What was the most difficult houseplant for you?

Although at the moment I don't "plan" on buying more houseplants, when I do I'd love to know some houseplants that were extremely difficult to raise for you.

Just wondering....

Thanks!

:) That's a good question! I have Many, Many plants and sometimes it seems like the ones that are supposed to be VERY easy, end up being hard for me to keep alive! Right now I'm having a problem with a couple of small Streptocarpus plants. I'm trying my best to keep them alive. Oh, and I can never seem to keep ANY KIND of Ivy alive!!!

I can not keep Prayer plants or streptocarpus plants alive. I can grow african violets til the cows come home but have trouble with the above. Elaine

Ooops! Maranta/Prayer Plant is another one I have trouble with. I have two very small ones now, one quite dead, the other on it's way to being dead!

A staghorn fern, and, of all things, several Neanthe belle Palms. Also creeping fig. The more I think of it, I could have a list pages long, but I will quit for now, so it isn't too embarassing.

Susan in Minneapolis

ivy
ferns
episcia
maranta/prayer plant
Hoya Bella
Hoya Curtisii
to name a few.

Neglect is probably one of my problems. I spent last Sunday cleaning my hoyas and I swear they must have felt the TLC because they look so much better.

Susan

phal orchid...thirstiest little buggar on this side of the Mississippi...

Rex begonias, until my most recent one... which is doing great
China Doll (Radermachera)
Any other orchid besides Phals

VA_Wild_Rose,

Where do you usually shop for houseplants in Fredericksburg? I hate that Frank's closed and as far as I know no other plant place has gone back at that location. I hit the Lowe's and the HD's. Do you know of any specialty shops around?

Thanks,
Susan

The only other nursery in the 'Burg is Roxbury Farm. They get in a nice selection of houseplants, but mostly in the winter. They are small, so they don't keep a large inventory of anything.

Yes... I still miss Frank's too!

If I really need a houseplant or tropical fix, I drive up to Behnke's in Beltsville.

I would have to say:

African Violets and anything in the African Violet family
Hoya Bella
Iron Butterfly Plant
Some species of Rhipsalidopsis (Easter Cactus)
Orchids
Gloxinia
Any kind of true cactus (I water them too much)

I'm sure there are more but this is what comes to mind at 6:15 AM *lol*

Kim

Wild_Rose: Sometime, take a detour to Merrifield Gardens (2 locations) 1 on RT 29 at Merrifield and 1 between Centreville and Fairfax on 29.

Susan

Thanks Susan... I'll try to do that. I've seen others post about that place before.

Karen

African Mask plants - and of course I just love them!

since I've lived in AZ - ivy, fuschia, chinese evergreen, and others I can't think of right now.

Susan and Karen, if you ladies ever come to the Baltimore area, please make sure you hit Watson's Garden Center on York Rd.(in Lutherville). They have a couple of 50% off sales throughout the year.(How I got ALL of my orchids!!) The next one should be somewhere around the end of July and then another one in the Fall(to get ready for their Christmas Shoppe). I purchased most of my houseplants from them and have never purchased a diseased or buggy plant yet. The 2nd good one around here is Valley View Farms- more expensive than Watson's and can have mealies on some of their shipments from Florida. As with all potential purchases, just check the plants very carefully!

I've often wanted to go to Behnke's but never did because I had an old clunker of a car and was afraid to travel that far. LOL Now, have new car, will travel. LOL LOL

AND, to answer the question on the thread: the most difficult houseplants for me have
been Hoya Compacta. They always yellow, then shrivel up and die off slowly. Plus, it's hard to find one locally that doesn't have a mealy or two hiding out. Calatheas come in a strong 2nd, but I haven't been succuessful with them b/c I've neglected t hem! LOL They are diva-like and require more attention than I can(or at that time) give them.

GH

Kalanchos (probably spelled wrong) can never get them to flower again - I get bored with them and throw them out. Streptocarpus - I did extremely well with them when I gave them twice daily attention, but failed when I backed off. Schefflera - easy for most people, but not for me. Rex Begonias - easy under glass, very difficult otherwise. Abutilon (Flowering Maples) - they always get buggy for me and it is a constant struggle inside with them, not worth it to me. Most ferns fail for me in the dry heat of winter.

Dieffenbachias, believe it or not. Also AVs - can't keep them alive to save my life. And yes. . . phal orchids - hate them! I can have one for years, and it blooms happily, then suddenly it up and dies within a month. They rot so easily. Only one watering too many, and you've lost it for good. No second chances. And forget ivy - I haven't tried growing any for at least twenty years because it always dies.

I had a pencil tree cactus and carrion flower cactus til last month. They up and died on me. My amrallyis has only bloomed once for me no matter what I do. Have had it over 2 yrs. Have killed wandering jew and countless other house plants. But my haworitha is doing great along with an unknown 20+ yr old plant, a small palm, spider plant, african violet-only because I got it yesterday hahahaha, aloe, a wandering jew is still alive, X-mas cactus still alive and just got a jasmine yesterday that is still alive. Am waiting for the wandering jew to die though. All others have in the past. lol

I have a lot of trouble with lipstick plants. I am very good with houseplants but not that one for some reason.

