A forest of Vanda orchids once flourished in Noosa's hinterland as part of a commercial cut flower business. Gone but not forgotten. Queensland's Sunshine Coast is perfect for growing Vandas. They fly free as a flutter of colourful butterflies with sunlit days, and cool evening breezes.
Taking cuttings from the old dismantled nursery we transported cascades of the unnamed stock on to recycled bridge timbers located back of our orchid igloo in Cooroy Gardens. They stand tall against a commanding backdrop of rainforest trees lining the creek that circles three sides of the property.
With minimum fuss and very little hand watering our 'orphans' have flowered brilliantly in a rather dry summer season. Perhaps lacking the lustre of the pampered named varieties inside the orchid igloo, these guys actually promote more blossom as they struggle their roots into the cracks of the upright old bridge timbers.
Air flow is important to these old Asian imports. But how will they cope with the rising temperatures of climate change? For that matter, how will we?
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