Guide
Plant care tips from the expert
by Pia Seidel
Pretty, but a total pain: houseplants worth avoiding
30.10.2023
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Looks aren’t everything. Granted, many exotic houseplants are head-turners, but they’re also demanding and susceptible to disease. Marie Henze from the online plant shop Mary & Plants has easy-care alternatives for you – and they’re just as attractive.
Popping colours, patterned stems, twisted leaves: unusual houseplants are in demand. Especially with plantfluencers who share pictures of their plant babies on social media. It seems the more colourful your plant, the better. My workmate Maike wrote about the trend a while ago:
When you don’t have the know-how
The result? The plants don’t thrive; they get sick, are returned or disposed of. Marie Henze knows why this happens: «Many people simply lack the know-how. They place their plants in spots with no daylight, put tropical plants in the blazing sun or want to grow a cherry blossom tree in the living room.»
Sometimes, the problem is also a lack of infrastructure. Many people are unaware of the fact that plantfluencers construct entire terrariums and greenhouses to create the perfect conditions for their plants. «The majority of unusual plants stem from tropical regions and need high humidity. In a dry room, they’ll never thrive as well as in a greenhouse.»
According to various plant platforms, the following are also princesses on the pea:
- Calathea
- Fiddle-leaf fig
- Umbrella plant
- Arrowroot
- Ficus
Four fancy, but undemanding plants
Thankfully, there are alternatives out there; low-maintenance plants that are beautiful nonetheless. Marie Henze recommends the following four houseplants:
Moonshine Snake
She’s the hip, glowy make-up-wearing sister of the mother-in-law’s tongue. The leaves of this houseplant, which is also known as bow hemp, shimmer mysteriously – as if they were reflecting moonlight. The plant only needs to be watered about once a month and is quite forgiving if you make mistakes.
Desert Candle
The Desert Candle isn’t just a standard cactus. Its unusual shape and size make it a total eye-catcher, but it’s still easy to care for. It hardly needs any water. After all, it’s still (just) a cactus.
Mikado Snake
Here’s another snake (a subspecies of the bowstring hemp) for you. One that’s reminiscent of Mikado sticks. This houseplant’s a real jack-of-all-trades: not only can it be placed anywhere in your home – even in places with hardly any daylight – but it also only needs water about once a month. What’s more, it’s said to absorb and neutralise pollutants in the air.
Black Raven
The Black Raven, ZZ plant or Zansibar gem is, just as one of its many names suggests, a true gem. With its shiny leaves, it looks classy and can also cope with almost any lighting conditions. Black Raven is perfect for you if you don’t have green fingers.
From high maintenance to easy care
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting a Pink Princess or Monstera. If you’ve read up on them, have time and patience, these plants have a great chance of thriving. I just wanted to point out that there are unusual houseplants out there that aren’t as needy.
Do you have houseplants you look after? Which ones have been a success and which ones a disaster?
Header image: Darina Schweizer
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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