I usually have a problem with the cant-let-my-soil-dry-out whiney plants like ferns, so I just don't get them unless I put them in an african violet type pot. I also have the dardest time trying to propogate the viney philos. supposedly they are sooooo easy, but they all just wither up on me.

LOL gaia!! I think you need cactus or succelents.

and that is exactly what I have, pepperoni

LOL. Good. Cause unless you turn into me you can't kill those. :~p

I can already tell I am an overwaterer since I check the soil twice a day! I haven't had to water yet but I just keep checking!!!

Gardenias! Has anyone successfully grown one of these as a houseplant?!

I have had a Gardenia for years; it spends the summers outside, and then inside in an east window in my sunroom for the long winter months. It tends to form buds in the fall, and they just sit there until early spring, when it starts blooming with a most wonderful scent. The plant is quite large now, and is now unexpectedly blooming in mid summer. Usually cool nights help set buds, but I have been better about fertilizing, so that may have helped. I have had a few problems with scale when I bring it in, so it is something to watch for. It is a very thirsty plant, and I keep a saucer of water under it in the summer, watering every day.

Susan in Minneapolis

I can grow the gardenia... but I can't get it to bloom. It always drops its' buds.

Karen

Well, I can report that I finally rebloomed an anthurium....

snug roots, water each day, outside on shaded porch for the summer.

Susan

Congratulations, Susan!

Cyclamen - I kill it every single time

and Oh, yea,and Corn plant- I know the corn plant is supposed to be easy....not for me

Sharon

Well, I'm happy to say that I've been growing the Hoya Compacta very successfully for a couple of months now. Now I'm thinking the reason mine died is because of the soil it was in or that it was somehow sick anyway. The one before this one had mealies.....kinda hard for a plant to flourish with this pest.

Rex Begonia......... I killed many and want to kill more....LOL
kLAEEM

That's the spirit, Kaleem! LOL

If it is in the house I think I will probably kill it. Then go buy more cause i can't resist them. :~)

............. ;o)
Kaleem

"Sensitive plants" (Mimosa pudica) are cute with their delicate lacy leaves and pink powder-puff flowers, and it's really neat that they close up their leaves so quickly when touched (we originally grew some in the house as substitutes for Venus Fly Traps, because we'd heard that VFT's were extremely difficult to keep alive - oh, the irony!). I've seen them marketed as "fun and easy for children to grow". Don't you believe it! I've killed a whole tray of rooted young plants I grew from seed AND almost killed an established adult plant just by letting the soil get a little too dry between waterings. Talk about your attention-craving needy "must be perfectly moist but not TOO moist at all times" plants! The bigger plant still had green stems so I didn't toss it, and it's putting out new leaves. If I can manage to not kill it by the time it gets semi-respectable-looking again, I'm giving it away to a coworker who's expressed interest. Let the guilt be on her head! :p

Herivore, just to second that....those are NOT easy to grow plants. I have killed SO many of them and though I LOVE them and would certainly be thrilled to have a big one, I have killed so many tiny ones that I'm afraid I would kill anything in the Mimosa family *lol*

I'm glad I'm not the only one! :)

Sorry, pepper, but I'm a little amazed that anyone can manage to be a serial killer of wandering jews! I've never grown zebrina (though I will be as soon as I can find one that's not outrageously overpriced - local nursery won't sell cuttings or babies, only $25 huge baskets! no thanks!), but I have TONS of Tradescantia fluminensis ("Speedy Henry", green & white variegated w.j.) and Tradiscantia pallida/Setcreasea purpurea ("Purple Queen", from the same family), and I think they will outlive me. Too wet, too dry, too bright, too dark, they don't seem to mind much - which is why I love them! :) I've recently purchased some baby plants from others in their tribe (Callisia elegans, T. albiflora albovittata) just to see if they're all so sturdy. I wonder if you're "giving up on them" too soon? They can SEEM dead, but they are, to quote the Princess Bride, "only MOSTLY dead", and will revive if the least-dead-seeming parts are trimmed off and put into fresh soil or a glass of water.

Then again, I've killed my share of plants that others have amazing supposedly idiot-proof success with, so I understand where you're coming from. Just didn't want new readers of the thread to be scared of wandering jews - they're one of my favorites! :)

Oh, I too have killed plenty of Wandering Jews. Yet I have a waffle plant and two calatheas that are happy. Explain that one! The WJs always get limp, and then slowly die on me. I did always let them dry out between waterings, so I tried something different, and kept them barely moist. Didn't make any difference. Why is it that some plants that are difficult for others will be easy for one person, and also the other way around? This is precisely why I am attempting to try new plants that I've never had before. You never know if you might have success with something that has a reputation for being very finicky! This is one reason why plants are so fun - the challenge!

Randi

I can tell you that when I even START to walk towards an African Violet it starts to turn brown and crispy but yet I can grow Lipstick plants and Goldfish plants. I look at the AV forum and how people make it look so easy and I think....been there, killed them...won't try AV's again *lol*