A: Houseplants are merely plants that live in the house. Of course, in their natural environments, they do not live in houses, but outside in nature. Most are originally from tropical forest environments, where they are adapted to living in the shade of taller trees, and do not mind mild weather all year, which is why they can be happy inside. Even the sunniest homes are not as brightly lit as the gardens outside. Also, homes do not get cool enough in winter or warm enough in summer for plants that need more temperature fluctuation.

 

Almost all plants that are grown as houseplants are grown for their foliage. Ferns, philodendrons, dracaenas, and the various ficus are some of the most popular. Although some can bloom as houseplants, most stay too small to bloom, or are prevented from blooming by pruning and grooming. Few have impressive flowers anyway, and some philodendron flowers actually smell rather foul. (Just as most flowers smell sweet to attract bees and butterflies for pollination, some flowers prefer to attract flies for pollination.)  

Azaleas, as well as rhododendrons, hydrangeas, miniature roses, and a few other plants that are popularly forced into bloom for display in the home, can live in the home for a while, but do not grow and thrive in the home for long. They prefer warm summer weather and cool weather in the winter. Even though azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangeas do not need much sunlight, they want more than they can get inside. They would really be happier in the garden.

Fortunately, after they finish their display in the home or office, flowering potted plants can be adapted to the garden. They only need to recover from being forced into bloom in the greenhouses where they were grown. The flowers of azaleas and rhododendrons will dry and seem unsightly during the process, but they eventually fall off, or can be plucked off. Large hydrangea flowers can be pruned off. Roses may actually continue to bloom, even as the primary phase of flowers fades and deteriorate.

New foliage will develop as the flowers disappear. If the plants remain in the home as this happens, their foliage will be adapted to the home, and they will have more difficulty adapting to the garden. If the environment is even slightly too dark, foliage will be puny and may not be able to sustain the plants. It is therefore better to acclimate the plants to the garden soon after bloom is finished.

Even though they want to be outside, these sorts of potted plants should not be planted directly into their permanent homes in garden. They should first be moved to a sheltered porch or partly shaded part of the garden where they can be monitored as they recover. (Cellophane wrapping should be removed, to allow drainage.) As new foliage develops, potted plants can be planted into permanent locations that suits their particular cultural requirements.