Say Goodbye to Succulents— 8 Houseplants Pros Actually Hate

English Lavender

Some plants are great in their own right, but houseplant pros wince when they see gardeners attempt to grow them indoors.

"I absolutely adore lavender as an outdoor plant. It holds up to heat and drought, it’s pest resistant, and it attracts pollinators," says Justin Hancock, a horticulturist at Costa Farms. "I often see it recommended as a fragrant houseplant, and it's just not well suited to indoor life."

Rather than attempting to keep them alive inside, he recommends thinking of potted plants like lavender as temporary décor that won't last more than a couple of weeks in most homes.

Poinsettias

Another plant that's often treated as disposable is the festive poinsettia, according to Hilton Carter, a plant and interior stylist. This plant, prized for its vivid red leaves surrounding tiny yellow flowers, is native to Mexico, making it poorly suited to indoor conditions in temperate climates.

"I am not a fan of poinsettias," Carter shares. "Not because they are displeasing to look at, but because I dislike how they are discarded after the holiday season. Why buy a plant if you are planning to throw it out in a few weeks?"

It is possible to grow poinsettias indoors beyond the holiday season, but you'll need to give them a few months of cooler, darker conditions in the fall to get those signature red leaves again next winter.

String of Pearls

Gardeners love string of pearls for their delicate strands of succulent, bauble-shaped leaves, but these plants can be trickier to care for than they seem.

"A drop too much water and you'll come back to a rotten mess," says Amin Shirazi, the owner of Safa Plant Co. "These plants are far more sensitive than one would believe. They are prone to root rot, which quickly spreads through their shallow root system."

Instead, he recommends hardier trailing succulents like burro's tail or string of hearts.

Peace Lilies

Some houseplants are so easy to keep alive that they've become synonymous with neglected spaces like building lobbies and waiting rooms. For Carter, the humble peace lily is one of those.

"When I see these plants, all I can think about are funerals or a sad, depressing office space with white and grey walls and cubicles," he says. "I usually only see peace lilies in spaces with little to no sense of design and a lack of attention to detail."

Parlor Palm

Some of the most common houseplants just aren't well suited to life indoors. That includes not only parlor palms, Shirazi says, but any other true palm.

"Unfortunately, these plants simply do not want to be in your home," he says. "They thrive on sun, humidity, and a soil composition that is extremely difficult to provide indoors." Shirazi also notes that true palms can be prone to pests like spider mites.

Painted Succulents

Hancock's a big fan of the natural beauty of succulents—but that love ends at the artificially colored varieties.

"I understand that some people like the quirkiness of colors or want to personalize their space, but painted succulents just aren’t for me."

Applying paint to succulents prevents these light-hungry plants from photosynthesizing, meaning their days are numbered. Plus, there are plenty of succulents, like echeveria, that naturally sport colors like blue, pink, purple, and red.

Alocasia Amazonica

What use is a beautiful houseplant if it's difficult and frustrating to keep happy? For Shirazi, elegant alocasia amazonica can be more trouble than it's worth.

"These fickle plants seem to have a 'one in, one out' policy where they quickly drop their leaves as new ones come in," he says. "Even healthy plants are prone to crispy leaves and pests in lower humidity environments."

Artificial Houseplants

Artificial plants may be impossible to kill, but they're only a little easier to care for than some tried and true houseplant varieties.

"With incredibly low-maintenance options like snake plant, ZZ plant, and aglaonema, which may survive with watering as little as 12 times a year, why would you choose something fake?" Hancock says. "Especially considering how fake plants just end up in the landfill at the end of their 'life cycle,' whereas real houseplants can be composted to enrich the earth."