, I have 'Big Mama', the other cultivars were too small and got squashed by me and the dogs...

[Sandy Loam]

I have a question about neoregelia 'fireball' bromeliad:  What is the minimum number of hours of sunshine that this bromeliad requires in order to retain its red colour? I planted a couple recently in a spot where they should receive about one hour of (semi-filtered?) sunshine per day.  

 

Unfortunately, due to my climate up in northern Florida (close to Georgia), I can't plant these in the sunny parts of my property.  A fireball neoregelia will survive in the shaded parts of my property, but at some point eventually, a winter cold night will damage it if I plant one in the sunnier parts of my lot.  

 

Yet, at the same time, I would hate for this bromeliad to turn green on me.  They are red now because I recently purchased them, but I am wondering how long their colour will last, given their current location. Help! 

      

[Gonzer]

Six hours of high light (not direct) would do ya. One hour won't cut it. Whatever you do stay away, far away, from nitrogen fertilizer.

[bk10]

Spanish moss and some other Tillandsia sp. can handle cold.

[Sanips]

Fascicularia bicolor

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Some of Toms cherry coke dyckia took 12F and did just fine. Jubaea and 2-3' trunk brahea armata right beside it burned completely. 

[Sandy Loam]

Wow.  This means that Dyckia 'Cherry Coke' is, in fact, a zone 8a (possibly even zone 7b) plant.  It is mentioned here as USDA Zone 9:

http://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/listingDetails.aspx?listingID=7356&pageID=16278

 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

On 3/13/2017, 8:46:51, Sandy Loam said:

Wow.  This means that Dyckia 'Cherry Coke' is, in fact, a zone 8a (possibly even zone 7b) plant.  It is mentioned here as USDA Zone 9:

http://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/listingDetails.aspx?listingID=7356&pageID=16278

 

100% 8a. I have attached a picture of a small one that made it through the winter. 

[Geoff]

Deuterocohnias are the best bromeliads for my area (high So Cal desert) where temps frequently dip into the teens... most do great... Deuterocohnia lorentziana is a bit borderline for this area.  Very drought tolerant and grow fine all through the year... good for full sun locations as well.

 

Deuterocohnia lorentziana (2 shots), Deuterocohnia brevifolia (3 shots), Deutercohnia longipetala and Deuterocohnia lottae (3 shots)

[SubTropicRay]

Encholirium is another good choice and has an amazing appearance.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Im now comfortable claiming this bromelia ??? made it through 12F. It was touch and go, somewhat due to continued dog disturbances, which is why it is surrounded by chicken wire. 

[Palm crazy]

51 minutes ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Im now comfortable claiming this bromelia ??? made it through 12F. It was touch and go, somewhat due to continued dog disturbances, which is why it is surrounded by chicken wire. 

Thats very hardy, any overhead protection?   Which one is it.. Puya or Dyckia? 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Geoff]

looks like a Puya or Hechtia... leaves too papery thin to be a Dyckia I think.  Good luck with it.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I was told it was a bromelia penguin but I thought they were all red in the center.  If there is an all green version then that is what it probably is.  It is planted next to a post oak so it has very minimal canopy in the winter.

[Tracy]

For cool weather orchids, last summer I picked up this Coelogyne cristata variation Grandiflora, which is native to the area from the eastern Indian Himalayas to parts of Vietnam.  Its proving to be a great winter bloomer.  I loved the round little pseudobulbs during the summer, so the blossoms are just an added benefit.  I'll have to keep it in the cooler part of the garden come summer to get it to bloom again next winter.

[Missi]

The stunning Rossioglossum species like it cooler rather than warmer as they come from high elevations.

[Silas_Sancona]

23 hours ago, Tracy said:

For cool weather orchids, last summer I picked up this Coelogyne cristata variation Grandiflora, which is native to the area from the eastern Indian Himalayas to parts of Vietnam.  Its proving to be a great winter bloomer.  I loved the round little pseudobulbs during the summer, so the blossoms are just an added benefit.  I'll have to keep it in the cooler part of the garden come summer to get it to bloom again next winter.

Nice specimen Tracy.. will be nice to rebuild my long lost orchid collection once I get back on that side of the hill.

