I have read what is available but, since I succumbed to temptation and
bought a nice orange one in Chicago last month, I'd like to hear from
those who have experience successfully growing these as to the best
culture for the plant.

tennis maynard wrote:
I have read what is available but, since I succumbed to temptation and
bought a nice orange one in Chicago last month, I'd like to hear from
those who have experience successfully growing these as to the best
culture for the plant.

Habenaria is a huge genus encompassing species with widely varied
cultural requirements, but your mention of orange flowers suggests you
have H. rhodocheila. H. rhodocheila grows well when kept warm and
moist during the summer growing season. Think Phalaenopsis conditions,
although the H. rhodocheila wants a terrestrial mix (peat, silica sand,
fine fir bark, perlite, etc).

After flowering, the foliage will start to die back. Reduce watering.
Once the plant is dormant, keep it DRY until new growth resumes. To
avoid overwatering, I usually bring the pot indoors and keep it on a
shelf. When it is dry, I seal it in a ziploc bag to keep it from
dessicating too much.

Once new growth starts to poke through the soil, start watering again.
It may help to water from below (i.e. sit the pot in a saucer of water
for a few hours, then drain) until the growth is large enough that you
can easily avoid getting water caught between the leaves. If you don't
see new growth by mid-April, you can give the pot just enough water to
slightly moisten it. Don't water heavily until you see new growth.

Be careful when repotting, because the tuberoids will adhere tightly to
the sides of the pot. I sometimes put some small stones in the bottom
of pot for them to cling to.

Nick