Just as we love to get outside during the summer, many tropical houseplants enjoy a holiday outdoors as well. Houseplants can add style and vitality to your patio, and they’ll benefit from the fresh air and sunlight. Here are a few varieties that enjoy the summer outdoors and some tips to help them thrive during their stay!
Croton
The multicolored green, orange, and yellow leaves of the croton bring vibrant color to your home and patio. Inside, they bring you a taste of tropical life, while outside, the colorful leaves appear even more brilliant. This tropical houseplant loves bright light and moist (but not wet) soil.
Cacti and Succulents
These beautiful tropical houseplants, such as aloe vera, kalanchoe, and snake plant, all enjoy a summer excursion on the patio. But just because they’re desert plants doesn’t mean you should put them in the sun straight away. Like all houseplants, they need to be hardened off in the shade and acclimatized to the new conditions gradually, as you’ll see below. However, once they’re ready, you’ll appreciate these plants’ eccentric leaves and charming colors in a whole new light.
Hoya
The waxy leaves of these lush suculentas easily retain moisture during the hot summer. They look just as stylish on the patio as they do near the kitchen window. Like many tropical houseplants, hoyas prefer bright, indirect light, and moist, but not wet, soil. Keep in mind that you’ll have to adjust your watering routine when keeping this beauty outside.
Planta araña o Mala madre
Looking for bushy plants to add some texture to your porch? The Spider Plant displays a healthy growth of green and white leaves that fall over the edge of the pot like ornamental grass. They also form baby spider plants among the ribbons of leaves. These small whirls lend a unique charm to this houseplant and can be used to propagate new plants. They look beautiful in a hanging basket both indoors and outdoors.
Helecho de Boston
This tropical houseplant is not actually from Boston but is actually a variety of sword fern native to tropical regions around the world. Many people enjoy the soothing presence and air-purifying qualities of these houseplants indoors. Then, in the summer, they’ll give your patio the feel of a lush rainforest. They like bright, indirect light or dappled shade, preferring morning sun to the afternoon’s bright rays.
Moving tropical houseplants outdoors can be good for them and for you! They’ll enjoy the fresh air and gentle rain, while you’ll have an easier time watering and taking care of them.
Filodendro
Given the opportunity, the filodendros brings its laid-back charm to any porch or planter during the summer. Your neighbors will wonder how you can grow such cool plants until they learn your secret; they’re just your common houseplants on a summer holiday!
Philodendrons are some of the most easy-going houseplants. They thrive under medium, indirect light and like the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Maranta
Also known as the prayer plant, this tropical’s decorative leaves display pink stripes on bright green foliage with purple undersides. It prefers shelter from direct rays and might fade or scorch under the sun, but it’ll add fresh color to any collection of houseplants on your patio.
How to Move Tropical Houseplants Outside
Only move houseplants after the temperature stays above 50 degrees during the whole day and night. Transition them gradually, just as you would harden off your tomato seedlings. First, bring them outdoors in the shade during the day and return them inside at night. Then keep them outside in the shade for a week or two. Keep in mind that the shade outside still has much more light than any room in your home. If the houseplant likes indirect light, then keep it in the shade or dappled shade. If it can handle some full sun, then slowly transition it to a brighter spot, looking out for signs of scorching or sunburn.
Tips for Outdoor Houseplant Care
Your houseplants still need the same water requirements outside, but the conditions will have changed. Heat, wind, and sun can dry out the soil in a pot more quickly. You should monitor your houseplants as you get familiar with their new watering needs. You’ll also want to put them in a spot that offers shelter from heavy rains and strong winds that we sometimes get here in Chicagoland.
Moving tropical houseplants outdoors can be good for them and for you! They’ll enjoy the fresh air and gentle rain, while you’ll have an easier time watering and taking care of them. Plus, they’ll enhance your outdoor living spaces, which is where we all like to be in the summertime anyway. Almost all houseplants, except the most sensitive ones, can be transitioned outside in the summer for a little extra sunshine and fresh air. However, if you have any doubts, feel free to ask the expert growers at our centros de jardinería!
Platt Hill Nursery es el principal centro de jardinería y vivero de Chicago.