Many houseplants benefit from a summer spent outdoors. Move them into the open air when the weather is warm in spring or early summer, and bring them indoors well ahead of frost in autumn.
They need the same care as other plants in the garden. Provide routine pruning, regular spraying to prevent insect damage, watering in the absence of sufficient rainfall, and biweekly or more frequent feedings of soluble fertilizer.
It is easier to care for potted plants being summered outdoors if they are grouped in one or two places rather than scattered over the garden.
Decorated With Container Plants
Any location that receives protection from whipping winds and hard rains can be decorated with container plants.
They are especially enjoyable near entranceways, on steps, terraces, patios, porches, walks, landing strips by driveways, tops of walls, sundecks, and rooftop gardens.
Many house plants thrive in the summer under large trees, heavy-foliaged shrubs, or beneath groups of perennials such as daylilies and hostas.
Some do well in hanging baskets, window boxes, and large planters. But, for the ultimate summer care of houseplants, use a lath house or shaded cold frame.
The moving day for house plants may be scheduled for any convenient time after the average date of the last frost in a given area.
If you need to know this date for your community, ask a neighbor who gardens successfully or your county agricultural agent who represents the United States Department of Agriculture and generally has an office in the county courthouse.
Exodus In April-May
In Kansas City, I begin to move cool-loving house plants outdoors in late April or early May. By the third weekend of May, most tropicals are situated for the season.
All plants growing in built-in planters and in the large tubs that play a part in the interior decoration are left inside all year.
In addition, from late April until early November, we keep the fireplace filled with ferns, caladiums, episcias, small angel-wing begonias, African violets, and gloxinias.
A portable fluorescent light with two 20-watt daylight tubes keeps the plants in good condition. This burns about 14 hours out of every 24. The chimney conceals the light unit itself.
Outdoor Houseplants in Shelves During Summer
The houseplants I put outdoors spend most of the summer on shelves along the house’s north side. This area receives bright light all day and direct sun in the early morning and late afternoon.
When the soil is kept evenly moist, I find that all of my house plants do well in this location, regardless of light preferences.
When this summering area is filled, I group other container plants on a bricked surface in the shade of a 6-foot redwood fence.
From these two groupings, I choose whatever is needed to decorate the house or outdoor living area on special occasions.
Plants Growing in Container Outdoors
When plants growing in containers outdoors are kept moist and protected from searing winds, they are more tolerant of sunlight.
Kinds that prefer sunny locations indoors usually do well outdoors in sun-drenched places, but partial shade will give pleasing results also.
House plants that prefer semi-sunny and semi-shady locations indoors thrive outdoors in the dappled shadows cast by majestic trees or on the north side of a building.
True shade-loving plants can be summered outdoors in a shady, moist nook that receives little or no direct sun.
Plunging Minimizes Watering
House plants sunk to the pot rim in the garden require less watering than those set in the open. Wax begonias, impatiens, and coleus can be planted directly in the garden.
Geraniums can also be handled this way, but they bloom more when the roots are contained by pots buried in the soil.
Before setting plants into garden areas, harden them off for a few days by placing them on a cool porch, under trees and shrubs, or beneath overhanging eaves. This gives them time to harden or stiffen stems and firm up foliage and tendrils.
These are necessary adjustments plants make to change from the artificial warmth of indoor living quarters to the natural elements outdoors.
Do not move choice or irreplaceable plants outdoors unless you have insurance in the form of the following:
- Rooted cuttings
- Seedlings
- Small bulbs
- Tubers of the same kind
While indoor plants may object to the confines of pot walls, those outdoors can offer no resistance to hail, exceedingly strong winds, or an onslaught of grasshoppers.
When house plants are placed directly in garden soil, keep their lower parts clean and the area free of weeds by mulching with a generous layer of the following:
- Buckwheat hulls
- Ground corn cobs
- Vermiculite
- Cocoa bean shells
- Pebbles, or small water-polished stones
Some Can Hang
Orchids and bromeliads do well hung- from tree limbs or the roof of a lath house during warm weather. This location closely duplicates the way they grow in nature.
African violets may benefit from being outdoors in the fresh air of summer, but they need protection from direct sun, wind, and rain.
Although they are not pampered in their native East Africa, I am sure that those plants do not show the perfection of those we cultivate.
Violets usually do well on a sheltered porch, shaded cold frame, or a lath house. However, in the absence of such a location, the plants may fare better under fluorescent lights in a well-ventilated basement or an airy, bright place upstairs.
Bring Houseplants Indoors By Late August
Start bringing houseplants indoors by late August. Many of them can be left outside until early October, but frost may come by the middle of September in some areas.
When plants have been placed directly in garden soil, rooting them is usually better than trying to save the old plants. If you want the old plants, dig them with as little root disturbance as possible.
Repot in a container whose diameter measures one-third to one-half the height of the plant. Moisten thoroughly and place in a sheltered area, such as a porch, for about a week.
Before returning plants to the house, groom them carefully to remove damaged leaves and dried flowers.
44659 by Elvin Mcdonald