I hope it wasn't hardy plants that you took inside. Some plants don't to well or even die if they are not allowed to go dormant during winter. But, I will assume you are talking about tropics, houseplants, etc.

You can take them out on warmer days. How warm it needs to be will depend on the plant. Some can take temps down to near freezing, while others may have problems even on days that dip down into the 50's. But, you need to watch the weather carefully, because it is very likely that we will get some cold snaps (below freezing) between now and mid-April. To sum this part up, it depends on the plant and watch for cold periods.

Your hydrangea knows when it's safe for it to come out. It will do so on it's on time. No need to do anything to it.

See you at the swap!

Thanks Brandon, They were Geraniums and Jasmine. I didn't winterize the geraniums this year and they have lived happily inside in a bright sunny window. I think I'll just keep them indoors till 1st May like I used to do up North.
I'm loooking forward to the swap.

Oh, yum! Trifle! :-)

I know exactly how you feel about getting plants outside. Actually, all of my houseplants aside from cacti/succulents have been going out all winter -- I have taken them out every two weeks to water them -- fortunately, TN almost always has a day above 50 every coupla weeks even in the depths of winter! But about this time of year I get really antsy to throw the guys out in the yard for good. It's hard to wait!

Right now I'm keeping myself busy by playing with my water plants and outdoor fish, and then I'll be building my raised beds. But I also keep checking the forecasts every day, trying to figure out the earliest safe date for everything to move out!

When I was scrapping the ice off my windows this morning, I thought about this conversation. (-:

Yeah, it got to 30 here. The waiting is killing me!

Dumb old redneck says scratch the itch, leave plants inside,a little longer.

Thanks so much for all your advice. I'm now going to start a rock garden. I've been collecting rocks all winter.
I'll see you all at the swap.

Yea...the supposed day of the year, per Farmer's Almanac, this year to put out plants is May 12th.

"Yea...the supposed day of the year, per Farmer's Almanac, this year to put out plants is May 12th."

Surely there must be something more to that piece of advise.

I think I will take the dumb old redneck advise :). I did drag a couple of things out from the crawl space under my house, but the plants in the house are still waiting for their time in the sun.

Rebecca

If I'm conscious tomorrow, I'll be taking all my indoor plants out so they can get rained on the next coupla days. BUT I'll be ready to take em back in at the end of the week, when the temp is supposed to dip again!

This is no small task. In their winter tubs, it takes me a solid hour of plant hauling to get them all outside. But it'll be good for them!

May 12th.. I can't wait that long !!! he he he

I love to know that there are many people like me who are thinking the same thing about their plants. I can hardly wait to get them outside. One is a Mandeville that I have wintered over for 2 years. It is never as pretty as the new ones that you buy each season, but I love the game of keeping it alive. My plants did not get aphids or spidermites or any of those icky pests this winter, so I feel very happy as I trim them up & get them ready for their summer vacation. :=)