Eight Needy, Finicky House Plants For People Who Want A Challenge

You’ve mastered all the low-maintenance houseplants. Now try one of these fusspots.

Some of the most difficult plants to keep alive are also the most striking and unusual varieties. Brightly coloured plants might come with strict humidity requirements, lacy leaves could shrivel in the wrong light and striking white veins sometimes attract pests.

But if you’ve mastered pothos and ZZ plants and are ready to expand your collection, don’t let a little extra work scare you away. Less forgiving houseplants can be more rewarding.

“It takes a level of care and attention to detail to another living thing, which just gives us good practice for how we should be operating in the world,” says Christopher Griffin, an author and influencer who goes by Plant Kween. “If folks are able to care for them, it’s going to make their home really beautiful. But there’s also an internal reward when you’re able to tackle something that’s difficult.”

According to Griffin, a plant’s difficulty level can be determined by its humidity, fertilising, lighting, watering and pest-control needs. But different plants might be more or less challenging for different people, depending on their tendencies as a plant parent (chronic over-waterer, anyone?) and the conditions of their home’s microclimate.

That’s why it’s best to ease into owning more difficult varieties. Start by scanning your space for past successes. Is your monstera deliciosa thriving? Consider a related plant, like the monstera albo, that requires similar care. Moving from one genus of plant to another that shares similar qualities can ensure your space is well-suited for the new arrival.

We asked houseplant experts which challenging plants are worth adding to your collection. Here are their suggestions.

Alocasia

These thick-leaved houseplants, which come in about 90 varieties, are the only ones Griffin says they won’t bring into their own home. While the plants can be a “bold statement,” Griffin says, they’re prone to spider mites, which can transfer to other plants in your space. Alocasia also require high humidity and precise watering to prepare for a wintertime dormant stage.

“That can scare off beginners, to have a plant that’s going to be a bulb for winter,” Griffin says. “So some folks aren’t that committed. But if they are, it’s really stunning. It teaches patience and allows you to bring some seasonality into your home.”

Try varieties like alocasia dragon scale, with its multi-shade, bubbling leaves, or alocasia frydek, which has striking white veins.

Calathea

The tap water you give to most of your plants might not fly for some calathea varieties. These beauties, with unique patterned foliage, are a bit temperamental, requiring consistent humidity, warm temperatures and, sometimes, filtered water, free of chemicals like fluoride.

Calathea are sensitive to changes in light and can move in the sunlight, which Griffin calls a “wonder of nature.” But, they note, calatheas are “known for their dry edges”.

“They look beautiful when they’re in the grocery store or nursery,” Griffin says. “But you bring them home and then the leaves get dark brown and you’re like, ‘Girl, you haven’t even been here a week yet.’”

Still, varieties like the peacock plant, with burgundy under its leaves, remain popular. For yours to thrive, consider a sub-irrigation planter (with a reservoir at the bottom for the roots to pull from as needed) or cluster them with other plants to maintain a humid environment.

Carnivorous plants

Bug-eating flora, including Venus flytraps and pitcher plants, have been gaining in popularity recently, according to Liz Vayda, owner of Baltimore plant shop B. Willow.

“People are inherently fascinated by them because they do have that animal-like characteristic that we relate to a little bit more,” she says. “You see the Venus’ flytrap closing, responding to a bug. That’s something people can connect to because they’re responding to a stimulus in real-time.”

Carnivorous plants - many of which are, perhaps surprisingly, native to the East Coast - can be grown outside year-round. But as houseplants, they require specialised care. There’s the obvious: they need to be fed live insects, and they have evolved to attract unwanted bugs to their (and your) vicinity. But they also require rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water. “That makes them tricky for a lot of people,” Vayda says.

Some species also require high humidity or damp conditions. Despite being fog plants, they might thrive in high sun.

Fiddle-leaf fig

Fiddle-leaf figs have a bit of a reputation. After a recent boom in popularity, the casual plant owner realised what seasoned growers have long known: this plant world “it girl” can be finicky. Also known as ficus lyrata, the small trees need bright, indirect light for about six hours a day. Direct sunlight can burn those oversize leaves, especially in hot afternoon sunlight, but low light can slow growth and lead to brown spots on lower leaves.

Fiddle-leaf figs need moderately moist soil; too little water can wilt and dull leaves, and too much can lead to root rot. Fiddle-leaf figs are also sensitive to high salt levels in soil, and may need their soil flushed monthly to prevent buildup.

Drafts and extreme temperatures can also be problematic, Griffin says, so don’t place your fiddle-leaf fig in front of a heater or air conditioner. “She’s like Goldilocks,” Griffin says. “She wants it just right.”

Ferns

With lace-like rosettes of fronds, ferns can make gorgeous additions to a collection. But they, too, are known for being easy to kill.

Some hardier “gateway” varieties might be a good place to start, Vayda says. Ferns are either terrestrial (grown in the ground) or epiphytic (grown on other plants). In forests, you might find epiphytic varieties, like rabbit’s foot or bird’s nest ferns, on tree branches or in bark crevices. But at home, epiphytic ferns’s internal water storage systems make them easier to keep alive than their soil-grown counterparts.

One note, though: Because they have adapted to limited moisture, these varieties are vulnerable to overwatering. But, Vayda says, they can help you “develop confidence” with a vascular plant that seems to resent living indoors and won’t hesitate to let you know.

Fruiting trees

The benefit of having fruiting trees in your home is clear: fresh lemons, apples, figs and olives, year-round. But that bonus can come with challenges. “Trying to get a fruiting tree to fruit in your home can just be so tricky,” Griffin says. “I’m not saying that it’s impossible, but it just takes a level of care and attention and detail that I don’t know the average plant parent would want to commit to.”

For those ready to take on the challenge, Griffin recommends olive trees, which require full sun, arid environments and low humidity. In addition to a dry home or apartment, you’ll have to have some patience. These Mediterranean shrubs are quite slow to grow and even slower to fruit.

Have a humid environment? Try moisture-loving dwarf and compact varieties of banana trees, says Jira Sai, founder of the New York shop Plant Corner. “They don’t want to dry out, and they need a lot, a lot of light,” she says. “So if they don’t find any direct sun, they might not produce as many leaves as they could.”

Maranta

Plants in the marantacae family can bring a distinctive piece of the tropics into your home. Varieties include the popular and easier-to-care-for prayer plant, but Sai recommends graduating to its cousin, the stomanthe triostar, especially if your prayer plant is thriving.

These variegated, full-foliage potted plants - found naturally in the Amazon - are hard to miss with their forest-green leaves stained with patches of fuchsia. They thrive best in greenhouse-like conditions and prefer more light than prayer plants. And don’t be too eager to repot them.

“You only want to repot them when there’s no space for the new shoots to grow, even though the size of the plant is much bigger than the pot,” Sai says. “As long as there’s a room for them to grow new shoots on the base of the plant, they should be fine in the same container.”

Orchid

Orchids have a devoted culture and community of collectors, but don’t let that scare you from trying to cultivate one. Though they’re generally known as a finicky plant, orchids comes in many varieties, primarily epiphytic. As with ferns, those plants could be a smart place to start.

“Since they’ve evolved to root directly on to the sides of trees, they’re inherently hardy,” Vayda says. “You can generally get away with dehydrating them and they’re not going to die overnight on you.”

These flowering plants are usually sold in sphagnum moss, which can retain water too well - orchids can be intolerant of sitting water. So be cautious of over-watering your plant. It’ll need a drink only when the potting mix appears dry and the wooden stake that comes with the mix comes out almost dry.

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