{"id":2786,"date":"2025-09-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allurebytess.com\/?p=2786"},"modified":"2025-09-27T20:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T20:42:23","slug":"7-plants-i-dont-recommend-beginner-traps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allurebytess.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/28\/7-plants-i-dont-recommend-beginner-traps\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Plants I Don\u2019t Recommend (Beginner Traps)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to plants, it\u2019s safe to say that I know a thing or two. In the past couple of years I went from owning three plants to over 100\u2026. And back down to 70. There have been many wins, fails, and flat out depressing times if I\u2019m being honest. While I do plan to go into what I wish I knew before purchasing half a jungle, I wanted to share some beginner plant traps. Some of these babies I could never in good conscience recommend to a beginner plant parent. The plants I do recommend can be found here<\/a>. Without further ado, I give you 7 plants I don\u2019t recommend!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Bonsai:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A miniature tree is such a vibe, right? However, the art of the bonsai is just that – an art. People take formal classes and even travel abroad in order to learn the proper techniques from bonsai masters. There are certain ways to bend the branches with the wire, trimming the right parts in order to get the desired shape, and overall care. Even the soil isn\u2019t simple! <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"bonsai<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sure, you could purchase a bonsai and just let it do its thing, even if that may be frowned upon by the community. However, some of these trees are dramatic. If they don\u2019t get the right amount of water or fertilizer, they will lose all of their leaves, crisp up, and, well, pass\u2026 This can be quite upsetting given their price tags. They also need to be watered quite frequently due to their shallow pots. Their medium dries up very quickly. In the summer, my partner sometimes waters them twice a day! Good luck with your holidays\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I don\u2019t handle them. They are too complicated. My partner, however, seems to have a gift for it. Bear in mind that they are a massive time commitment. Aside from the fact that these guys can live hundreds of years, having spa days for his nine bonsais take him a whole afternoon every few weeks! And don\u2019t even get me started on the pests. They\u2019ll hide under the bark, making it incredibly difficult to treat. They are not the best idea for beginner plant parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston Fern:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I feel like these guys pop up on \u201ceasy plant\u201d lists and definitely in aesthetic plant photos. Yes, they are gorgeous, long, fluffy green beauties. But that gorgeousness? Probably AI. The real tea on these ferns is that they are dramatic and never happy. High maintenance is an understatement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gorgeous and fluffy!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"boston
Lost half of her hair… And this is post-recovery!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They are very greedy with water, often needing it daily, especially in the summer. If you miss a day, all of their gorgeous leaves will turn brown and shrivel up and you\u2019ll be left with a sad, bald looking plant. And speaking from experience, it takes a while for her to regrow and bounce back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you manage to avoid the water tantrum, she will shed her leaves worse than a husky in between seasons. I find them all over the living room, sometimes even in our hallway! If you\u2019re looking to get into the plant world and want something that looks pretty all the time and is easy to take care of? The Boston fern is not it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

String of Pearls (or anything):<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have a specific bone to pick with string of pearls, but any string of things is quite tricky to take care of. Many plant parents have put them on their \u201cnever again\u201d lists. While that is not my situation, I can admit that I recently lost my variegated string of pearls. RIP. She was in the exact same location as her regular string of pearls sister, but for some reason decided to shrivel up, go bald, and just give up on life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Her thriving sister<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Doing fine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And bald…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These bad boys are part succulent, so they need lots of sun and light. However, the sun needs to hit the crown or else she will thin and bald at the top. Once you have that figured out, you need to water her. Not too much because she will literally go to the plant graveyard, but don\u2019t you forget when needed because the result will be the same. How do you know she\u2019s thirsty? Easy! Her strings will shrivel up. But not all of them. Maybe just a dozen strings. Or half. Or five. Is she thirsty? Who knows, but good luck. <\/p>\n\n\n

