- 1). Place your plants in your garden or house according to their sun requirements. Some flowers, like lobelia and African violets, prefer shade and low light, while flowering herbs and indoor jasmine need at least six hours of full sun a day. Plants with high sun requirements will not be damaged from too much sun, but shade-loving flowers will not fare well with excessive sunlight.
- 2). Plan for changes in the sun's location if you will be gone for more than two weeks. If you place indoor or outdoor flowers containers in the shade, make sure they're in a place that will be in the shade a month later.
- 3). Ensure adequate watering while you're on vacation. Lack of water can make sun damage occur faster and be more destructive. A sprinkler or drip system on a timer gives your flowers get as much water as they need. Test a new timed watering system for a couple of weeks before you leave so you know it's working properly.
- 4). Consider an indoor plant watering system if you will be gone more than a week. One commercial type has a container you fill with water and stick into the soil, and another has a ceramic cone that draws water from a container through a tube and wicks it directly into the soil. More expensive electric drip systems are available as well.
- 5). Build your own watering system for indoor and outdoor container flowers by placing a layer of ceramic bricks in a shallow container full of water. Keep the tops of the bricks out of the water; set the plants on top of the bricks. When the soil gets dry, it will draw water through the pots' drainage holes from the moisture on the bricks. Place the plants in a shady place to keep their tops from drying too quickly and to prevent the water from evaporating in the sun.
- 6). Use a sunshade to protect new seedlings from too much sun or hold off on planting new flowers until you get back from your vacation. Young and newly planted flowers burn easily in full summer sunlight, and it will be impossible to keep up with their watering requirements. Garden sunshades only partially block light, so plants will still get enough sun.
- 7). Protect your indoor plants from high summer temperatures by placing them outside if your vacation is in the hottest months and no air conditioning will be on in the house. Closed-up houses get extremely hot with the air conditioning turned off, and most houseplants need to be at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Find a cool, shady outdoor location where the plants will be protected from wind and weather.
- 8). Invite a neighbor to harvest your flowers. This will keep blooms from browning in the sun as they fade and help your plants stay in bloom for longer.
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