All excellent points, and a great explanation for why plants are rarely
invasive in their native habitats!
As for orchids, it's absolutely right that orchids have successfully
adapted to virtually every environment except the arctic. Matching
particular orchids to particular environmental preferences is easier than
one would think, because in a greenhouse of any significant size (larger
than a phone booth) it's practically impossible to avoid varying conditions
here and there. So an unhappy plant gets moved around, and when it
suddenly grows better and starts blooming, it is never moved again.
Orchids that grow in cloud forests are probably the hardest and will indeed
have you doing some elaborate engineering to replicate their comfort zone.
By contrast, last summer I finally got a Eulophia petersii to bloom, by
giving it a really big pot to accommodate the large succulent roots and no
water whatsoever for fall, winter, and spring. It's an orchid that sure
thinks it's a cactus. Duplicate the Arabian Peninsula in East Tennessee,
and you have it made.
Bob

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