It’s Not Me, It’s You: The 15 Toughest Houseplants to Keep Alive

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It ’s nice to add some potted florals and greenery inside a house , but rent ’s face it , sometimes the houseplant we bring home from the nursery see worse for wearable under our tutelage . While some works are easy to maintain ( think : pothos , snake plant , and peace lily ) , others require extensive and specific handling that leave you at your greenery ’s beck and call .

For a vivacious indoor garden , scale back your expectation of certain houseplants that need more erotic love and attention than you may regularly offer and stop bringing difficult industrial plant into your home . If you are a tiro gardener or seeklow - maintenance houseplant , you may need to keep off these blooms and green .

iStock-1338010280 toughest houseplants to keep alive African American woman in a wheelchair taking care of her houseplants

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1. Azalea (Rhododendron Spp.)

Planted outdoors , azaleaexplodes with vibrantly colourful heyday in a natural spring spectacle that cause the shrub a forever favorite . It ’s only lifelike that plant lovers be allure to prove their fate at raising the flower indoors . Unless you take particular care , however , the azalea love fest is n’t go to last long .

The first thing to sleep with about indoor azaleas is that they wish it nerveless and humid , a combination that can be tricky to create artificially . They also need more or less acid dirt , meaning that unless you repot it , acetum must be added to all of the body of water you give the industrial plant . Indoor azaleas require damp ( but not torpid ) soil , too . Do all of the above , and you may keepazalea decease strongindoors . But getting it to bloom again next yr ? That ’s another report .

2. Inch plant (Tradescantia zebrina)

Its vining emergence habit is both a gift and a torment for the inch works . In ahanging basket , the typical , purple - and - silver - strip down leaves gently cascade down down , glistening in the light and looking beautiful . Over time , as the tendrils get longer and the farewell get few and far in between , an column inch plant begins to look sickly , even if it ’s thriving .

There ’s only one way tokeep the plant looking its in effect : nobble back the growing peak , and do that over and over to keep tempo with a works whose growth charge per unit means that it can be an encroaching species out of doors . The honest news is that , beyond its unusually demanding grooming requirement , an column inch industrial plant does n’t require any other out - of - the - ordinary care . Phew !

3. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

This lush , leafy plant can give your home serious hobo camp vibe as long as you’re able to successfully imitate the growing conditions of its original home , the tropic and subtropical rainforests . Without warmer temperatures , high humidity , and lashings of filtered luminousness , a lamentable fern will slough its leaves . If you ’re up to the challenge , there are ways tosatisfy the Boston fern ’s needswithout sacrificing your own comfort .

First , set your fern by an east- or W - facing window that have peck of collateral sun . If you’re able to , choose a positioning near a heat vent that can be closed and opened . The plant life farm in a moderate 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the daylight , but a 10 - degree temperature dip in the evening prevents fungus ontogeny . Run a humidifier nearby to keep the air around the fern from drying out will also help it , particularly in wintertime .

4. Miniature Roses (Rosa chinensis minima)

If these precious bloom wo n’t seem to last more than a week indoors , that ’s really because they are n’t meant to . Even if they are packaged in a pot , miniature rosiness typically need to be moved outside within 2 weeks in guild to prosper . Replicating outside grow status for this eminent - sustenance “ sign industrial plant ” would require a humble army of gizmo : a grow light to provide5 + hour of direct sunlightevery daylight , a humidifier to keep the air moist while the roots stay dry enough to ward off rot , and a miniature fan to create passable atmosphere circulation .

If you put this home rose wine - growing apparatus together and your endeavour pay off , you ’ll then want to feed the rosesslow - release or water - soluble fertilizerduring the give and summer rise seasons . When you ’re ready to acclimatize the works to the open air , go away the crapper outdoors for a workweek so it can get used to its fresh environmental conditions . At that point , you may transplant it , catch it take root and develop promptly to full size .

5. Orchid (Orchidaceae)

Characterized by their colorful prime and slender shank , orchidaceous plant have a reputation for being difficult to grow , largely because many ethnic music who own them just do n’t know how tocare for orchids . The tropic plants have very specific needs — namely , bright collateral sunlight , orchidaceous plant - specific filth , and a sparse tearing schedule .

situation orchidaceous plant in a window that faces north or eastward , since west- and to the south - facing windows are too raging and bright in the good afternoon . you could gauge the outcome of brightness on the orchid by looking at its leaves : Red - blushed leaves mean too much sun , dark green leaves think of too small sun , and clean green leaves indicate a intelligent plant . Water orchids about once a calendar week , and remove stand up urine from the drip tray to prevent the roots from becoming waterlogged .

6. Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)

Many industrial plant partizan admire zebra plants for their glossy snowy - veined leaves , golden flower bracts , and yellow blooming , but the showy houseplant require tediously specific growing conditions . Thosecaring for a zebra plantshould keep their mansion around 70 grade Fahrenheit yr around , and position the flora near a brightly fire up window that get no direct sunlight .

Zebra plant thrive in 60 to 70 percent humidness , which entail you ’ll in all likelihood need to get ahumidity trayfor it . Additionally , since zebra plant life demand consistently moist soil , the plant should be irrigate whenever the soil begin to dry out .

7. Banana Plant (Musa spp.)

Abanana works ’s large leaves make it an attractive alternative for decor , but it ’s a ill-tempered green to maintain . The perennial houseplant , which is often erroneously mention to as a tree , requires tropical condition to survive . To keep your banana plant felicitous , put it near a window that receive 12 hour of lineal light day by day . Maintain a constant , warm temperature in the way ( do n’t keep the room too hot , or the leaves will scorch ) .

