9 House Plants You'll Probably Regret

House Plants Regret

You may want to avoid houseplants that are finicky, prone to problems, cause allergies, or injure children or pets. The selection of houseplants today is as interesting as the many benefits of having them in your home. Some options are better than others, however, so you should consider avoiding these troublesome houseplants.

1. Fussy Orchids

Finicky houseplants are ill-suited to the conditions at hand. Think about a tropical plant that doesn't like dry air in your home, or one that's more sensitive to cold drafts. Orchids are a good example. Phalaenopsis orchids are considered easy-going — and can be maintained if you give them some attention — but getting them to bloom again can be a problem. They are very particular about lighting and drainage, so you can keep orchids alive, but it takes extra effort to get them to bloom again.

2. Demanding Miniature Rose

The miniature rose is another example of a plant that can be finicky. It looks great when you get it home from the store, but after the flowers bloom, it can be a test to keep the foliage healthy. And hopes of reblooming fade in direct proportion to the amount of light the plant receives. The miniature rose prefers 6 hours of sunlight, but indoor spaces short of a greenhouse do not provide that much light.

3. Balky Boston Fern

Boston fern is not difficult to grow, but it is difficult to keep in good condition. Sensitive to light, it is not uncommon to see some of the leaves of the Boston Fern shrivel and the root ball dry out if watering is neglected. Once the spent leaves are removed, the beautiful shape of the plant suffers. Before you know it, you've got a sad sack plant hiding around the corner whenever company is expected.

4. Challenging Calathea

Pin-stripe galathea is a beautiful evergreen plant with unique markings. The problem is that it's sensitive to cold and dry conditions - which can be prevalent in many homes during the winter. A warm, humid environment and bright, indirect light will help the foliage look beautiful—but it needs equally moist soil and regular fertilizer. In short, there are house plants that are easy to grow.

5. Tropical banana plant

The banana plant is an excellent houseplant to grow - if you have a warm and humid greenhouse attached to the house. It requires full sunlight and 50 percent humidity for its emergence. While those conditions are common outdoors in the tropics, homeowners can't easily recreate the dry, warm indoor air of winter.

6. Outdoorsy Basil

Basil, as any chef worth their salt will tell you, is a wonderful all-around cooking herb. Take it from the garden in summer or from a pot protected from frost in autumn. But in winter, you will succeed in buying it in the grocery store. Basil needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight — which is difficult to get indoors in winter — to grow efficiently. You can wait a while, but don't expect much growth.

7. Flowering Maple

The flowering maple, or abutilon, makes an attractive outdoor plant with its maple-like leaves and mallow-like flowers. A tender shrub, hardy in zones 9-10, it is sometimes kept as a houseplant in other climates. Although it doesn't need much light or water indoors during the winter, it's difficult to keep blooming indoors and it can be unsightly. Whiteflies, spider mites, mealybugs, and scale are some of the pests that commonly attack flowering maples.

8. Better-Outside Begonias

Rex begonias are grown for their attractive foliage. Although not difficult to grow outdoors in the right conditions, indoors they are often through the plant, with ragged leaves and brown edges. In the winter, people and pets generally prefer it on the cooler side—around 60 degrees F.

9. Fuzzy Streptocarpus

Streptocarpus is a popular houseplant, prized for its tough leaves and bright flowers. But when it comes to moisture it's a bit more subtle and people often push the plant over the edge by over-watering it, not giving it proper drainage, or a combination of the two. In some varieties the leaves turn brown and the annual leaves die. Plants are also frequently attacked by mealybugs. Very common Here's a guide to getting rid of indoor plant bugs.