Hi, Coey, As you can see, there are pros and cons, with most of the cons being manageable. Much of it depends on your comfort level. One option would be to put a few orchids out, acclimating they gradually, and see if your concerns about bugs change. My orchids are inside this summer and were outside the 2 summers before in a (theoretically) squirrel-proof lathe house on the stone patio. Also, the shelves were about an inch off the ground, which may have helped w/ snails and slugs. (Lathe house is my romantic term - everything's plastic and from HD. :)) A couple of leaves got sunburned, and grasshoppers chewed on a couple of others, but that was about it. The plants got a systemic twice before coming inside. This year, I decided to leave them inside because, when it was still too cool for anything outside, wind blew over the lathe house twice in a week or so. Also, other parts of life have needed extra time and energy, and I didn't figure out a way to secure the lathe house to the 4"x 4" wooden supports for the deck above that would look even halfway decent for 'burb neighbors. The orchids are still inside, with the lathe house still unassembled. Last summer: This spring/summer, we've had unusually pleasant weather, so the windows could be open more than usual, which has let me feel a bit less guilty. No matter, every time a plant shows the tiniest bit of unhappiness, I think, "See, that wouldn't have happened if it was outside." :) All the best with your decision, Whitecat8

Hey, just thought I'd add another update, as my little planting continues to grow and change. I was inspired by wantonamara and decided to lop off the main stalk of the kalanchoe since it was getting to be too large for the arrangement. I think it looks great now, and all the plants seem to be flourishing. It's amazing how much this little planting has changed in a year, and it's taught me a lot about the importance of good light for succulents! If you look closely, you can see the effects of variable light conditions on the coloration of the aeonium "kiwi". My plant has white and pink edges and some burns on the outer leaves from a period where it was exposed to intense afternoon and evening light during most of the summer. I moved it to a more sheltered position around late July, and all the new growth has been bright green. It sure makes for a pretty contrast!

Hi, Mocc. It was in reference to Ken's comment above regarding the dots. . . which I read after I had already posted. The spots reminded me of foliar fungus which is more prevalent in hot, humid climates such as humid areas of zones 7-9 of the United States. M. Zilis states that some fungi infect leaves already damaged by sunburn, frost, spring desiccation burn, and other problems. After reading Ken's comments I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was thinking the same thing about the dots...but he did not return to refute my observations or offer more information. It was left cryptic. There are good examples on page 358 of the Field Guide To Hostas but it is copyrighted so I can't take a photo to show you. The uh oh was like "too late the cat's out of the bag" because I mentioned what Ken said about having another theory that would "make your head explode .... unless you note the specks". Does this explanation make sense? If you re-read Ken's post first and my link next (if you haven't already) it should help. I'm having a dickens of a time trying to get Ken to answer subsequent questions when he drops in on a post...the most recent on Knockout. He's off like a racehorse to some other forum, I'm sure and could possibly forget where he was? I dunno! :-)

Sounds like sunburn to me. I have also fought slugs and snails more this year since we have actually had some rain this spring. I have found that hostas can take a little morning sun, but not much past around eight AM. There isn't much you can do for sunburn except move the plant and keep it well watered. I have most of my hostas in pots partly for this reason. I love hostas because they will actually grow in the shade. Here is a picture of one that seems to like Texas. It is called Potomac Pride.