There is a wide variety of houseplants available to someone just starting out. It’s easy to get lost. Big-box stores, such as grocery or hardware stores, offer more choice than ever. You’d think that these plants, which survive not so delicate transport conditions, would be all right for the novice gardener…
But this is not the case. Despite advances in hybridization, which offers ever more robust plants, the range of available plants for the amateur buyer still contains some “traps”: plants that are particularly difficult to maintain at home, and which generally die within a few months or even less, shaking the novice gardener to the core as to theur true ability to care for plants. Don’t worry, novice gardener: if your first plant was one of the ten on this list, it’s not you, it’s them.
To complete the lists of easy plants, I present their opposite. Let’s get started with the Top 10 worst houseplants for beginning gardeners! The plants on this list are all easy to find in grocery or hardware stores, generally abundantly available… and difficult to keep at home without plant knowledge and experience.
10. Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
We grow a lot of fig trees in our homes, but they all have the same problem: when they change environment, they tend to lose a significant amount of leaves! It’s even worse for Ficus benjamina, aptly nicknamed the “weeping fig”, especially as the specimens are often bought when they’re full-grown, and larger plants adapt even less well to changes.
This plant makes the list for the shock it gives novice gardeners when it loses three-quarters of its leaves over several weeks. Once they’ve adapted, fig trees are fairly easy to care for, provided they’re given plenty of light.
What would be a better plant?
In fact, it is possible to avoid mass defoliation of ficus, so F. benjamina could be recommended for the enthusiastic novice gardener. Ficus usually recover after a few traumatic weeks. Otherwise, other plants make small indoor trees, such as its cousin F. elastica (which is easier), Schefflera, Pachira and Dracaena, all of which are easy houseplants.
9. Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis)
Most of the flowering potted plants found in supermarkets are not good houseplants (hyacinths, hydrangeas, azaleas, miniature roses…), but we rarely think of them as permanent housemates.
This is not the case for moth orchids (Phalaenopsis), which can survive and flourish in our homes. The problem isn’t the difficulty of the plant itself; the problem is that they don’t behave like other houseplants, especially when it comes to watering, repotting and fertilizing. For the novice gardener, care is not intuitive.
What would be a better plant?
It’s certainly possible to have success with orchids, provided you learn how to look after them. If not, there are other easy-flowering plants that can be treated like any other houseplant: Anthurium, Schlumbergera (Christmas cactus) and African violets (Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia).
8. Common Ivy (Hedera helix)
In almost every respect, ivy is a sensible houseplant: it doesn’t need too much light, you water it when it starts to dry out and it tolerates being cramped in its pot. A good houseplant, no? In fact, the only problem with ivy is that it’s a veritable magnet for two-spotted spider mites. Indeed, as soon as winter arrives and the heating is on, there’s a veritable demographic explosion of spider mites on the poor ivy and, by the time the novice gardener notices the fine webs covering the underside of the leaves, the plant has often succumbed.
What would be a better plant?
Again, it’s not impossible to keep ivy at home, but you have to be prepared to deal with the inevitable spider mites. Other climbers don’t have this problem: Epipremnum aureum (pothos), Philodendron hederaceum and Hoya are examples of easy plants that can occupy the space vacated by ivy.
7. Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum)
The sensational foliage of crotons has everything to charm and seduces many people to make an impulse purchase, especially in autumn when its shades of orange, yellow and red recall the fall of foliage outdoors. Unfortunately, croton is a bit like the child of ivy and the weeping fig: it combines a major spider mite problem with significant foliage drop (which, when you think about it, still looks autumnal). Once again, it’s possible to save a croton in decline or even keep it indoors, but it’s not a plant I’d recommend at all to the novice gardener!
What would be a better plant?
No other plant offers croton-like leaves. Ficus elastica ‘Ruby’ has pink or red variegated leaves in good light. There are coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) with chartreuse, red and orange foliage, which can be given the shape of a small tree to imitate the croton. Coleus are suitable houseplants, but require sustained watering and plenty of light.
6. Small Colorful Succulents
Most of the unidentified mini-succulents offered in the smaller pots make good houseplants and are easy to manage. In this section, we’ll look at succulents in unlikely colors, such as pink, red or purple. They have two main problems.
