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Orchids outdoors: by climate, by zone and on trees

By the Grove Plant Care team · Updated November 12, 2026

Most orchids can spend the warm months outside in shade, and many grow better for it. All year, only where the nights stay warm enough: for a moth orchid that means nights that never drop below about 13 °C (55 °F), which in the United States means USDA zones 12b and 13. The Cymbidium is the exception that takes the cold, down to about -1 °C (30 °F). Watch the coldest night, start in shade, and bring the plant in before nights fall below its number. In South Florida and other tropical climates, you can tie many orchids straight onto a tree.

Can orchids grow outside all year?

Each of our orchid cards lists the coldest night the plant can take and the US zones where winter stays above it, with the sources behind each number. Here they are together:

Can orchids grow outside all year?
OrchidColdest night it takesUSDA zones (US reference)
Cymbidium-1 °C (30 °F)10 to 12
Zygopetalum7 °C (45 °F)11b to 13
Cattleya10 °C (50 °F)12 to 13
Slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum)10 °C (50 °F), plain-leaved types12 to 13
Masdevallia10 °C (50 °F)12 to 13
Moth orchid (Phalaenopsis)13 °C (55 °F)12b to 13
Dancing lady (Oncidium)13 °C (55 °F)12b to 13
Miltoniopsis13 °C (55 °F)12b to 13
Spider orchid (Brassia)15 °C (59 °F)13
Dendrobium, phalaenopsis types16 °C (60 °F)13
Vanda16 °C (60 °F)13

Cold isn't the only limit. The Masdevallia and Miltoniopsis cards add a heat limit too: they stay outside only while summer days stay below about 24 °C (75 °F) and 27 °C (80 °F). Those two come from cool mountain cloud forests, so a hot summer hurts them.

What do USDA zones mean for orchids?

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map sorts places by their average coldest winter night. Each zone spans about 5.6 °C (10 °F), split into a and b halves. The warm end looks like this:

What do USDA zones mean for orchids?
ZoneAverage coldest night
10a-1 to 2 °C (30 to 35 °F)
10b2 to 4 °C (35 to 40 °F)
11a4 to 7 °C (40 to 45 °F)
11b7 to 10 °C (45 to 50 °F)
12a10 to 13 °C (50 to 55 °F)
12b13 to 16 °C (55 to 60 °F)
13a16 to 18 °C (60 to 65 °F)
13b18 to 21 °C (65 to 70 °F)

Published zone lists for orchids are often wider than the plant's own limit. NC State lists zones 10 to 11 for moth orchids, and Chicago Botanic Garden lists 10 to 13. Yet Clemson, the NYBG and Iowa State all keep moth orchids above about 13 °C (55 °F), and a zone 10 night can fall to freezing. So our cards show only zones 12b and 13 for the moth orchid. NC State lists 9a to 12b for Dendrobium and Oncidium, which fits the cool-growing types better than the warm ones sold most often. For Cymbidium, the American Orchid Society says zone 8b and warmer can work, and that a light frost won't kill it, though it's best avoided.

In zones 10 and 11, a warm-growing orchid can still live outside most of the year if you cover it or bring it in on cold nights. Check the forecast, and use the coldest night in the table above as your line.

Zones are a United States system. Elsewhere, look up how cold your coldest nights get and compare that number with the table above.

How do I move my orchid outside for the summer?

  1. Wait for warm nights. Each card gives a bring-in temperature, and it doubles as the go-out temperature. Most warm-growing orchids want nights above about 13 to 16 °C (55 to 60 °F). The Cymbidium can go out once nights stay around 7 °C (45 °F), says the AOS.
  2. Start in shade. An AOS article on heat stress says to start orchids in a shady spot and add sun little by little. The RHS hardens a Cymbidium off to the brighter light before it goes out for good.
  3. Pick the spot for the type. Shade suits moth, slipper and dancing lady orchids. A Cattleya takes filtered sun, a Dendrobium bright partial shade, a Cymbidium light shade and a Vanda dappled shade, according to their cards.
  4. Water more often, early in the day. Outdoor orchids dry faster. The AOS's summer care page says to water early so the leaves dry before night.
  5. Watch the leaves. The AOS says orchids moved out after a winter indoors sunburn easily. Pale yellow leaves are the early warning, and white or sunken patches mean permanent damage. Either way, move the plant into more shade. Our yellow leaves guide shows the difference between sunburn and old age.
  6. Bring it in before the cold. Bring it back inside before nights drop to its number: about 13 to 16 °C (55 to 60 °F) for moth orchids and Cattleya, 16 °C (60 °F) for Vanda and phalaenopsis-type Dendrobium, and 4 °C (40 °F) for Cymbidium.

