Ursula, Am I correct in assuming that the ones that grow outside in your area all require a cold, dry winter dormant period ? Things will go dormant here, but not very cold, and unless potted to be movable, not dry. ( except this year) We do have a couple of native orchids here, but I've never seen them for sale, and can't remember the names off the top of my head. I'm thinking that the ones I've protected from the rain have been too warm in the winter. The big ones like Cyms, Epis, and Sobralias do fine in large pots of chunky bark outside.