I grow numerous orchids, both epiphytic and terrestrial, as well as a large collection of sarracenias and a few nepenthes. The most successful orchid/cp combinations in my garden are bog gardens, and they are spectacular right now. I have Platanthera (aka. Habenaria) ciliaris in full bloom planted in combination with Sarracenias, VFT's, and Calopogon orchids. I'm still experimenting with Epipactus species, but they are not terribly vigorous here (lots of west coast plants tend to languish in our summer humidity.) Another successful bog companion, as noted in one of the posts above, is Spiranthes cernua. I'm also experimenting with Pogonia ophoglossoides (sp?), but it's taking a while to get established; it's pretty far south of its normal range here, so the heat may be a factor. I have tried cypripediums in bog environments before, but can't recommend that. I find that they need much better drainage to prevent fungal attack than do the CP's, and they're too expensive to risk. Bletillas are a possibility while in growth, but would need to be lifted and stored in a drier, cooler place during the winter - I've seen them sold as bog plants at a couple of local nurseries lately, but wouldn't count on their being perennial without decent winter drainage. As far as the epiphytic species go, I don't see why a combo of Nepenthes and Phals, for instance, wouldn't work, but I agree that it would just be easier to grow them separately. Weight becomes a consideration when you're dealing with plants which hang (I grow all of mine on mounts or suspended in pots or baskets), and you can always group them together for display purposes. Another issue is that epiphytic plants (which includes most of the orchids which are commonly available) need the excellent drainage afforded them by a container which will dry out to the core before being watered again; when you start combining plants in containers, you increase the volume of potting medium and likewise the time it takes for moisture in the center to evaporate. I like the idea of the bromeliad/nepenthes/orchid "tree"; I snagged the remains of a beautiful crepe myrtle from one of my neighbor's trash heap a couple of years ago with the notion of creating something like that, but so far it's just providing a climbing wall for squirrels behind my shed. The best laid plans...

Madabouteu - i had considered the pothos you mentioned, but it gets out of control and invades the hedges below the balcony fairly easily. The syngonium is an interesting idea, i suspect it may have similar issues since it's a class 1 invasive here... i don't want to cause any problems for the landscape crews. :) Bihai - interesting ideas! As an orchid lover, i am enamored of the idea to use epidendrums, but don't they need lots of fertilizer, whereas the Neos with the colored foliage aren't supposed to be fertilized at all, are they? I ~really~ like the miniature elephant ears idea, and the type you mentioned are very cute but i've never seen them available locally. What i do have is a nice alocasia 'Polly'. Of course, if i set it outside with our current temps it will probably go dormant... but it would look great in summer. Maybe i'll tuck some cool season annuals into the space for now and plant the alocasia in there in a few months. Thanks for the ideas so far, they've definitely got me thinking about things i hadn't considered. Any further ideas are welcome. :)

Carol, I thought the same thing ... Trillium. Bleeding heats? all varieties Mayapple Virginia Bluebells Forget me nots I really like the Hac grass "all gold" violets Johny jump ups (a type of viola I think) Irish or scotch moss (nice) a very nice low to the ground bird bath always looks nice and just like Carol said Rocks and Driftwood Blue oat grass Ladybells (grows like crazy, can be restricted, and looks like a tall campanula that blooms for weeks the dreaded vinca along with snow on the mountain oh and the always increasing Lilly of the Valley, I finally got rid of mine, and then I found it creeping thru the fence from the neighbors (rock band house) and plenty of snakes to scare away the verman (hopefully eat them) LOL and dont forget the Dandelions!! They will grow with anything!! LOL Paul There is also a hardy orchid (mine has not bloomed and had it about 4 years now) there are many annuals that look really great with Hosta, Try the Purple alternanthera, Persion Shield, Crocosmia, Mona Lavender (blooms like CRAZY in the fall) Coleous and a lot of them, elephant ears (all varieties, give them a lot of water, they will get huge) and last but not least, all hosta will look great planted around a backyard pond or streambed or waterfall okay... I think that I am done

That reminds me of the Hibiscus that I just discovered this year. Mahogany Splendor. I used two to shade some of my hostas this year b/c the loss of half of a tree that had been shading them. It's worked well and the growth was unbelievable! It was only a couple of feet tall when I got it. Check it out now. Looks kind of dumb sticking in the air all by itself from that angle, but it looks good viewed from the street b/c it blends into the house, visually and frankly, I needed it for the shade for my hostas, no matter what.