This rainforest plant also needs a lot of piddle : a generous portion once a week to every 2 days ( leaf will begin to droop when the plant ask a drink ) . A few inches of mulch layer on top of the soil will facilitate lock in in moisture and keep the plant hydrated . Because banana plant have a more wide radical system than many other houseplants , it does best in a deep toilet . Be disposed to repot it when it becomes pot - border , but do n’t upgrade it to a large container too quickly — the works flourishes when its stem are a little tight in the pot .

in the end , do n’t anticipate your banana plant to carry fruit . That requires 10 to 15 month of uninterrupted growth to blossom , and another 4 to 8 months for fruit to maturate .

iStock-1247762945 toughest houseplants to keep alive pink azalea in pot by window

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8. Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)

The touchy and fragrantgardenia is a beautiful plant , but it ask a petty coddling if you want to keep it happy indoors . Before you institute a gardenia into your house , have a clear idea of where you want to put it because it does not respond well to being move around . Your chosen location should get plenty of sunlight and be locate far from a heating blowhole that would expose the gardenia to drafts of spicy melodic line , which can bolt down it .

Because gardenias are prone to being infested by pests , keep an eye out for aphid , mealy bug , whitefly , root nematodes , exfoliation bugs , and wanderer mites . If you see signs of pests , represent rapidly to get rid of them . Make certain to feed it afertilizer that ’s specifically for gardenias , too .

9. Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree (Ficus iyrata)

All the rage in design roundabout these retiring few years , the fiddle leafage fig , which is really a genus Ficus , is beloved for its unusual silhouette . Despite its rise in popularity , the plant is surprisingly finical and unmanageable to keep animated . Too much sun , and the leaves will embrown and wither . Too small sun , and the plant will fail to thrive . Thinking about moving it to the other side of the way ? cerebrate again . The fiddle leafage fig adapts poorly to changes in its environment .

To keep a fiddle folio common fig tree live , water it only when the top 2 inches of grime are dry , keep the ambient temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit , and reduce 3 - 1 - 2 liquid fertilizer every calendar month during its growing season . For more helpful horticulture confidential information , break outour guide on violin leaf fig care .

10. Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa)

Monstera deliciosa , conversationally known as the cheese flora , is a popular works for the adventurous indoor nurseryman . Although some root lay claim this tropical plant is well-situated to grow , the truth is that one must do quite a quite a little to keep it lush and brandish . The iconic mess in this industrial plant ’s leaves will not form on fresh leaves if the plant receives too much Dominicus .

The savvy gardener must try out to line up the perfect spot in the house to spring up temperamentalmonstera . Here ’s another weird care fact about high mallow plant : Experts recommend you moisten its parting every calendar week or two , but because the leaves can stimulate aggravation to tegument you may want towear gloveswhile giving it a tub .

11. African Mask (Alocasia amazonica)

The leafage on the beautiful African Mask are stunning , but it takesa lot of careto keep them looking their good — otherwise their best feature becomes their worst . Though it may voice contradictory , this plant requires high humidness but only moderate tearing .

abode gardeners demand to strike a deliberate wet balance to check that this houseplant remains well-chosen . When its needs are n’t meet , the African Mask shows its displeasure with crispy or dark-brown leaves . Alocasia amazonicaneeds smart indirect light , but too much of it causes the leaves to bite .

12. Goldfish Plant (Columnea nematanthus)

The goldfish plant gets its vulgar name from its flower that resemble low fish . Though the goldfish plant is sometimes labeled as beginner - friendly , Swim clear of these houseplants . This is only dependable if you’re able to figure out andmanage their care requirements . Goldfish plants necessitate peck of humidity , water , smart indirect light , and kept at way temperature . Miss the brand , and this works tends to get leggy growth , leaf drop , and no prime .

13. Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

A Venus flytrap is a fun novelty plant , but youmust in truth work to keep this carnivore alive . Many people cull up these works on a caprice , and within a few week they ’re dead . Do n’t be lure to set off their ambuscade , as this can harm the plant and shorten its life cycle .

Though they calculate like small monsters , Venus flytrap are full divas . They require bright , full sun for long periods of time , the filth needs to be nutrient- and mineral liberal , they care extract piss , and they must be observe at normal elbow room temperature . Like the great unwashed , Venus flytrap can become too accented if under the wrong conditions , which is why many of them do n’t make it .

14. Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)

The leaves on aprayer plantcan make or break its appearance , so it ’s important to take care of them . When a prayer plant is n’t happy , the leaves will apace uncover that you ’re not meeting its need . The leaves only open if they get temperate indirect luminosity , as unmediated light is unhealthy for them .

leave of absence tell gardeners a raft about the works ’s health : Too much sparkle and the leaves sprain brownish ; too much urine and the leave turn white-livered . Plus , curling leaves can be a sign of either of these job . Finding the right in-between ground for this plant is all-important for its endurance , and its stunning aesthetic .

15. Stromanthe (Stromanthe sanguinea)

Love leafy , colorful plants ? The stromanthe is a gorgeous houseplant that take after its close relative , the prayer plant life . The leaves on a stromanthe are a pleasing variation of pinkish and green coloring that almost makes up for the works ’s petulance .

This houseplant has super specific needs , making it difficult for novice flora parents to give the stromanthe what it wants . A stromanthe needs lustrous indirect lightness , soil that ’s kept moist , and high humidity that may be hard to reach in a typical home .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

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We ’ll serve you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few passel on your patio , a raised bed , or an in - ground secret plan out back — and select the proper plants for your soil and neighborhood .

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