Living in Minnesota, there are certain non-hardy plants that we bring in for the winter.  We have two large shamrock plants and a very large, over 10 year old hibiscus.

About a month ago I got an inquiry – is it time to put out the shamrocks?  The answer now is yes.  When it is consistently above 40°F at night we put the hibiscus and both the shamrocks out.  It will be sad this year because they are so full and nice indoors, and as you will see from the pictures below, the wind and sun beats them up almost immediately.  We do keep them close to the house at first, but they have to make the transition.  We have a small home, and everything has its season.  And they do fine.  As a bonus, the birds make good use of the dried stems and leaves for their nests.  When they are done, the pots are very clean for the new growth.  It is the circle of life, and nothing goes to waste.

With the large plants now outdoors I have space to start our seedlings for up north.  Everything in its time.