How to Transition Your Favorite Outdoor Plants to Thrive Indoors

By Lisa Thomas

Houseplants and indoor plants are perfect for indoor gardening, but why stop there? If you’ve ever seen a stunning outdoor plant and thought to yourself, “How I wish I could have that in my house,” you’re in the right place!

Now, outdoor plants are outdoor plants for a reason—they aren’t made for indoor conditions. So how do you grow outdoor plants indoors?

“Just create outdoor conditions indoors!”

Okay fine, so that’s easier said than done.

Still, it’s not rocket science, and it’s definitely doable, especially with this handy guide by your side. We’ll be going over how to choose the right plants, create the right conditions, and adjust their care routines. By the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to transition your outdoor plants indoors and ensure they not only survive, but thrive.

We’ll also be covering when to call in a landscaper, because at times, calling in a landscaping professional is inevitably necessary, such as when dealing with large or established plants, advanced systems, harder-to-create conditions, and so on.

It’s important to know when to acknowledge that a task is better left to a professional, so we’ve also included a section on that.

Why Bring Outdoor Plants Inside?

Bringing outdoor plants into your house sounds like a lot of hassle. And it’s hassle that could be skipped by simply choosing indoor houseplants.

So why go through all this trouble?

Outdoor plants tend to have more dramatic foliage and vibrant blooms.
These bold, dramatic colors can take your indoor space’s aesthetics to another level.
Bringing your outdoor plants in also extends their lifespan, especially plants that don’t do too well during winter.

In short, outdoor plants can boost your aesthetics in ways that indoor plants can’t, and sometimes, you just have to bring your plants in to protect them from harsh outdoor conditions.

Now that you know outdoor plants actually have a purpose indoors, here’s where and how exactly to use them.

Best Ways To Use Outdoor Plants Indoors (And The Best Plants For The Job)

There’s no point in bringing outdoor plants inside if you have no idea how you want to use them or where to place them, so we’ll be sharing the best ways to use them here, as well as the best plants for each use case.

Most indoor plants either rarely bloom or only bloom modestly and briefly. In contrast, outdoor plants bloom for months at a time, and their flowers are much more visually impactful. There are even outdoor plants that can stay in bloom throughout the year under the right conditions.

Here’s where to use these beautiful outdoor plants with long-lasting blooms.

1. Centerpieces

With their outstanding beauty, it should come as no surprise that they make for even better centerpieces than indoor plants. And since outdoor plants bloom seasonally, you can change up your centerpiece every season.

These centerpieces can be on your dining table, kitchen island, or coffee table. Really, it can be anywhere where you need something eye-catching that commands attention.

Best plants to use:

Begonias
Miniature Roses
Dwarf Chrysanthemums
Lavender (compact types)

2. Framing Entrances, Hallways, And Key Features

Tall blooming plants can be used to frame entryways or archways, bringing a rustic, cottage vibe into your space.

They can also be used to add life and color to long hallways.

Another way to use them is to frame a key visual feature, like a statement wall or mirror.

Best plants to use:

Standard Rose Trees
Dwarf Mandevilla
Cordyline
Hibiscus (dwarf or braided tree forms)

3. Decorating Areas That Get Lots of Natural Light

Outdoor plants need lots of light to thrive, so using them to decorate areas that get lots of light is one of the smartest ways to deploy them.

Some places that could use outdoor flowers and get lots of light include south- or west-facing windows, bay windows, stairwell landings, sunrooms, and balconies.

Best plants to use:

Bougainvillea
Lantana
Geraniums
Lavender (compact types)

Transitioning Outdoor Plants Indoors

A large part of successfully bringing outdoor plants inside is choosing the right plants.

If you choose plants that have difficult requirements, such as high humidity, lots of space for the roots, or a period of winter dormancy, they may struggle, drop leaves, or even fail to bloom indoors, which defeats the purpose of bringing them inside in the first place.

You won’t have to worry as long as you use one of the plants we mentioned above, but if you’re choosing your own, try to avoid plants that have any of those requirements.

With that said, assuming you’ve chosen an easy-to-adapt outdoor plant, here’s how to transition it to your indoor space.

