"Boothbay" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have this hardy crape myrtle plant in my backyard garden for 15 years
and blooms each year profusely. Last spring, I noticed some 'sprouts'
around its base and I removed t hem root and all and put them into
various size pots. I brought them indoors last september and nutured
them and they looked healthy. BTW, I live in the nyc area..zone 6 or 7.
A couple of weeks ago I started to put them outside on a small patio to
get adjusted to the outdoors when it finally does get warmer. I bring
them indoors at night although they are suppose to be hardy. I'm
talking about plants that are almost 2 feet high. In one day, I noticed
that the leaves look like they have been 'toasted' by the sun. The temp
was merely in the low 60's during the day and low 40's at night. I
immediately brought them indoors and the leaves started to recuperate.
Why does this happen to a so called hardy plant? When will the
temperature be right to leave them out altogether, if at all?

Plants that have grown indoors for extended periods need to be acclimated to
the outdoors. I put them in a shady, sheltered area for several days before
exposing them to direct sunlight.