Knowledge Center
Growing Conditions Explained
Understand Our Climate Codes
Every plant we sell has a climate code on its pot stake. It’s our shorthand for the temperatures a plant wants, based on where it grows in the wild and, more importantly, how it does in our own greenhouses.
Why temperature, not altitude?
In the tropics, it gets cooler as you climb a mountain, so elevation is a handy guide. But it’s only a guide. Small, isolated mountains run cooler than big mountain ranges at the same height (botanists call this the Massenerhebung effect). So we think in temperatures, and we trust what our plants tell us over what a map says.
The codes
| Code | Name | Typical home | Days | Nights |
| LL | Lowland | Warm tropical forest, roughly 500 to 1,000 m | 80 to 90 F (27 to 32 C) | 65 to 70 F (18 to 21 C) |
| IN | Intermediate | Lower mountain slopes, roughly 1,000 to 1,500 m | 75 to 85 F (24 to 29 C) | 55 to 65 F (13 to 18 C) |
| HL | Highland | Cloud forest, roughly 1,500 to 2,000 m | 70 to 80 F (21 to 27 C) | 50 to 60 F (10 to 16 C) |
| UHL | Ultra Highland | Mossy summits above 2,000 m | 65 to 75 F (18 to 24 C) | 45 to 55 F (7 to 13 C) |
| TM | Temperate | Places with real winters | Warm summers | A cold winter rest |
The night drop is the secret
Most highland plants can handle a warm afternoon. What they can’t handle is a warm night, every night. If you can give them cool nights, you’re most of the way there. Our own highland house drops to about 52 F at night, which is why some “ultra highland” plants are perfectly happy in it.
Temperate plants need winter
TM plants, like the cobra lily (Darlingtonia) and the European butterworts, rest through a cold winter. Skipping that rest is the most common way to lose them slowly. Darlingtonia also needs cool roots all summer.
Hybrids sit in between
A hybrid’s code comes from weighing both parents. A cross between a highland and a lowland plant usually grows best as an intermediate.
Your conditions matter more than ours
These codes are a starting point, not a rulebook. Many plants are more adaptable than their code suggests. If you’re not sure whether a plant will suit your setup, ask us. We’d much rather help you pick the right plant than sell you the wrong one.
Happy Growing!