[bar]

I'm in the bottom of zone 9B in Sacramento.  Rossioglossum will be very unhappy in the heat.  Probably would thrive in San Francisco.  Coelogyne Unchained Melody (a hybrid) has been outdoors for five years for me, and gets bigger and better every year with multiple bloom spikes. Laelia anceps does well here, but tends to bolom during the cold and wet, so that the buds usually don't ever open.  Encyclia (Prosthecia) cochleata does well, and blooms almost year round. Encyclia tampense and its hybrids also do well for me.  Dendrobium kingianum and its hybrids do well outdoors as well. Oncidium flexuosum also completely hardy after six years mounted on a tree. Don't forget Cymbidiums, Zygopetalums, and Bletilia (last one is terrestrial).

For bromeliads, Neoregalia do very well provided that you keep water in them year round.  If it gets cold, the water prevents the plant from freezing.  Also a frost cover helps for those extra cold nights.  Aechmea do well and bloom, as do Dykia.  (Dykia is completely hardy here).  Puya also does very well without protection.  

So there are a heck of a lot of tropicals that do well in zone 9B central valley.  If you are zone 9A you can probably do just as well with a bit more careful use of microclimates.

Bruce

[Nakheel1412]

Some highly interesting feedback here !

@Eric in Orlando, did your Vriesea splendens survive your "freezeless" Floridian winters ?
I wanted to try this bromeliad outside, but from what I read* it needs tropical temperatures...

I live in a 10a/10b area, yet winter daytime temperatures do not rise the way they do in Florida or Southern California : (data from wikipedia)

Climate data for Rabat (Rabat–Salé Airport) 1961–1990, extremes 1943–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	30.0 (86)	31.0 (87.8)	35.8 (96.4)	37.6 (99.7)	43.0 (109.4)	43.7 (110.7)	47.2 (117)	45.8 (114.4)	42.3 (108.1)	38.0 (100.4)	35.1 (95.2)	30.0 (86)	47.2 (117)
Average high °C (°F)	17.2 (63)	17.7 (63.9)	19.2 (66.6)	20.0 (68)	22.1 (71.8)	24.1 (75.4)	26.8 (80.2)	27.1 (80.8)	26.4 (79.5)	24.0 (75.2)	20.6 (69.1)	17.7 (63.9)	21.9 (71.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.6 (54.7)	13.1 (55.6)	14.2 (57.6)	15.2 (59.4)	17.4 (63.3)	19.8 (67.6)	22.2 (72)	22.4 (72.3)	21.5 (70.7)	19.0 (66.2)	15.9 (60.6)	13.2 (55.8)	17.2 (63)
Average low °C (°F)	8.0 (46.4)	8.6 (47.5)	9.2 (48.6)	10.4 (50.7)	12.7 (54.9)	15.4 (59.7)	17.6 (63.7)	17.7 (63.9)	16.7 (62.1)	14.1 (57.4)	11.1 (52)	8.7 (47.7)	12.5 (54.5)

*I read quite the same thing about Cordyline fruticosa, which grows without issues in my garden, but I can't tell if that means V. splendens can make it here as well ;

Btw, did anyone manage to keep this plant alive outside in Southern California?

[epiphyte]

On 2/11/2018, 9:52:56, bar said:

Laelia anceps does well here, but tends to bolom during the cold and wet, so that the buds usually don't ever open.

Sometimes mine also bloom when it's cold/wet.  My friend in Santa Barbara has a variety that is an early bloomer.  One thing that might be pretty obvious is that my orchids that get more sun bloom earlier in the year.  More sun = more heat -> faster growth -> earlier blooming.  The problem is when it gets 116F... more sun = fried orchids.  

Do you have anceps mounted on your tree?  Back in 2011 I sowed some mixed orchid seeds on my tree and some germinated right next to the roots of the orchids growing on the tree.  The seedlings from that batch all turned out to be Laelia anceps.  This year the largest seedling is going to bloom for the very first time.  In this blog entry you can see the disparity in size between the largest seedling and one of the smallest ones.  Not sure if the big difference is size is because of difference in location/genes/fungus.  How far does the apple fall from the tree?  The more apples that fall from the tree, the greater the variation in distance... and direction.  Some species of orchids can have a million seeds in a pod.  In theory it should be possible to quickly make a lot of progress in terms of "Californication".  

My largest anceps seedling has four spikes developing on it... I thought about trying to pollinate the flowers.  Producing pods is costly in terms of energy though.  Right now I'm leaning towards dividing up the plant in the spring and giving division to my friends for them to mount on their trees.  Hopefully the roots contain the helpful fungus and then my friends can have orchid seeds germinating on their trees.  

[bar]

Yes, my anceps are all mounted on Queen Palm trees.  All have spikes right now, and one is forming its first bud.  The biggest has four spikes!

Bruce