My orchids I soak in a bucket of water because there usualy are bugs in them. Then spray them with Safer soap. The trees should be sprayed good too. Since they are probably too big to soak, you may be able to flood them to chase out the bugs. My family use to fish at Midnight Pass when I was a kid. The only thing there was the laboratory. It was absolutely beautiful.

Jane, if your only getting down to 45 you won't need to bother to bring in the orchids. I don't know what other plants you have but unless it gets down in the 30's do I bring in my orchids. You can also take them in the garage or shed or on a screen porch.

If you do want to bring a plant inside, you can submerge the pot so that the soil is completely under water. After 10 minutes, anything alive in there should have evacuated. If I find an ant colony or palmetto (which could have laid eggs in the dirt) in there, I repot.

Jane, I'm close to you. If you could tell us what kind of trees/orchids they are, we can tell you if they need to come inside at all.

Anna

My orchid-growing is new this year, but in Jan. and Feb. I brought them inside, into the laundry room,, piled them in laundry-baskets.. it got down in the low 40s and into high 30s... I now have expanded my stash to include HOYAs, and I read where they are more delicate even than orchids.... I will say, there were a few I left out in the tree, and they died.... so I'm not taking that chance again, when it gets down to the 40s they are going into the laundry-baskets and coming inside, the whole kit-and-kaboodle, they are too expensive to chance it again..... sally

When we were selling our house in NY, I sold or gave away most of my orchids and house plants. I kept those that had sentimental memories and which I had a long time.

Most of the property is gravel which makes it hard to move the heavy plants...can't drag them or roll them on wheels. I can't lift the Money Tree or Ti plant. The dirt plants have doubled in growth since coming to Florida, 3 months ago. They absolutely love it but I worry about frost or prolonged cold. I also wonder how to assure I don't bring in bugs.

This is where I have most orchids and the Hibiscus and Christmas Catcus. They get dappled shade now from the tree.
This photo was taken in October:

{{gwi:981545}}

The orchids are a few Cattleyas, Phals (Equestris-they like higher light), hardcane Dends (hanging in that tree), a Psychopsis (which is actually blooming now). I have one Angraecum and Aeranthes. The Angraecum is spiking and has always bloomed around Christmas time and seems to like the higher light and warmer temps. I have 4 spikes forming and its always has 2 spikes in NY. The Ang and Aer are African plants and cannot take temps below 50.
The rest of the orchids are just a mix of intergenerics. The two Christmas Catcus are both budded and seem to enjoy the high light. I know the x-mas catcus can take cold as I would keep them outside in NY when the temps were as low as 40.

Angraecum, with 4 spikes
{{gwi:981547}}

Ti Tree with a Peace Lily
{{gwi:981548}}

Pachira (Money Tree, eaten by bugs)
{{gwi:981549}}

Photo of the backyard - the Sea Grape in the corner and unknown shrubs/trees
{{gwi:981550}}

The Ti and Peace Lily stay under the patio roof in bright shade. The garage is in the front of the house and I don't think I could carry the big trees to the garage. I'm afraid to bring them in with the possibility of bugs. I'm not sure what to do but I don't want to lose them.

This is a shot of the backyard and the canal. You can see there is only gravel which has a cloth material underneath. It makes it hard to plant anything.
{{gwi:981551}}

Anyway, thanks for all the great advice and I am so thrilled to speak with people who live here. Most of the people I've met here don't do a lot of gardening.

Siesta Beach
{{gwi:981552}}

Jane

Hi Jane,

Your daughter's place is lovely. Your plants are lovely also and will do very well here. You are fortunate that you are in a relatively enclosed space. Those garden walls, the pavers and even the gravel will absorb a lot of heat during the day. The canal will help moderate the cold too, and all that surrounding water on Siesta won't hurt! You can get away with leaving your plants out at a lot colder temperature than the rest of us. Our two last winters were abnormally cold and got down to 27-28 two or three times. I'm sure your daughter's place was 2-3 degrees warmer at least. However, usually it warms in between, with beautiful, warm sunshine. Even so, you won't ever need to bring in the cattleyas and all in that alliance unless it gets down below 32 (because of the usual warming during the day). If they are not wet, they will do fine outside. The angraecum aeranthes and phals will need to come in below low 40's. You'll be surprised at how much tougher they are than you think as long as they are dry at night (crucial for every orchid that stays outside during cold). The ti and peace lily can stay put under the porch roof all winter. The hibiscus will drop leaves, but should do fine and put out new leaves in spring. During very cold weather (in 30's), you might put it under the porch roof and close to the house. I have never owned a pachira, so I can't comment on that. Know that our winters are fickle. We can have two or three cold nights, and then warm up to the 70's for a few days in between. So you will find yourself adjusting your plants.

The plants I see are- an orchid tree over the orchids, sabal (or more commonly called cabbage palms) to the right of that, an areca palm to the right of the sea grape. In the next picture I see citrus to the right and a bouganvillea by the water.

Please come visit me soon as with the lowering sun, my plants are in quick decline mode! I guess it is almost December.

Anna

Thanks Anna, you are terrific. Please email me, it is on my page. I looked for yours but you don't have it listed.

Jane