Indoor - Outdoor Plants

 

Today many products are marketed as “indoor-outdoor.”  Indoor-outdoor carpeting, slippers, thermometers, plant stands… the list is long.  Why not add a few plants to this category? 

Numerous houseplants will thrive outdoors in summer months; be careful if you notice them getting damaged by insects (not all houseplants are candidates for outdoor living in summertime in Wisconsin.)  Of course, your houseplants must go through acclimation (a gradual adjustment from indoor living to outdoor living.)  I consider JUNE 1 – SEPT 1  a sensible timeline for moving plants outdoors for their summer vacay.  All your houseplants should be placed in a shady location initially; then they can graduate to a part-sun location if appropriate. 

NOTE: Even if your houseplants thrived in a sunny window while living indoors, a southern or western sun exposure outdoors might be TOO INTENSE.  Consider their foliage is not accustomed to HARSH RAIN, WIND nor DIRECT/FULL SUN; some protection for your houseplants is appropriate. Monitor your plants often to be sure each specimen is in a happy place outdoors.

My favorite plant that thrives outdoors each summer JUNE 1 – SEPT 1  is a 10-year-old tropical hibiscus.  It handles dappled shade and produces multiple flowers every summer.  This plant hates cool nights, so I always bring it back indoors before nights drop below 50 degrees. Even though September DAYS are warm enough to support a tropical hibiscus, if it gets cold at night, it will likely defoliate completely and won’t be a pleasant sight during winter!  Bring it in by SEPT 1st, and you should enjoy deep green foliage throughout fall/winter/spring.

Outdoor plants often will thrive INDOORS, given the correct environment.  By mid-September, my annual geraniums (genus Pelargonium) have been transplanted to pots and placed under a grow-light assembly.  Although some horticulturists recommend pinching off blooms during off season, I disagree.  Let them flower and flourish all winter long; then transplant to outdoor containers next June.  

(Don’t soak roots; geraniums prefer dryer soil so water just twice/month.)

Additional outdoor plants that can thrive indoors are herbs like rosemary and oregano in pots. My variegated ivy plant (Hedera helix ‘Mint Kolibri’) thrives indoors and out (in a shady location.)  A favorite rosette-shaped succulent is in the genus Echeveria; it handles a sunny window indoors, but outdoors this plant thrives in partial sun only.

Even an unlikely specimen can thrive indoors and out: Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’ is an ornamental grassy plant that is actually a sedge.  The specimen shown in photo has been “wintered over” for three years. By late May, I can take it back outdoors for another summer vacation!  It has tripled in size so I might have to divide this perennial before replanting.  (This plant is a perennial if you reside in USDA zone 6 – 9, but sadly, it won’t survive our WI winters!)

When you’re searching for “just the right plants” for your 2022 garden, consider those varieties which might be able to join you indoors during fall and winter.  It is such a pleasure to witness a few plants blooming and thriving in your home on a blustery, snowy day!

M. Lynn Schmid, Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture