I agree with Ross regarding your red maple. In addition to the shade, if it's anything like the young sugar maple in my yard, you might have to deal with tiny droplets of sap getting all over everything--and attracting insects. The west side you mentioned should be okay. In my experience a lot of orchids seem to be fairly adaptable, more so than some literature would have you believe. I have a Cymbidium Fifi Harry that, for many years due to its large size, had to make do with living on the north side of my home. Even though it received absolutely no direct light, it still flowered every year. Just about every orchid book will tell you that a northern exposure is the worst (especially for something like a cymbidium). But I think that because of the high degree of reflected light that bounced back onto the plant from the yard, it was able to get what it needed from that location. Of course, it could simply be that this plant is little more than a glorified weed also. So don't be afraid to experiment a little with where you put your plants. Just remember, increase the exposure to higher light levels in small doses rather than subjecting your plants to eight hours of blazing sunlight from the outset. That umbrella you mentioned in your first post might also be a decent idea; keeping the direct overhead noonday sun filtered is something that I try to do even for the plants in my collection that seem to enjoy the highest light levels.
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