Step 1: Check For Pests

A key step that you absolutely mustn’t skip is checking for pests. If left outdoors, at least these pests have predators like ladybugs or birds.

But once you bring them indoors, with no more predators, these pests can multiply very quickly and infest your other indoor plants.

The worst part is, these pests are even harder to control indoors, because indoors, you can’t use strong pesticides or chemical treatments without affecting your air quality, pets, or furniture.

As such, it’s of paramount importance that you make sure plants are pest-free before introducing them into your indoor garden.

Step 2: Acclimatize Gradually

Rapidly changing the environment and conditions of your plants can shock them, negatively affecting their health.

So help them slowly get used to the lower light conditions indoors by moving them from their usual spot to a shaded spot first. Leave them there for a few days, then move them to somewhere with even less light, like a covered patio, and leave them there for another few days.

Then, and only then, do you bring them indoors.

If you’re going to place them in a brightly lit area, like at windows, then you can skip this step, since there won’t be any changes in light for the outdoor plant.

But otherwise, for areas like your dining table, office table, and so on, where there’s much less light as compared to the outdoors, make sure to slowly acclimatize your plants to get them used to lower light conditions.

Step 3: Provide Supplemental Grow Lights If Needed

Outdoor plants are used to full, unshaded sunlight for many hours a day. When you place them indoors on your kitchen island, work desk, and so on, that’s a significant change, and it’s not something that they can get used to, even with acclimatizing.

Certain low-light lovers may not need supplemental grow lights, but most outdoor plants will.

If you’re positioning outdoor plants in dimly lit areas, you’ll need to have grow lights in place so that your light-loving outdoor plant gets enough light to thrive and bloom.

Step 4: Provide Additional Moisture If Needed

Indoor spaces are usually quite a bit drier than outside, because heating or and cooling systems both reduce moisture, and with windows closed, the moist outside air can’t get in.

This is even worse during winter when windows are closed the majority of the time.

With drier air, the moisture inside plants evaporates quicker, which means they lose water more quickly and need more water to survive.

There’s a limit to how much water they can absorb from their roots though, so you can’t just give them water, or you’ll end up overwatering them.

Instead of that, you should be making your indoor air more moist, particularly around your outdoor plants. This can be by misting your plants regularly, using a humidifier, or even creating a microclimate by placing plants together, so that as they transpire and release water, they can help make the air around each other more moist.

And needless to say, don’t position them near hotter or drier areas like heat vents or radiators.

Step 5: Adjust The Watering Schedule

Due to lower airflow and cooler temperatures, the water in the soil tends to dry up more slowly. Not the plant itself, but the soil.

Furthermore, less sunlight means plants photosynthesize less and use water less quickly.

As such, there’s no need to give your outdoor plants as much water as you did when they were outside, as they use water more slowly indoors, and the soil doesn’t dry up that fast.

So monitor the soil moisture and water your outdoor plants as needed. You’ll know it’s time to water your plant when you stick your finger 1–2 inches into the soil and it’s dry.

When To Call In A Landscaping Professional

There are times when you’re going to have to call in a professional landscaper, as the task at hand requires expertise that regular homeowners lack.

One such landscaping company that offers this service is Louisville Landscape Pros, a company that provides landscaping services in Louisville, KY.

Not all landscapers offer this service, as it’s a rather specific service, so you’ll have to call and check with them.

Here’s when you need to call a pro like Louisville Landscape Pros in:

Large or established outdoor plants:

Bringing large or established plants inside can be very tricky, especially without the right tools and knowledge. Pros can help you repot without damaging the plant.

Advanced systems:

Advanced systems like vertical gardens or built-in planters are complicated systems. You could set them up yourself with lots of research and trial and error, but unless you’re prepared to devote weeks or even months to the project, you’re better off just getting someone trained to set the system up for you.

Difficult plants:

Finally, certain plants require specific conditions to grow that can be hard to recreate. Landscapers can not only create those conditions precisely, but they can also develop a full care plan, and help you transition the plants inside, and even back inside successfully.

If it sounds too hard to tackle, it probably is. You don’t want to risk killing your plants by mishandling them, so for more tricky situations, you should leave it to trained professionals.