I just wanted to add my own experiences to the mix. I have been taking houseplants and a couple of tropicals out for the summer and back in for the winter for about the last 6 years. I am an organic gardener and don't use pesticides. Once I read an article suggesting you could just put a drop of water in a spray bottle with some strained garlic and water and spray with that. That worked fine but I really didn't have any visible insects or disease going on, it was just as a precaution. I've used that same spray in the past when I did have something eating the leaves and wasn't sure what. The last few years, I've done nothing more than spray the plants very carefully, with just water, careful to include the underside of the leaves, with as strong a spray as the plant will tolerate, inspect it very well, and remove the top couple of inches of soil and replace it before bringing in. Last winter I don't remember seeing any bugs at all in the house. This year, I did notice one spider that isn't a type that I normally see in the house and I don't know if he hitched a ride in one of the plants. That was it. In the garden this year, I had initial outbreaks of aphids on roses but I quickly saw ladybugs show up and barely saw another aphid the rest of the season. I did have a few Asian beetles that gave me a headache and I tried to keep the numbers down, by going out after dark and flicking them into a cup of soapy water. That worked out fairly well. I did have some foliage damage, but nothing I couldn't live with. I had earwigs a few years. I mulch a lot, and I think I read they are attracted to mulch. I kept up with them with a cup of soapy water after dark too. This year, I had more caterpillars than I've seen before. The little tiny green ones on roses and hardy hibiscus, and I just hand picked those off. Interestingly, I had a Carolina Wren in the garden this year. I read that they eat mostly bugs. He was a cute little thing with a pretty song and some funny ways. In the spring, we have had an infestation of winter moth caterpillars on the Maple trees for four years now. The last two years, a flock of Starlings have shown up and I can see them hopping in the canopy eating the caterpillars. I think I have a gourmet buffet of food for birds out there. [g] I seem to manage to just let it all work itself out. I'm surprised that I can do the same thing with the indoor plants, but it does seem to work out just using mechanical techniques rather than chemicals.

You don't say which gentian, not all are warm/cold/warm germinators. If you've sown any of the jacobs ladder other than Polemonium carneum, I think you could just leave the containers outside without the warm period - those should germinate when the cold temps begin to warm up. It probably would not hurt to bring the monkshood in for a couple of weeks then put it back out. You don't need to provide additional heat other than room temperature or light for the seeds. Truthfully though, I don't always have good luck with aconitum/monkshood unless sowing very fresh in early Fall, but that could be me :) "Is moist vermiculite in a baggie a satisfactory method for warm stratifying?" Yes, I use just a teaspoon or two of either moist sterile sand or moist vermiculite, then sow the entire contents of the bag when I'm ready to winter sow and place outdoors. (this is not the same as the baggie method for germinating seeds, it just meets the requirements for those seeds that need warmth and moisture before the moist chill). Alternatively you can sow them, leave the pots indoors for the required warm period but that takes up more space. You can also sow, place outdoors in late summer/early Fall for Spring germination. Some extra vermiculite, grit, or potting mix may be necessary to further cover the seeds once you've tipped them out of the ziplocks and sown them -

Should be fine. The angle of the sun isn't to high yet to worry much about sunburn. Closer to spring it might be advisable to only give them a few hours at a time. If you have a spot that only gets morning sun that might be best. Mike

Hi I grow mine outdoors as yard plants but did you realize there are different cultivars by size as well color?? Obviously for houseplants you'd want to stick to the dwarfs. I suspect they would all require full sun, Google the family "Strelitzia" not only several species but different cultivars as well as hybrids. They commercially produce these for the florist trade so must be a way?? gary