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.

If the weather is rainy but not too cool, houseplants may be brought outside for a gentle rinse. For reasons that no horticulturist has yet identified, houseplants seem to benefit more from mild rain than from rinsing with a hose or shower.

Specimens may be left in their nursery cans if the cans are placed into larger pots or containers, or nestled into shallow shrubbery or deep ground-cover. Containers and pots in which plants are grown in around the home should not exhibit the same uncomfortable characteristics of the nursery cans.