The first is that it’s almost impossible to give them the light they need indoors. The difficulties then multiply: they risk rotting if over-watered, losing their beautiful color or withering away; while the first is fatal, the others are more of an aesthetic problem that could upset the novice gardener.
The second problem is not the fault of the plants themselves, but of a lack of research. Succulents are generally easy plants, or rather they die slowly, so we can mistreat them for a long time without seeing the effects of our shortcomings. As a result, there are a whole series of myths surrounding their cultivation, such as the fact that they don’t need watering or that they can grow without light.
What would be a better plant?
Unless you have sunny windows most of the day, choose succulents with green or bluish foliage rather than other colors. And read our succulent care guide!
5. Ferns
In a fit of over-generalization, I’ve grouped all ferns together here. While it’s true that crocodile ferns are slightly easier than the other ferns usually found on the market (especially maidenhair ferns), not all of them are good plants for beginners. There’s certainly someone out there who knows how to look after them without them becoming a shapeless heap of dried fronds*, but, for most gardeners, ferns are synonymous with impending death. They simply require too much ambient humidity to survive in our homes.
*In fact, I know her. A friend of mine has a huge, resplendent Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata). Once a week, she puts it in a bucket for about thirty minutes to water it. Maybe watering is the secret with ferns. But I still think her story stands out among the thousands of dried fern testimonials!
What would be a better plant?
There are other plants that pretend to be ferns and are a little easier: Pilea microphylla, Dischidia ruscifolia and Asparagus are examples. I’d also like to suggest Radermachera sinica, one of my favorite plants, but it’s not a plant for beginners either, unfortunately.
4. Prayer Plants (Calathea, Stromanthe et Maranta)
After this, I promise to stop generalizing. But first, a show of hands: who among us has been seduced by the sensational foliage of a prayer plant, only to see it die within a few months in our interiors? I’m guilty of this experience and will probably be again in the future.
Calatheas are plants whose leaves are true works of art, with patterns dotted in silver and pink. Their cousins, stromanthus, generally add shades of white to their leaves for an explosion of color. And what about marantas, with their leaves streaked with red or chartreuse? There’s something for everyone.
But their problems are numerous too. They can’t tolerate soil drying out, and wither drastically at the slightest omission. Lack of moisture dries out the tips of their leaves and, like ivy and croton, spider mites have a field day in winter (in fact, quite a few indoor pests enjoy the ornamental foliage of praying plants).
What would be a better plant?
Other plants with ornamental foliage could delight your interiors: aglaonemas cover any desire with green or pink foliage, dieffenbachias take care of chartreuse and neon, while dracenas take care of white variegated foliage. If you still want to try your luck, start with marantas, which are a hair easier, and I’ve heard many success stories with certain types of calathea with thick foliage, such as C. lancifolia or C. musaica.
3. Elephant’s Ear (Alocasia)
Here’s another plant that’s impossible to ignore: elephant ears. Rarely have I seen foliage as dramatic as that of these tuberous plants. The venation is particularly striking on the jagged leaves with their silver, red and black hues. It’s definitely an eye-catcher in any home.
It’s just a pity that it only turns eyes two weeks before it dies. Where it used to be difficult to over-water praying plants (but then, anything’s possible when you put your mind to it!), alocasias are just as susceptible to over-watering as they are to under-watering. They need lots of light and, being bulbous plants, may interpret a lack of light as a sign that it’s time to go to sleep for the winter, but their awakening is not guaranteed. Lack of humidity leads to the “dried foliage, spider mite bite” dyad, so much so that we sometimes end up wishing the plant would end its suffering and finally enter dormancy, because it seems to be suffering so much.
Quite simply, alocasias are beautiful summer terrace plants, but bad houseplants.
What would be a better plant?
Syngoniums have a similar, albeit less dramatic, growth habit to alocasias, but are much easier to grow. Some anthuriums resemble alocasias, and range in difficulty from very easy to just as difficult. For plants with very dark foliage, it’s possible to get away with F. elastica ‘Burgundy’ or Zamioculcas zamiifolia ‘Raven’; the growth is different, but so is the possibility of survival in our interiors!
2. King Begonia (Begonia rex)
Another plant with unlikely foliage. I remember that when I bought my first begonia rex, I was full of hope that the plant would survive at least a few months, only to see it wither away within days of entering my home.
