Question
Last summer when my neighbor moved she gave me four potted cymbidiums.  I planted them outside in a raised "fern bower"
with shaded light.  We had a heavy freeze this winter which killed many shrubs in this area, but this spring, all of the orchids had beautiful flowers.  I didn't fertilize or do anything.  Is this unusual or what?  If it isn't broken don't fix it?  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Nancy,

That's great to hear about your cymbidiums blooming!  This goes to prove how hardy and tough cymbidiums are, most cyms. can withstand temperatures down to 28F with little trouble.  But the spikes are not quite as tough and can be freeze damaged when temperatures go much below 36F.  This applies primarily to the standard or large cyms, the miniature or small cyms do not like much below 45F.  

Although they bloomed for you this year, I would suggest feeding them once in a while from spring through summer to help the new growths to mature by fall.  If these are some older varieties of cymbidiums, they may only produce spikes and blooms on the newest growths.  Lately, cymbidium hybridizers have been breeding cyms. that will spike from the same pseudobulb over several years and even producing two spikes on a bulb at the same time.  

Congratulations on your cymbidiums!  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.