From having read many posts on different forums it appears that many people have lost their outdoor vanilla in some of the warmer parts of Florida during their winters. They're not tolerant of low temperatures. Humidity is another important factor. They like all year humidity and tend to cope best if it only goes low for parts of a day rather than days (or weeks) on end. Pollination is another problem, you need to have the right pollinator, otherwise you have to do it by hand at the right time during the day. That's why (genuine) vanilla is so expensive. It's always worth a try though, provided you don't have too high an expectation. Cuttings are cheap and easy to get.
