Australian orchids

As an orchid lover and hobbyist, I am so impressed with your native orchids, esp., Thelymitra , along with others. Might any of you tell me of your encounters with any? I see that some rely on a special relationship with certain fungi and should be left in their natural environment. I'd appreciate any responses. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi there LF,
In Australia it is basically illegal to take ANY plant from the "wild" without a permit of some kind. There are a lot of what I call "amateur specialist" gardeners who grow Australian natives of various kinds and exchange plants amongst themselves to avoid taking material from native bushland and sometimes plants will become available through commercial land clearance, although I suspect it is now very unlikely to get any kind of permit for a site with orchids on it! There are a lot of specialist plant societies here, including ones for orchid growers. Here is a link you will probably find helpful. http://www.anos.org.au/ as I am not sure who here on DG is particularly into Australian native orchids.

Ciao, KK.

Hullo LF, there are some really lovely A. native orchids and it wouldn't do any harm to have a good read up about them. Most of them are fairly hardy to a degree. When I started to grow them I went to the library and found some very informative books and swatted up on the things I needed to know. There are some very good orchid nurseries in Aus. and they would be a great help sorting out what would grow best in your area. Terrestrial orchids are pretty hard to grow as they have so many requirements. I found a big patch of thelymitra flowering years ago and was so tempted to give them a try but I also new someone who had tried to grow them and had no luck at all and they supposedly knew what they were doing. Joining a society is a good way to get information and also the tried and true expertise of others who also usually have spare plants to sell as well. Good luck with your quest. I also am hooked on Aussie orchids.
Lesley.

Hi Awchid, thanks for your response. The only terrestrial orchids I grow are the ones I stumbled upon a few years ago: our native Cypripedium parviflorum. I didn't plant them them, they just came up on their own. In the home and outside in the summer, I grow epiphytes. As a member of the American Orchid Society, I do get alot of information from them and other sources. Too bad about the Thelmytra you attempted to grow a few years ago. I've attempted to grow phals. with no success at getting them to flower. The leaves and roots look perfectly healthy but no blooms. So, I've given up on them. Others, I can get to flower. I'm looking at a Stanhopea tigrina that has a huge, grotesque looking bud hanging from beneath the basket. I've been assured it won't continue to be so unattractive once it opens! Again, thanks for your response, Leaflea