All excellent points, and a great explanation for why plants are rarely invasive in their native habitats! As for orchids, it's absolutely right that orchids have successfully adapted to virtually every environment except the arctic. Matching particular orchids to particular environmental preferences is easier than one would think, because in a greenhouse of any significant size (larger than a phone booth) it's practically impossible to avoid varying conditions here and there. So an unhappy plant gets moved around, and when it suddenly grows better and starts blooming, it is never moved again. Orchids that grow in cloud forests are probably the hardest and will indeed have you doing some elaborate engineering to replicate their comfort zone. By contrast, last summer I finally got a Eulophia petersii to bloom, by giving it a really big pot to accommodate the large succulent roots and no water whatsoever for fall, winter, and spring. It's an orchid that sure thinks it's a cactus. Duplicate the Arabian Peninsula in East Tennessee, and you have it made. Bob _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>