Wondering Which House Plants are Easy to Keep Alive? Plant Parents, It’s Not These!

Back when I worked in a plant shop, I saw the same scenario play out over and over again: hopeful plant parents would bring home a gorgeous new leafy friend, only to return weeks later, heartbroken, with a sad, crispy, or mysteriously wilting mess.

Some plants are just dramatic! If you’re new to the house plant hobby, pressed for time, or simply want an easygoing green companion, stick with tried-and-true, indestructible indoor plants like pothos, the ZZ plant, and sansevieria.

But if you’re curious about the hardest plants to grow (a.k.a. the houseplants that die easily), here are the five that gave people the most trouble. Let’s take a look!

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Botanical name: Ficus lyrata

a fiddle leaf fig plant growing in a basket in front of a white wall — *Image credit @kb group via Canva.*

The fiddle leaf fig is a popular houseplant and a favorite of interior designers, renowned for its height and striking sculptural leaves.

However, it is equally notorious for being a finicky plant and one of the hardest house plants to grow and keep alive long-term.

Fiddle leaf figs are native to the tropical jungles of Africa, and they have specific humidity and lighting requirements that can be difficult to replicate indoors.

They thrive in bright, indirect light, yet are sensitive to direct sun and lower light levels, which can cause their leaves to drop.

Achieving the right balance of moisture is another challenge - they love water, but too much and their roots will brown and rot; not enough, and their leaves will brown and drop.

Fiddle leaf figs do not like cold temperatures and drafts, and will shed their leaves in protest.

These plants are also susceptible to insect pests like mealy bugs, mites, scale, whiteflies and aphids.

If you want a tall, sculptural and elegant plant without the hassle, try the more forgiving and less finicky cousin of the fiddle-leaf fig: Ficus Audrey (Ficus benghalensis).

2. Pinstripe Plant

Botanical name: Calathea ornata ‘Pinstripe’

a person's hand holding up a pinstripe plant leaf, in front of other calathea plants — *Image credit @carlofranco via Canva.*

The pinstripe plant is notorious among plant enthusiasts for being one of the hardest plants to grow indoors.

This stunning houseplant is admired for its striking pink-striped leaves and vibrant green coloration.

However, the pinstripe plant is a finicky choice that demands constant attention and a controlled environment to thrive.

This houseplant dies easily because it struggles outside its native environment, the tropical rainforest understory, where high humidity and low light levels are the norm.

Leaves will brown and curl without enough humidity, and too much light will cause the pink coloration to fade.

It’s also sensitive to both under-watering and overwatering, making consistent soil moisture a must.

If you want a less demanding plant with striking leaf coloration, try a Marble Queen pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum 'Marble Queen’) - it’s much easier to care for, and extremely forgiving if you forget to water!

3. Maidenhair Fern

Botanical name: Adiantum species

maiden hair fern leaves and stems spilling out of a pot — *Image credit @kjohansen via Canva.*

Maidenhair ferns, with their delicate, feathery fronds, are among the hardest plants to grow indoors. These ferns require extremely precise and consistent care to survive!

The maidenhair fern genus Adiantum is native to stream banks, tropical forests and moist, shaded woodlands. It thrives in high humidity and consistent moisture - conditions that are hard to replicate in most homes.

Low humidity causes maidenhair fern leaves to dry out and brown quickly, and they are also highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and drafts.

Inconsistent watering patterns make them wilt, and they will succumb to underwatering in no time.

Keeping a maidenhair fern happy requires a delicate balance of light, water, and humidity - a challenging undertaking for any houseplant enthusiast or plant-lover with a busy schedule!

Instead of a maidenhair fern, try a bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) - it’s more forgiving if you forget to water, and not as fussy about humidity levels.

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4. Venus Fly Trap

Botanical name: Dionaea muscipula

greenish yellow venus flytrap leaves with spikes on a plant growing out of a green plastic pot — *Image credit @photocpl via Canva.*

Venus flytraps are carnivorous houseplants, commonly sold as novelty plants at grocery stores and big box retailers where many people purchase them on a whim.

These fascinating plants are native to boggy areas of the Southern United States, and maintaining the right conditions in your home to mimic these boggy conditions can be a complex task.

Venus flytraps require at least 6 hours of full sun daily, and must have consistently moist soil.

These plants do not like alkaline or mineral-rich water. Avoid watering Venus flytraps with tap water and use distilled water or rainwater instead.

They need a period of dormancy and cooler temperatures during the winter, and replicating these conditions can be demanding for any well-intentioned plant lover!

If you are looking for an interesting, unusual plant without the high maintenance of a venus flytrap, try a living stone plant (Lithops) for a fun, low-maintenance succulent plant that needs little watering.

5. Florist Hydrangea

Botanical name: Hydrangea macrophylla

a row of white flowering florist hydrangeas on a metal shelf in a grocery store

The florist hydrangea is often sold as a gift plant around Mother’s Day and other holidays, but don’t be fooled—this is actually an outdoor shrub, and it’s very hard to grow long-term as a house plant!

Florist hydrangeas are bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), a type of flowering shrub native to Asia. They thrive in partial shade and fertile, deep, consistently moist and well-draining soil.

These plants struggle in small plastic pots, where their roots quickly become confined. They dry out or wilt if watering is even slightly inconsistent!

As one of the hardest plants to grow indoors, florist hydrangeas rarely thrive long-term unless they are transplanted outside - learn more in our guide to Bigleaf Hydrangea Landscaping Ideas.

If you're looking for a more reliable indoor plant with flowers, skip the florist’s hydrangea and choose a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) or Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) instead.

Both are lower maintenance and can happily live for years, even decades, indoors!

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