Temperature requierements for Helicodiceros (Susan B)

From: Paul Temple <paulindr at gmail.com> on 2010.01.29 at 18:42:26(20528) Hi. I´ve been silent for about a year as a result of some legal issues locally. However, the Helicodiceros question spurred me to break silence! I used to live in the English countryside where winter temperatures often fell below zero Centigrade, though not too much colder. My helicodiceros plants (I had perhaps 30) survived these winters outdoors, below ground (obviously!) at a depth of between 6 and 12 inches. Once mid-Spring arrived (mid to late April), out they came, flowering annually once of mature age. Once mid-summer arrived (August at latest), the heat dried off the plants and they became dormant again. So I would say that Helicodiceros is more hardy than is generally stated (but it not reliably hardy so probably can´t take -5C or less for long periods) while it is also not a heat lover, preferring dormancy once temperatures reach about 25C for a prolonged period. Of course, this was my experience for my plants in the South of England so it´s only a guide, not a rule! Have fun. Paul HTML +More In the cool mountains of the Dominican Republic (but sadly with no Helicodiceros!) --001636c9233640cdf3047e51ff7c----==============d23523968747910236=

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