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String of Turtles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019ve had luck with my string of turtles, but my string of pearls has been a different story. I do plan to repurchase the variegated version as I find her stunning, but I\u2019m aware I may be heartbroken once again. Being a plant parent is not for the faint of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carnivorous Plants – Venus Fly Trap:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These babies are some of my favorite plants. However, I fell into the grocery store trap more times than I care to admit. First off, you should never buy any plant from the grocery store unless you are a seasoned pro and ready for a rescue mission\u2026 and even there. However you REALLY <\/em>shouldn\u2019t buy any carnivorous <\/strong>plant from a grocery or big name store. These babies need to come from proper plant stores or professionals. But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Venus fly trap requires a very specific climate that most homes cannot provide. The medium she\u2019s sold in is almost always wrong and will result in her moving into the plant afterlife. She can only drink distilled water. Anything else will burn her roots due to the nutrients. She gets those from the bugs she grabs (which you may have to feed her if she\u2019s not catching them on her own). Speaking of water, she\u2019s native to the boglands of the Carolinas. Her pot needs to be sitting in water. And then the sun. She needs full sun, all day, in order to be thriving with big, red traps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My pride and glory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Look at those big traps!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the winter, she needs to go into a dormancy period or else she will not make it long. This can happen naturally outside if the weather is appropriate, or else some plant parents stick them in the fridge. And all of this is just off the top of my head\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to trial and error them a good 4-5 times before I finally understood what they needed. I was able to save one that wasn\u2019t doing too hot and the last one I purchased is thriving and paying her rent by all of the wasps she catches. For me, they are thriving outside, on my balcony. But it took me years to finally have thriving traps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And three months later! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I would never recommend any carnivorous plant to a new plant parent. They are very much an seasoned pro situation. Despite my understanding of them and their needs, I have lost two out of four Pings this year and my pitcher plant has thrips so\u2026. On the bright side, the sundew and my traps are thriving! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queen Anthurium:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

RIP, queen. You shall not be repurchased\u2026 I actually got her in a mystery box and tried to hard to make her happy, but she just hated everyone and everything. Thankfully, she never pops up in recommended plant lists. She\u2019s a gorgeous plant with her long, velvety leaves and gives off the best jungle vibes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I first got her\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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About a month before she passed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, those leaves will probably turn brown and crispy if you look at her too long. She\u2019s a very finicky plant and doesn\u2019t handle change well. She also requires an absurd amount of humidity, and consistent humidity at that. Any drop or increase to her typical humidity will result in sad, crispy leaves. She\u2019s also quite the slow grower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of all of the plants I have owned, she\u2019s tied with Begonias for being the most sensitive. Generally speaking anthuriums are not beginner friendly plants. They do best in climate controlled environments created specifically for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haworthia Attenuata:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unpopular opinion, but these guys are the bane of my existence. I have had so many of them in the past and they have all had tragic endings. I don\u2019t water her? Angry. I water her? Tantrum. Bright light? Nope. Sun? LOL. Indirect light? RIP. She\u2019s just never happy, starts to lose her leaves, and quite literally falls apart. <\/p>\n\n\n

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A miracle she\u2019s doing fine, truly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I do have one that came in a plant arrangement about a year ago that seems to be doing fine. She seems to be living her best life on my coffee table. But I don\u2019t fully trust that she won\u2019t wake up one day and self-destruct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lots of plant gurus will tell you these types of plants are super low maintenance and impossible to send to the graveyard, but I beg to differ. I find most succulents very difficult to keep! They\u2019re just never happy\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cyclamen:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another unpopular opinion. These are pretty common as an outdoor plant during the fall time and they are so pretty! The flowers are very consistent, colorful, and look at those leaves! But just as you start to think she\u2019s happy and adapted to your home, you\u2019ll wake up one day and see that she has fully collapsed on herself, never to rise or grow again. And I\u2019m speaking from experience\u2026. Twice\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The DRAMA<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love them so much, but I refuse to re-purchase. I tried keeping them both indoors and outdoors and they hated both. The worst part? They were fine for weeks! While they do have a very dramatic dormancy period, mine took it one step further and passed on instead of pretending to do so\u2026 They are also quite the thirsty plants. However, they opt for a dramatic collapse when both over and under watered, making it hard to figure out what\u2019s wrong and what she needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also one of the only plants that I truly don\u2019t understand what went wrong. I have zero idea as to why they were unhappy. Purchase at your own risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts on Difficult Plants:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before closing out this post, as an honorable mention, be weary of begonias. Nobody is denying that their foliage is extraordinary, but they are also tricky to figure out. And they don\u2019t take too kindly to trial and error, of course. The second you change anything, she will lose all of her leaves. Good luck getting her to grow them back\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thriving\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A month after moving her\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Purchasing plants for your home is a lovely way to add some nature into your home. However, do yourself a favor and set yourself up for a win by selecting the right plants. Plants that aren\u2019t overly dramatic, don\u2019t require your attention 24\/7, and won\u2019t punish a simple mistake with balding, or worse, the plant graveyard\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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