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.
Glad to hear you’ve had good results! And yes, I guess much in the same way one should harden them off in the spring, one should probably soften(???) them off come autumn.
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.
First up, I’d like to point out that I am very jealous of your garden office! Conceptually, at least. And I’m glad that I’ve sparked an idea - I feel silly myself that it hadn’t occurred to me sooner. I hope your plants enjoy their “summer vacation” (as another commenter described it).
We live in a small flat in Berlin, Germany. We have many house plants which actually seem to thrive in the indoor space. Especially our Monstera is non stop growing and found her sweet spot in our bedroom’s window wall. Berlin is very cold and dark in winter and very bright in summer. Our indoor plants become restless when summer comes because the sun hits them too hard (we need to adjust their spots in the flat!). We have small balcony plants and flowers who also do not seem to thrive because the balcony is too exposed to sun, intense summer rain, sudden temperature drops, etc. i am not sure if it’s a good idea to move them outside during summer! Any tips for making house plants outdoor plants when living in the Northern Europe and in a small flat? 😬🫶🏼
Hi Margherita - thanks so much for the thoughtful comment, and for sharing so many specifics about your growing situation. Really helpful! I'm based in London, and so have a similar problem when it comes to light hours; cold dark winters and hot bright summers. Something like a Monstera is very unlikely to thrive year-round on your exposed Berlin balcony, as the climate in which it has evolved is consistently warm and humid, and also densely planted, with protection from the full strength of the sun. The same will be true of many of our traditional house plants. If you want a house plant that can withstand lots of hot, bright summer sun on an exposed balcony, but also then be brought inside over winter, then I'd suggest looking at cacti and succulents, many of which will thrive on all that sunlight, and also be very happy to receive a good drenching from the rain, as long as they're in free-draining soil (so their roots don't sit in soggy soil). Then in winter, you'll just need to place them near one of your brighter windows. I hope that helps!
I regularly migrate “indoor” plants outside for the hottest summer months: mid-June to early Sept. I live and grow in Northwestern Ontario, in a town that lies on the Ontario-Minnesota border. I think of this as a plant vacation from the less-than-stellar conditions that “inside” provides. I’ve managed to convince Boston ferns that they can make it through winter to warm, sun-filled days of summer! Diplodenia, if properly neglected, can survive as well. I’m also thinking that a Christmas cactus might just make it out there.
Hi JoAnne, and thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I absolutely love the idea of a plant vacation for “indoor” plants. I’m picturing them now wearing little baseball caps and sunglasses and swimwear, enjoying a spot of sunshine before being shuttled back inside. I’ve got a cactus, which is 6ft tall and weighs more than I do - it would LOVE it outside, especially with the heatwave currently hanging over London - but I genuinely don’t think I could get it outside without seriously harming either the cactus or myself!
I love putting a handful (or maybe an armful) of my houseplants in the backyard every summer. It's incredible how much happier they are with fresh air and real rain! They always seem a bit sad to come back inside in the fall, though <a href="https://binnybotanics.in/" rel="nofollow">Check Now</a>
Yes I’ve always found that super interesting, and it will no doubt be the subject of another post in the future! I know rhododendrons in particular were popular house plants once upon a time - I don’t have one in the garden so have been tempted for a while to try growing one inside. And thanks for the indirect book tip - I’ll be adding it to my reading list!
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.
Glad to hear you’ve had good results! And yes, I guess much in the same way one should harden them off in the spring, one should probably soften(???) them off come autumn.
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.
First up, I’d like to point out that I am very jealous of your garden office! Conceptually, at least. And I’m glad that I’ve sparked an idea - I feel silly myself that it hadn’t occurred to me sooner. I hope your plants enjoy their “summer vacation” (as another commenter described it).
We live in a small flat in Berlin, Germany. We have many house plants which actually seem to thrive in the indoor space. Especially our Monstera is non stop growing and found her sweet spot in our bedroom’s window wall. Berlin is very cold and dark in winter and very bright in summer. Our indoor plants become restless when summer comes because the sun hits them too hard (we need to adjust their spots in the flat!). We have small balcony plants and flowers who also do not seem to thrive because the balcony is too exposed to sun, intense summer rain, sudden temperature drops, etc. i am not sure if it’s a good idea to move them outside during summer! Any tips for making house plants outdoor plants when living in the Northern Europe and in a small flat? 😬🫶🏼
Hi Margherita - thanks so much for the thoughtful comment, and for sharing so many specifics about your growing situation. Really helpful! I'm based in London, and so have a similar problem when it comes to light hours; cold dark winters and hot bright summers. Something like a Monstera is very unlikely to thrive year-round on your exposed Berlin balcony, as the climate in which it has evolved is consistently warm and humid, and also densely planted, with protection from the full strength of the sun. The same will be true of many of our traditional house plants. If you want a house plant that can withstand lots of hot, bright summer sun on an exposed balcony, but also then be brought inside over winter, then I'd suggest looking at cacti and succulents, many of which will thrive on all that sunlight, and also be very happy to receive a good drenching from the rain, as long as they're in free-draining soil (so their roots don't sit in soggy soil). Then in winter, you'll just need to place them near one of your brighter windows. I hope that helps!
I regularly migrate “indoor” plants outside for the hottest summer months: mid-June to early Sept. I live and grow in Northwestern Ontario, in a town that lies on the Ontario-Minnesota border. I think of this as a plant vacation from the less-than-stellar conditions that “inside” provides. I’ve managed to convince Boston ferns that they can make it through winter to warm, sun-filled days of summer! Diplodenia, if properly neglected, can survive as well. I’m also thinking that a Christmas cactus might just make it out there.
Hi JoAnne, and thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I absolutely love the idea of a plant vacation for “indoor” plants. I’m picturing them now wearing little baseball caps and sunglasses and swimwear, enjoying a spot of sunshine before being shuttled back inside. I’ve got a cactus, which is 6ft tall and weighs more than I do - it would LOVE it outside, especially with the heatwave currently hanging over London - but I genuinely don’t think I could get it outside without seriously harming either the cactus or myself!
I love putting a handful (or maybe an armful) of my houseplants in the backyard every summer. It's incredible how much happier they are with fresh air and real rain! They always seem a bit sad to come back inside in the fall, though <a href="https://binnybotanics.in/" rel="nofollow">Check Now</a>
Yes I’ve always found that super interesting, and it will no doubt be the subject of another post in the future! I know rhododendrons in particular were popular house plants once upon a time - I don’t have one in the garden so have been tempted for a while to try growing one inside. And thanks for the indirect book tip - I’ll be adding it to my reading list!