I've had the white kind for about 6 years and they do fine up against the house with full morning sun and afternoon shade. This is the first year they did not bloom probably due to the cold in December. I also have had the purple kinds about 2 years and they did bloom this year.

I love ground orchids and here's mine from last year:

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I grew them in pots in Chokoloskee Zone 10 only because I didn't think they'd like the oyster-shell-sand. They were in the shade of my vitex tree and the foliage seemed to like that better than full sun. I gave them a lot of Bloom Buster-type liquid fertilizer, but I think they'd prefer Mir-Acid.

When I moved them to Lake Placid Zone 9, I put them in the ground because we have actual dirt-sand. That was last June. They were full of flowers and expanding outward. Then in Dec they got too cold even though I covered them with a blanket. I had to dig them up. They sure look dead, but I know they'll come back from the bulbs. I wish I would've kept them in their big pots, I would've moved them into the greenhouse and they'd probably be alive and blooming right now!

I think they'll survive your summer if they are in the shade of trees so the sun won't scorch their leaves.

And I don't remember having any trouble with bugs bothering them.

Let us know how they do for you, okay?

Susie

Hey Susie, I'm a Susie too ! Your plants look gorgeous.

I will update. The ones I've newly planted are not happy with the full morning sun they are getting, but I'm hoping that I'm right in that what I am seeing is a touch of sunburn and as the new foliage emerges it will look happier. Those that I've planted with greater shade look happy and healthy. It's a great experiment.

Do you know if they are true "orchids" or just called orchids ala African Irises that aren't really Irises at all ?

They will take full morning sun, but might not have been grown that way and needed to be harden off to accept that much sun. So you maybe be seeing sun burned leaves. :o)

Hi, I have had mine in Melbourne, FL for the past 10 years through all the cold last year, and the hot summers. I have them in parital shade morning sun now, but previously had them in evening sun.....they haven't bloomed since I moved them, but haven't fertilized either.....I had these in South Florida and moved them here with me, and they do great...good luck. really hard to kill them :)