Good paph to grow outside?

[keithrs]

I was wondering what paph species are good to grow outside here in so cal?

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I've heard of people growing insigne in beds...but not being from SC, I can only repeat hearsay.

 

[NYEric]

hirrsuit, delenatii, armeniacum..

 

[Leo Schordje]

Paph armenicacum is the one that comes immediately to mind. A lot would depend on how you construct the growing bed. Slightly elevated so the coldest air flows away at night. Wide enough, and sheltered enough that the soil in the bed doesn't cool off any quicker than the surrounding ground. There are a lot of tricks I am not familiar with, but the rock gardening people have tricks to handle plants in zones colder than their normal hardiness ranges.

If you can protect them from temperatures above 100F, Paph armeniacum, and micranthum are very cold tolerant. I once saw an in situ photo of armeniacum in the snow. I am not sure about other parvi's, I have had delenatii outside and it tolerates a lot more sun than one would expect. It might do ok. Problem is only delenatii is common enough that it would not be expensive testing them outside. Emersonii, hangianum, and micranthum, while available, can get expensive testing for frost tolerance.

Summer heat might be an issue for the cold tolerant species. If you are close enough to the coast you might be ok, but desert heat would be fatal to the mountain plants that tolerate cold.

you might test hisutissimum, esquirolei, & charlesworthii. All might come back from frosts, though the leaves will be severely damaged. Similarly tranlienianum, henryanum and maybe helenae. Though Vietnam is mostly frost free, it doesn't mean that somewhere in their evolutionary past these species haven't picked up some tolerance, or ability to come back from the roots after frost.

 

[keithrs]

First off, Thank you for responding!

I have tried Paphs armeniacum and micanthum with no success. I ended up trading them away. I fear my humidity levels are just too low in the summers to grow any. They do fine in the winter... The army even bloomed. But once the low humidity came they turned for the worst.

May be I'll just pass on Paphs for now!

 

[NYEric]

Umm...You don't plan on watering them!?

 

[paphioboy]

I believe insigne and venustum grow very well outdoors, at least in Australia and from someone I know, who grows magnificent specimens of both species in a wall rock garden in India

 

[Trithor]

I believe insigne and venustum grow very well outdoors, at least in Australia and from someone I know, who grows magnificent specimens of both species in a wall rock garden in India

I would love to see a few pictures of that (Indian wall garden)! Do you think it is possible to arrange a few pictures for us to see?

 

[gotsomerice]

I was wondering what paph species are good to grow outside here in so cal?

Pretty much all the Chinese ones can be grown outside in coastal so-cal.

 

[NYEric]

You mean like vietnamense !?:evil:

 

[keithrs]

Pretty much all the Chinese ones can be grown outside in coastal so-cal.

Thats the problem, I'm not on the coast. I'm about 15 mile inland. What inspired me to ask this ? was going to Andy's and seeing all kinds of paphs outdoors under shade cloth but he is only about ½ mile off the coast.

 

[gotsomerice]

Thats the problem, I'm not on the coast. I'm about 15 mile inland. What inspired me to ask this ? was going to Andy's and seeing all kinds of paphs outdoors under shade cloth but he is only about ½ mile off the coast.

Are you in Sunset Zone 23 or 24? If you are you are fine. Otherwise you need to protect them from the cold in the winter and the high heat in the summer.

 

[NYEric]

Micranthum would be ok w/ the cold.