Tropical Houseplants Can Be Stars of the Summer

Many outdoor plants lag in summer heat and humidity, but not indoor plants

The longer I garden , the more I hump seeing tropical plant growing outside of their pots , freed by adventurous and originative gardeners . Having worked at a botanic garden with a glasshouse for most of my career , I cognise well the cooling , calming effect of succulent tropic foliage . I ’m talking about the usual suspects of small conservatory and aliveness rooms : violin - foliage fig , corn works , umbrella plants , elephant ear , palms , and banana tree . So when a new greenhouse director start moving bombastic tropical works outside and unite them with hardy plant life , it remove me a time of year or two to break down the shabu wall in my mind to bosom this botanical mixed medium .

This is a glorious use of plants that do n’t expend the summertime struggling against our heat and humidity ; instead , they thrive in it ! That alone scores high in my Southeastern horticulture book , but the benefits do n’t end there . Visually , they can work that same cooling lushness to out-of-door blank space as they do in the conservatory , provide marvellous backdrops to finer - textured blooms . Summer maintenance is humiliated compared to the fertilizing and deadheading required of annual and many perennials . All they require is even wet . It ’s June , right ? It ’s past all good word for last planting , yet you still have gaps in your beds — tropical foliage to the rescue . These plants can be successfully planted all summertime if you supply consistent watering . Why is this ? Having come from region of static day length and no freezes , they have evolved to grow anytime there is root space and piddle ; this is different from the seasonal growing formula of temperate - zone plants .

Our southern summers are farsighted enough to make planting what are essentially really prominent annuals worth it . It ’s surprising how inexpensive specimen of the most common houseplants can be . Planted in June , they bring forth a grow sweep of foliage for at least five month . Most are best for shade to fond refinement , but there are a few Sunday - lover in the mixture . No , they are n’t inhuman - hardy . And yes , you have to decide whether to dig , pot , and bring at heart , or chop up for the compost atomic pile make out November , but that ’s part of thinking outside the walls .

As rugged as some of the selections in the indoor - plant division of the nursery are , they do need proper changeover to their outdoor environment . First , be sure to match the works to your light conditions . Almost all houseplants — which will be labeled scurvy , medium , and high light for indoors — get well in outdoor shade . However , when transitioned over 10 days or so from full shade to fond ( morning sunlight or dappled shade ) , many do wonderfully in those conditions . For those that can conform to sunny conditions , provide the same 10 days to move from spectre to partial to full sun . Use the list below to guide your choice , then unfreeze your imagination and create your own cool combos to pack the garden through the weenie twenty-four hours and beyond .

Best for mostly tint

Can take partial spectre

Sun - broad

— Paula Gross is the former assistant director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens .

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