Why bother? A summer outside does real good for some orchids. University of Maryland Extension says a shady outdoor spot can help a moth orchid rebloom, and the RHS says a summer outdoors helps Dendrobium set buds. A Cymbidium needs the cool nights of late summer to flower at all. Our rebloom guide explains why.

Going deeper

Summer weather shapes the trouble you'll see. The AOS says dry summers bring spider mites, especially on thin-leaved orchids, while wet summers bring rots that spread with splashing water. In a wet climate, keep plants as dry as you can with more light and moving air. In a dry one, raise the humidity around them. Outside, the Cymbidium card adds slugs and snails to the list. Before a plant comes back in, check under its leaves and around the pot, the way you'd check a new plant, so you don't carry pests indoors.

Can I grow an orchid on a tree?

Many orchids grow on trees in the wild, and they take nothing from the tree: they just hold on. The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, in Miami, explains how to grow them that way in a yard. Fairchild adds a warning: outside South Florida and similar climates, growing orchids on trees outdoors is likely impossible.

  1. Pick the tree. Rough-barked tropical hardwoods like mango, avocado and oak work best. Palms suit orchids that love sun. Lichen on a trunk hints at a moist, shady spot.
  2. Pick the spot by light. Shade-loving orchids go near the trunk, under the canopy or in a fork between branches. Sun lovers go toward the branch ends. On a trunk, the north or east side (in Florida) avoids hot afternoon sun.
  3. Bare the roots. Remove all moss or potting mix. Keep the new roots at the base bare so they can grab the bark, and leave the old ones on.
  4. Set it in place. Press the base and the new roots against the bark with the roots pointing down and the leaves up. Keep the leaves off the bark so air can move.
  5. Tie it on. Use jute, burlap or another plant-based twine that breaks down over time. Zip ties are fine for heavy plants. Never use metal wire, which can cut into the tree as it grows.
  6. Water while it settles. Water every day for two weeks, then every other day, then every three days. After a month, rain takes over. Fairchild says it may bloom the next spring or summer.

Moth orchids grow this way in South Florida, tied to trunks in dappled shade, as our moth orchid card notes. For a mount you can hang indoors, on cork or wood, see our mounted plants guide.

Which orchids grow outdoors in tropical and highland climates?

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Air cools by about 6.5 °C for every 1,000 m (about 3.5 °F per 1,000 ft) you climb, according to the UCAR Center for Science Education. Near the equator, where seasons barely change the temperature, that makes your altitude the best guide to which orchids will live outside. Two cities at the same latitude can have very different nights.

  • Warm lowlands. The AOS says most moth orchid species grow wild at low elevations, with steady warmth all year, and that most Vanda species are lowland plants too. Where nights stay above 13 to 16 °C (55 to 60 °F), moth orchids, Vanda, Cattleya and phalaenopsis-type Dendrobium can live outside all year, in the light each card gives it.
  • Cool highlands. Masdevallia and Miltoniopsis come from cool, misty cloud forests high in the mountains, as the AOS, NC State and the NYBG describe, and the RHS says the cool-growing dancing ladies come mainly from the high Andes. Highland nights suit them well, as long as days stay mild. The Cymbidium comes from cool, bright mountain places too, and it handles the coldest highland nights of the group.
  • Mild climates with frost. In the temperate south of the continent, the Jardín Botánico de Montevideo says the Cymbidium tolerates light frosts and flowers in fall and winter there.

Where seasons do matter, remember that they flip at the equator. The RHS puts a Cymbidium outside from June to mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere, which is December to mid-March in the Southern Hemisphere. Where your orchid came from in the wild, and why it shapes its care, is on our orchid origins page.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can orchids take full sun outside?

Most can't. The AOS says orchids moved outside after winter indoors burn easily, and that even sun-loving plants need shade from the strongest midday and late afternoon sun. Of the common ones, Cattleya takes filtered sun and Vanda some sun, per their cards. Moth and slipper orchids want shade.

Can I leave my orchid outside in the rain?

In a pot that drains well, a summer rain is fine. The AOS warns that in wet summers, rot spreads with splashing water, so give the plant more light and moving air, and never leave it in a saucer or a pot without holes.

Will an orchid survive a frost?

Most won't. A moth orchid already suffers below about 13 °C (55 °F). The Cymbidium is the exception: the AOS and the Jardín Botánico de Montevideo say a light frost won't kill it, though both would rather you avoid one.

When should I bring my orchid back inside?

Before nights drop to the number on its card: 13 to 16 °C (55 to 60 °F) for moth orchids, dancing ladies and Cattleya, 16 °C (60 °F) for Vanda, and 4 °C (40 °F) for Cymbidium. Check under the leaves for pests before it comes in.

Sources

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