The begonia family is a diverse group of plants, some of which are more suitable for cultivation than others. Flowering begonias, for example, grace our balconies in summer shade without asking for anyone’s help, and bamboo begonias tolerate indoor conditions rather well. The same cannot be said for king begonias; they are easily recognized by their metallic foliage and their desire to cause us pain.
It would be simpler to list what’s easy about begonia rex: propagation is easy. As for the rest, they are extremely capricious plants: their tuberous roots rot easily, their foliage fades in the sun, their growth withers for lack of light, their leaves dry out for lack of humidity, the slightest shock rips them apart, leaf diseases abound in conditions of increased humidity, spider mites love them in conditions of restricted humidity and they go dormant at the slightest cooling (around 16°C), a dormancy from which they generally don’t wake up.
What would be a better plant?
Again, it’s hard to match the foliage of begonias, but some coleus are effervescent enough to steal the show. Creeping saxifrage (Saxifraga stolonifera) also have a metallic sheen – they are, after all, known as “strawberry begonias” – and are much less fussy. Finally, although not the best plant for beginners, bamboo begonias are appreciably more reasonable in their expectations and their leaves are certainly ornamental.
1. Venus Flytrape (Dionaea muscipula)
The clear winner of this list of shame is the venus flytrap. Look, I understand the appeal: the traps close when the bugs get close. It’s… too, too cool. But the plant has no maintenance qualities. It needs bright light, but its potting soil must never dry out, tap water isn’t suitable because it’s too rich in minerals, it needs to negotiate a period of dormancy which is non-negotiable for the plant’s survival, it needs to be given increased humidity since it comes from swamps and, most of the time, the delicate plant is already on its deathbed when it reaches us due to transport conditions.
What would be a better plant?
You can read this article on insectivorous plants, but it’s probably only butterwort (Pinguicula) that you’ll be able to grow indoors. However, it has to be said that no insectivorous plant is recommended for a beginner. And other plants with moving leaves are not much better (except oxalis)!
A Final Word
Just as you can’t start playing Tchaikovsky the second you start learning the piano, let’s be kind to ourselves: let’s start with easy plants and avoid the plants on this list until we’ve got the hang of it. There are tons of very attractive plants that only need a little light, water and love to survive for years.
Or do as I do, and buy begonia rex on a regular basis, knowing full well that there will be nothing but disappointment and suffering associated with the romance.
Interesting post but I have to disagree with adding moth orchids to this list. They flower a very long time and are just about the easiest houseplant to grow. They do need some special care but that is really easy to provide.
Which other houseplant can you leave a long for a couple of months without water and have it do well?
https://www.gardenmyths.com/orchids-need-water/
I think what Colin was getting at is that orchid care is a bit different than the typical houseplant and can be confusing for first time plant owners. I know that we get a lot of questions about orchids from readers.
The results of your experiment are astounding! I am a renowned houseplant killer, maybe moth orchids are right for me.
Really enjoyed this useful article. Such a rarity to see which ones to not start with. I’ve always said that most of those who say they have a “brown” thumb also have a knack for picking the hardest to grow plants first…and then giving up.
Curious question What do you mean by “she puts her Boston fern in a boiler to water once a week ??
Oops! That was a translation error. It should read bucket.
I’m not a beginner, but succulents still suffer at my hands as much as I like them. I also need better windows in our home for sunshine and we do keep the temperature low at night, so only those hardy enough last. I have figured out what works for us, but it took a while. Most helpful was advising of alternative plants, not just problem plants.
Exactly! Houseplants are overrated anyway. We tend to grow them near windows (where they prefer to be), while right outside, we could be growing all sorts of other more interesting and much happier vegetation. Houseplants are more practical for those who live in tall buildings that lack garden space right outside their windows. Such tall buildings tend to be splendidly sunny anyway. I grew many houseplants in one of my homes in town primarily because they were species that I brought from the Los Angeles region, and they disliked even the mild frost here. Since then, most have graduated to sheltered situation in the garden.
I was laughing inside. For me, gardenia should be in this list. I tried so hard just to keep it alive. Finally after 6 winters i laid it to rest.
A most informative article! Thank you!