Jen,
I used to put my plants outside every year. Other than cacti almost everything went to the north or east side of the house, cacti and succulents were slowly adjusted to the southern exposure.
Before you put anyplant outside check to see what kind of pests are local. I lost 6 amaryllis/hippeastrum last year to narcissus bulb fly maggot, a nasty little bugger. Keep checking your plants and be sure to spray them with an insecticide before you bring them in for the winter, sounds like a lot more work than it is. When I was a much younger person my sister brought in a plant with a mantis egg case on it, come spring there were hundreds in the house! My mother was not to thrilled about that! LOL
Also, is your porch a front porch? Will someome walk off with a plant that has sentimental value to you? Hate to say it, I was that kid in my NYC neighborhood. I'm still dealing with the Karma from that.

Most everything moves to a screened in breezeway in the summer. I also have hanging baskets of spiders, goldfish plant,tradescantia. My huge norfolk pine goes on my patio along with ferns and begonias. My summer greenhouse costs have drastically reduced and watering with a hose is fantastic. Of course rain showers are the best.

All my plants are outdoor plants - I just bring some of them in to over-winter. ;o)

I grow nothing indoors from late spring to early autumn. Even though I winter plants under good lights, I feel that the summer vacation outdoors in natural light really boosts the stored energy levels & allows the plants to sail through winter in good vitality (also the key to 'no bugs').

Al

I agree with Al (Tapia) that spending the warm season outdoors keeps plants healthier and able to withstand disease and even insects. Most of mine go out when nighttime temps stay reliably above 60 degrees F...but all are well rooted older plants in 6" to 12" pots. I have little shelter or shade so most have to "weather the storm" on their own. A few smaller and/or more tender plants are somewhat sheltered on porch. If I buy new plants which were probably grown in greenhouses I'm more careful to shelter and watch carefully to be sure they acclimate well.

This is the time I cut back Dracaenas, Cordyline, Croton, Hederas, etc.if they've grown lanky...I often just stick the cutting in same pot, or start another. I don't often repot...I've some plants growing for ten plus years in same pot... but spring is the time if to be done. I don't use fertilizer...sunshine and rain do their work...even wind if not too severe is good for plants.

Most important is that plants when outside need careful watering as they dry out quickly, in small pots especially or larger pots filled with roots. I usually make the rounds with the hose daily, but then I'm in Z8a where summers are ferociously hot. Even if I skip over one I'll give it a quick shower.

No pest problems but that may be due to an abundance of lizards and toads who hang out around the pots and sometimes hitch a ride inside in the fall. LOL josh

Mine go out every Summer. It makes them so pretty. I just hose them off before I bring them inside for the winter. The last two years the weather was warm early May and did not get cold until late October.

Take them out when temps are not below 40s at night same for winter as long as thee temps are above 40s they are outside.

About a third of my plants go outdoors. That amounts to all of my cacti and succulents, all the amaryllis, and a handful of other high light houseplants that I feel really need the time outdoors.

The rest stay indoors. The reason I grow houseplants is to have plants to enjoy in my house. Putting them outside for a large chunk of the year defeats that purpose. For most of my life, I lived in apartments where putting plants outside was not an option, and I still managed to have nice healthy plants.

I was enjoying myself so much up there on my high horse that I failed to answer your actual question about when to put them out. I start putting the C&S out when the night temps are 45F, and the others when the night temps are above 50F. I start the higher light plants out on my porch, and move them gradually into the sun.

Thank you everyone!

I've put a few plants out at my old house, but I had east and west there. Now I have just room on the north side. I think I'll use some kind of table for the cacti, but acclimate them slowly to the sun on the south side. I will keep a close eye on the watering.

Jen

i put all ..... :)

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Just kidding i live in Thailand can grow plants outdoor ..

Here is a link that might be useful: A Little Plants Collectors in Thailand

This is a great post. How does everyone keep their plants from blowing over and breaking off branches. My poor norfolk had a disastrous summer last year. I am afraid to move my ponytail palm out for fear it it will become beheaded or all it's fronds will blow off.

If your plants are in clay pots, chances are they will not tip over. But in plastic yes. So what I did was surround each pot with bricks. or cement blocks and they never fell. You could even bury them in holes in the groung, pot and all if you are not concerned about some kind of pest getting into the dirt of your pots. Just a couple of ideas for you..:-)
The before you have to bring them in in the fall, treat them at least 3-4 times with a good insecticide as soon as it starts to cool down on a weekly basis. Kneem oil is great. You can even water your plants with this stuff too to kill in soil insects. You might be lucky and bring no insects indoors by the time fall hits..-)
Mike

I also live in an apartment and have limited outdoor space so it's all reserved for my C&S. I do have a lot of windows fortunately and my houseplants are quite content to remain on their windowsill perches year 'round.

I've also been getting into Cymbidiums lately. They're great because I can grow them outdoors here almost year around. Plus they're too large for my indoor light garden anyway.

Sorry for the double post, but regarding Mike's post if you're worried about critters in your pots you can cover the drain hole with some screen! Also keeps the dirt in. And yeah, clay pots are the way to go for so many reasons. We get a couple of hours of wind a day, everyday and plastic pots are shown no mercy!

my situation is similar to saucer's. i rent, and though i'm responsible for yard maintenance, i don't want to annoy the landlords by putting my plants out on the lawn and possibly leaving yellow spots. so i make use of the limited patio space i have. i put all my succulents outdoors and hang my ferns under a nice shady tree. i'm an avid dracaena collector, and though i'd love to see them grow nice and tall, i've always been a bit nervous about putting them outdoors.

I live in Florida and I put almost all plants outside, except my african violet. Some of the plants that are more tropical, Coffee plant, Ficus,Hoyas, Listicks, etc. I bring them in at night when the temps dip down on the cold side (below 60 degrees).The succulents stay out all year except when we have the occasional frost.

Stokes, I love dracaena as well and I keep most of mine on a northwest facing window where they grow slowly but surely. Your's should be just fine outside as long as you keep them out of direct sun and let them gradualy adapt if the light-levels are going to be dramatically different. I do have a large-ish D. marginata "tricolour" that I rescued from my girlfriend's old office outside. It's been getting a little sun burned so I guess I'm going to have to drag it somewhere a bit less sunny. They really are tough though, aren't they (as long as you don't over-water them)?

Ton-tom in Thailand...absolutely stunning plants and photos on your website. Lots to explore there and I'm glad you joined Gardenweb! josh

Hi josh , thx for visit my website.that site my username is 'admin'.
I'm not have a nursery ,it a little private botanical garden and plant collection,
in a little house.
I love to Breeding Anthurium for new Cartivar. I wanna share my experiences
in this site.
Have some apart of my conllection to show.
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some fern collection.
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ps. io think all plant can grow in house .

Here is a link that might be useful: Anthuriumthailand.com