Best varieties for mounting & summering outside?

[fyschebone]

What orchid varieties would people recommend for mounting and then making the seasonal transition from indoors to outdoors?

I have a patio that is currently under almost two feet of snow.

In the summer, the patio thaws and is filled with all the plants that are currently filling up my house, which include everything from ocotillo to night-blooming cereus. (The patio is big enough that some parts get all-day sun while other parts get only an hour of sun in the morning). It rarely gets above 90 F here, but being .5 miles from Lake Michigan it is always humid.

I want to add orchids to this seasonal mix, but would prefer to do it by mounting a few varieties together on something that can go from hanging indoors to hanging outdoors.

Any opinions? Thanks.

[Ross]

Being not far from you I can suggest that just about any Encyclia, Cat or Phal can be mounted and hung outside. They have different light requirements however. I usually recommend folks start with the light, humidity and water they can provide and select species from that point. Beings I'm already familiar with your regimen, I would recommend Encyclia tampensis or Dendrobium anosmum. They are two different "beasts" however. The Encyclia needs to be watered during winter, but the Dendro does not want to be watered during winter. During summer, they are treated essentially the same. Very bright light, shade at noon, but full sun OK during morning and late afternoon. You can't, however mount these together on same mount.