A fresh take on house plants
Got lots of indoor plants? Got some outdoor space? Well, why not combine the two...?
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I really don’t like “house plants”. It’s not the plants themselves I object to. If I could turn my interior into an impenetrable jungle of tropical greenery, I would, but it simply isn’t practical – it would compromise the sight lines to the TV, and that’s not a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
No, my issue is with the phrase “house plants”. What does it even mean? On the surface, it seems pretty obvious: plants that will survive growing inside our homes. But clearly, while some plants fare better than others in an indoor ecosystem – low light, central heating and all – no plant in the world has evolved to grow on a living room shelf.
The evergreen gems that we have come to describe as “house plants” are an incredibly varied and diverse bunch, from desert-dwelling cacti to humidity-loving flora from sub-tropical rainforests. But in the wild, what connects them all, is that they grow outside. So why don’t we let them?
If you saw my last post, you’ll know that I’m on Long Island, on the American East Coast. As I write this dispatch, it is the 4th of July. Independence Day. American flags line the sidewalks; adorn shop windows; are draped from every porch. I’m marking the occasion in Brew Cheese, a small dairy-centric eatery overlooking Northport’s marina.
On my table is a grilled cheese sandwich – a good one: cheddar, jalapeños and chipotle mayo on sourdough bread – and a tiny glass of lip-smacking sour beer. And all around me, on street corners and outside restaurant terraces and under star-spangled banners, are “house plants”. Only these house plants are – *shock horror* – outside.
And they look fantastic. Humungous, oar-like leaves of Alocasia macrorrhizos; a heart-shaped explosion of pink from Caladium bicolor, paired with a shuttlecock-feathered Boston fern. Another Caladium, this one brilliant white and veined with Amazonian forest green. Any of these plants would be eye-catching placed by a bright bedroom window, but here, outside, bathed in natural sunlight, they are resplendent.
I feel completely inspired. Why haven’t I been growing any of my own house plants outdoors? All I would need to do is harden them off in late spring, once the risk of frost was well and truly passed and the overnight temperatures were consistently above 13°C. I’d also need to adjust my watering accordingly, and make sure they were in dappled shade, at least to begin with, to prevent them suffering from sun scorch.
I imagine that the plants in the curbside containers here in Northport are being treated essentially as summer bedding plants – destined for a compost heap, or worse, come the fall. But at home, one could just bring them back indoors before the temperatures drop and enjoy them in a whole new light.
With proper care, house plants treated as garden plants should grow faster, stronger, truer, than when cooped up indoors. We all need a bit of fresh air, we all enjoy feeling the summer sun on our skin. I think it’s time we gave our house plants the same privilege.
Have you ever tried growing your house plants outdoors? If so, what? And how did they get on? And if not, are you tempted now? Leave a comment and let me know!
I put a handful (armful?) of my "house plants" in the backyard every summer. It's amazing how much happier they seem once they're outdoors with fresh air and real rain! They do always seem a little sad to come back inside in the fall though.
This has given me an idea. I have house plants in my garden office. But it gets insanely hot in there in the summer and I’m struggling to keep them suitably hydrated. Makes sense to move them outside while it’s warm. Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. I guess it’s that phrase ‘house plants’! Thanks.