Indoors or Out?

So I have been hearing mixed information about several types of plants that can be indoor or outdoor, I live in a temperate climate with harsh winters here in Iowa. I have heard the following can be grown indoors but I am fairly sure this cannot be correct.

Cotoneaster
Olive
Fukien Tea
Serissa

Which of these (if any) can actually be grown indoors?

bhellige47 wrote:So I have been hearing mixed information about several types of plants that can be indoor or outdoor, I live in a temperate climate with harsh winters here in Iowa. I have heard the following can be grown indoors but I am fairly sure this cannot be correct.

Cotoneaster
Olive
Fukien Tea
Serissa

Which of these (if any) can actually be grown indoors?

The Cotoneaster should be outside, year round.

I don't know which Olive you have. I have 2 Russian Olives, they stay outside.

The Fukien Tea does well outside during the warmer months but comes in with tropicals.

I'm not sure about the Serissa.

Jay

Thank you for the quick reply! I was just thinking European olive when I wrote that, I forget there are bunches of species sometimes. Our summers in Iowa are great for tropicals (high humidity, temps 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit). I already brought in my non-hardies for the winter. South-facing window with ~ 9 hours of light a day.

I bring my fukien in when nightly temps fall below 45. Same for the serissa, but I know some growers who let their serissas stay out in colder temps. I've never been comfortable doing it though.

You missed perhaps the most suitable indoor selection...Ficus.

I have two F. salicaria (thanks all for the update on the name. The last I heard was "salicifolia."). Those I KNEW could be grown indoors, the other had all been mentioned as possible to grow indoors through the winter.

bhellige47 wrote: I have heard the following can be grown indoors but I am fairly sure this cannot be correct.
Cotoneaster
Olive
Fukien Tea
Serissa
Which of these (if any) can actually be grown indoors?

As previously mentioned, Cotoneaster are outdoor plants, but in Iowa will need some winter protection, like a coldframe or garage. If the pot is frostproof, you can sink it in the ground & cover the plant with a rose cone or something similar.
European olive is a subtropical. Leave it out until you get a frost warning, which you probably have already. If you have a light garden, put it under fluorescent lights for the winter. If not, put it in a sunny window in a cool room, like an unheated guest room.
Fukien tea is a tropical. It likes heat, bright light, and humidity. It is an ideal candidate for growing under lights, & will bloom all winter. It may not tolerate being on a windowsill.
Serissa has similar requirements to the olive, but needs less light. You may be able to get away with growing it on a very cool windowsill. It is frost tolerant. You can leave it outdoors until hard freeze, but it is not necessary. It may lose its leaves but will grow new ones.
If there is a bonsai club anywhere near you, ask the local growers.
Incidentally, Ficus salicaria may also lose its leaves if winter conditions are too dark or too cold, but it will start growing again when things improve.
Consider starting a light garden.
Iris

The question of indoor vs. outdoor depends upon two factors: zone hardiness and location.
Plants such as Bougainvilla grow like weeds in Florida, but must be protected all winter long in New York. The further north you are, the more protection is needed. A tree native to the North, however, can thrive in the harshest weather. In fact, many northern trees need several months of cold weather every year in order to survive. Then there is the factor of mini- climates. I have a corner of my house which faces South-East and is L-shaped. It is protected from the weather on two sides. A couple of years ago, a snap dragon seed found its way there and began to set flowers. Now the whole area is covered with snap dragons, a flower which normally only sprouts in summer.
With these factors in mind, I use a three-system winter program:
1. A small heated green house for tender tropicals.
2. A large cold frame for plants which are half hardy in this area.
3. A protected area in which hardy plants are left on the ground, are covered with oak leaves, and are protected from sun and wind by a wall and by a small burlap fence.