When is it safe to put terracotta pots back outside?

It is safe to put clay pots back outside when temperatures consistently stay above freezing.

The leaves on my African violet have suddenly wilted and turned a grayish color. The plant bloomed really well in late winter for a few weeks. It is in an east window and I haven’t changed the way I have been watering it. Any ideas?

If the center leaves are wilting, it could be crown rot. Try not to get the crown (center) wet when watering. If the outer leaves are the ones giving you the problem, it could be due to the cooler temperatures during winter. Plants will not need as much water when cold. If you have not changed your watering patterns, you could be overwatering.

Should ALL the foliage on spring-flowering bulbs die back before being cut off, or can it all be cut off when the leaves are one-half brown?

A common mistake with spring-flowering bulbs is to remove the foliage prematurely. When tulips and other spring bulbs bloom, they consume, and quite often exhaust, the built-up food reserves stored in the bulb. If the bulb is to have any chance of blooming the following spring, the foliage should be encouraged by fertilizing (with something like Holland’s Bulb Booster) and left in pace until it completely dies down. Because you want to direct as much energy as possible into bulb-building, remove the flower stems when the flower petals have fallen. Allowing the spent flowers to go to seed will only further divert energy from next year’s bulb production.