What happens to your houseplants in warm weather?

Awesome, 1st time I was the first one

I leave them inside year round, I don't have to time to make sure all bugs have been killed off before bringing them back in

I put them on the front covered porch where they get morning sun and fresh air. They look very nice as background foliage for a hanging basket or two, and occasionally one will bloom for me. I don't worry about the bugs.

in my climate, the need for house plants is nearly nil

must be nice

I only have 4-5 houseplants so they all stay indoors. I'm like flowAjen...no time to worry about the bugs and moving them in/out.

Some go out into a shady area in the yard, some go out to sunnier locations, and some stay in.
The carrion flower goes out the minute it starts to bud.
I didn't have houseplants for years, now I have too many LOL.
Before they come back in they all get a dose of granulated bug killer, I'd hate to bring ants in the house!

Same as Domehomedee for me :). Most stay in but several go out for the warmer months. I've never had a problem with bugs on indoor plants (knock on wood!) so I don't worry about that... I don't think I'd want to live at a place without at least a few houseplants- I even took a half dozen with me to my college dorm room! A house just feels empty and lacking life without houseplants. My living room is like a mini greenhouse for shade loving tropicals and ferns, and there are a number of ferns in the bathrooms and other plants throughout each room of the house. They clean the air and make it more cheerful, especially in the cold of winter or the blistering heat of summer!

ogon, I bet people are amazed with all your house plants. I've had people say "It's like a rain forest in here with all the plants!" I have to admit I'm a little embarrased by it, but I love plants and some of them just can't stay outside! I live in a Coastal live oak forest so I have lots of bugs, mostly spiders, but I fear ants in the pots as this did happen to me once long ago. I brought a house plant in and watered it and all these ants came streaming out - quite a panic. I think plants like mother-in-laws tongue enjoy going out for the Summer, I think they benefit from the additional sun, temperature changes and morning moisture. I couldn't live in a house without at least a few plants.

Haha, I've gotten the rainforest comment too! It is a bit embarassing when you know the person doesn't appreciate houseplants quite like we do and thinks you're a bit eccentric :).

I don't have houseplants at home because the cats eat them, so I answered "no houseplants". However, that's not exactly true. I have a large mother-in-law's tongue that's almost 20 years old & a devil's ivy plant that's sprawling everywhere in my office cubicle with a large south facing window. They never go outside & seem very happy to remain indoors.

Most of my orchids and mini citrus go out to the greenhouse for the summer. The summer sun would roast them outside but I put up shade cloth in the greenhouse in the summer and misters keep it cooler and moister than outside. The orchids really love a daily misting and they don't have to rely on my faulty memory when they're out there (it's on a timer.) In case that sounds wasteful, it's only for 1 minute twice a day and I have set up panels under the plant shelves to collect any overflow water in a bucket. I use the bucket to water other plants outside. The greenhouse also protects from our sudden late June freezes and severe wind events.

Right now I'm just waiting for the weather to be warm enough to get the tomatoes outside and make room for the orchids.

I have 2 pots which will go into the ground this year; usually they just go outside. Luciee {;^)

I don't care for houseplants at all. (I know...*gasp*..) BUT.......I have this addiction to plants that refuse to live in my zone 7a garden, so they have to live inside during the winter months. Whatever will go dormant, gets banished to the garage and everything else languishes indoors until it is warm enough to kick them out again.

melody you might get addicted to house plants when you check these out
http://www.logees.com/Indoor-and-Windowsill-Plants/products/188/

I don't have house plants because there's only one window in this place that gets adequate sunlight.

I used to grow African Violets under artificial light, but now I start vegetable seedings there instead.

I answered "other" because although my houseplants stay indoors, I usually freshen up the soil or repot them and they start looking fantastic! My 2 orchids have both bloomed, I did plant one of my patchouli outside in my shade garden and my heart leaf philodendron is very happy :) I used to have lots of houseplants, then kids came, then outdoor gardening came so I only have a few now. It was a real revelation thinking I didn't need to have houseplants--freed up lots of time!

I chose other because the true houseplants stay inside year round but my tropicals go outside when it starts to warm up and come back in for the winter time. My collection builds up every season so I have to get creative on placement. lol

Most go outside in mid-May. Can't wait to get all the amaryllises outside! Other plants remain inside all year and we enjoy them...and I get to enjoy much more room in the porch.

Pirl, I know what you mean by the amaryllises. I put them outside a couple weeks ago. They are a jungle.

I put the orchid out and when it gets done blooming, it needs devided again.

Indy - the amaryllises do get to be a bit much by now. They're wonderful in winter but now I just want them out of here. I follow the rules and don't put them out if there's any danger of frost but they don't even want the high 30's and prefer 50 degrees at night so I'll be patient for awhile longer.

Unfortunately my house has hurricane protective sun reflective windows and I don't think a cast iron plant could live in here : ( I do have a stupid Areo Garden if that counts ?

Here in Phoenix we are the opposite of the rest of the country. My houseplants stay inside during the high heat of summer and go out on my south facing porch in the winter.

Soon as it's warm enough almost all go outside. And I can't wait. I bought some huge ones and I don't have the light or room for them so they suffer most of the winter. One is going to a friend. The other I love but its spread is enormous. Can't remember the name offhand (some kind of palmy thing), but the stems and leaves go out about 3 feet. Hard to find a place for it in the house.

Cats =/= houseplants :)

They die the same as they do the rest of the year...I always try to apologize in advance before I purchase a houseplant.

House plants stay inside year round here. set them out one year, and mealy bugs swarmed over them and i nearly lost them all despite treatments to them, if i hadnt taken cuttings from clean sections of the plants to root. so i decided never again, they sit in my south facing window now. And my outside space is more dedicated to veggies now

The only bugs I ever find on my house plants that have spent the summer outdoors on the deck are earwigs. Ugly, creepy, but non biting bugs. They once took over my mailbox. You couldn't get the mail without pulling out a dozen. My daughter refused to get the mail. Reminds me of a story of my daughter. I have a very old house and before we changed the windows the ladybugs used to "retire" for the winter in the upper corners of her bedroom. She'd refuse to sleep in her room until I vacuumed every single one. One day she stomped down the stairs with book in hand. She opened her book and there were two (one small, one big) smashed ladybugs. "Look," she said, "They even breeding in my room!" We've since changed the windows and the problem is gone, but it's always a dear story to me. She's now grown and still hates ladybugs and earwigs and will never be a "farmer."