5 Houseplants I've Never Owned & Never Will 

Hello! I am from Ukraine, and since the war started in my country on February 24, 2022, I was forced to leave my home and leave my entire plant collection. There were more than 40 of them. I returned more than three months later: half of the plants did not survive, and Birkin was one of those plants that remained alive. Of course, it was in bad condition, its trunk became soft, but almost all the leaves remained, even those where there was a lot of white. Therefore, I concluded that Birkin could survive in conditions without watering for three months!! Its rehabilitation is still ongoing, and I had to cut off part of the roots because they had dried up completely, but the trunk is strong again, and it is growing new beautiful leaves. So don't complain about Birkin! 😅

I was given an oxalis from my grandma that her mom had grown for 30 years. So it’s probably over 50 years old! It does go dormant in the winter but it comes back every spring and blooms all summer long. It’s probably not one I would have gone out and bought but I’m happy to continue the growing legacy.

I agree with everything except the oxalis. I've had mine for about 4 years in a south facing window. Super happy, has never gone dormant and constantly flowers. It's one of my favorites because it constantly shows how happy it is.

My oxalis is going on three years, and it gets fuller every year. It looks sad during dormancy, but when spring rolls around, it's a comeback queen. Tried putting it outside, but there are loads of moths here that love to do away with it and it looks much happier indoors. I love how much the leaves move throughout the day, and the sporadic flowers that pop up - it was an impulse buy, but it's one of my favourite houseplants now. I find it a fun and underappreciated plant, it's pretty forgiving, and provides a nice splash of colour among all my green housemates.

I love my birkin! It's an unproblematic gift that keeps on giving. The leaf pattern look like it's a sketch

"Everything you want someone else has. Make something no one else has." A favorite quote that came to mind when you were talking a little about plant room/project envy. 💝

I got a Birkin long after the Birkin frenzy and I would say that while it is not the most exciting plant I have, it is one of the most consistent plants I have and I appreciate it for what it is. As plant people I think we need a plant or two we know will consistently be ok, and the Birkin to me is that. In terms of the Oxalis, I have never been a big fan but my mother has a purple one (we have named it Raquel), and it has been going strong for several years and has brought a ton of excitement and entertainment watching the different stages of her life. I would say underrated but could be a fun addition for the right person.

I don't understand "the allure" of the Philodendron Pink Princess/Strawberry Shake varieties. I like plants to be solid green that blend with my apartment decor. Also, I love when the plant has that subtle surprise factor like leaf texture and shape.

I got the birkin without knowing what it was. It was compact and fit perfectly against my dark kitchen wall. It's sitting 16 feet away from an east-facing window and if it's too sunny we close the blinds. So it's sitting in a pretty dark spot. I also tend to forget to water it. And it's still beautiful. I don't know why it's so hated on, it's such a lush, uncomplicated plant.

I have a birkin and absolutely loveeee it!! I wish I can insert a picture for proof.

Dude. Peperomia are the best!! I collect mostly succulent-like plants and peperomia is one of my favorite genera! They're up there with hoya for me. You're missing out! -They do really well being pinched back, so you can keep them very compact if you don't have a lot of space. -They can go a pretty long time without being watered, so they're low maintenance. -There are SO MANY varieties! Upright ones and hanging ones. A wide variety of leaf shapes, textures, and colors.

My mother's had a green oxalis for at least 15 years+ now. It's a basic green one and sits near a skylight that hits it like a spotlight nearly the entire day. I made it a woven pot when I was a kid in summer camp and she still uses that as its cache pot years later. It goes to sleep and comes back every year like clockwork, so when I moved away as an adult I got myself one (though I put it outside) as a tribute.

I really enjoy my purple oxalis. I thought it was dying on me after 6 months or so of owning it… but then I researched some more and they actually go dormant! I had no idea! So I brought it through dormancy and now it’s growing again and I’m super proud of myself for not giving up on it 💜

One thousand percent agree about birkin, most peperomia, and Polly. And I’ve been burned enough times by the thin-leafed calathea to never go back!! But I LOVE my purple oxalis. I’ve had it for 2.5 years and it is Ms. Consistent. She’s always blooming, hasn’t complained about being in a small pot, and let’s me know when she’s thirsty by drooping her leaves. And I’ve had her in full south sun and under grow lights and either way, she’s loved life. She was given to me and I don’t know that I ever would have bought one, but I’m so glad I have her and will definitely replace her if she ever moves on to the great plant heaven in the sky.

Oh and I have the purple oxalis and it’s also one of my favorites. I’ve had it for 2 years. I let it go dormant in winter and it comes back so easily in the spring. Also super easy care.

I have had oxalis for years. I let them die back in the winter and put the poy under a shelf. In spring I resume watering and by May when I put my plants outside I have blooms and they last through fall. My one pot has grown to 3 . Love them.

I've gotta stand up for the oxalis on this one 🤣 I recently divided my purple oxalis and threw them in my cats room which is the darkest and gets harsh evening heat/sun...to say the least they are happy and thriving. Get one 💜💜💜

I love the birkin cuz I’m a plant petter! The variegation has a great texture!

Hey, about peperomia, there's a lot of hanging ones! They are still naturally small, so they don't have the golden pothos vibes, but a full pot of a one still has a very nice look to it. Examples: peperomia hope, peperomia hoffmannii and peperomia perciliata.

I had to cover my Birkin’s ears when you said that. Make sure she knew that was not me saying that! She is my HOME GIRL, constant growth, constant beauty. I love her!!

My alocasia Polly is one the plants I've had for the longest! It goes a bit dormant in the winter and will lose leaves. During the summer I keep it outside in the shade and it grows amazingly. I haven't had any pest issues with it and it was clearance plant at Walmart when I originally got it 🙃 I find it to be one of the easier and reliable plants in my collection tbh!

I owned almost every calathea and disagree that the makoyana and rattle snake / lancifolia need high humdiy and a lot of care. I kept those two because for me they are the least difficult ones, being happy in normal humdity around 50 % and a really hot room in summer. The Zebrina was a nightmare to keep, same with the oribifolia so I guess it depends. I found those way more difficult.

Oxalis make new corms like crazy. Growing them has been rewarding

I got my Polly a year and a half ago. It's still very happy and growing non stop. It's has never had spider mites even thought it's been surrounded by other Alocasias that had it. I rarely get them and they are really easy to get rid off because they only keep a few leaves. I do live in a humid area thought. They do need lots of light, I keep mine by my south facing window were they get tons of direct light. My dragon scale Alocasias is couple feet back and is still happy, it even flowered recently! They aren't that hard and even if they die back you can restart the bulb. I think they main thing is lots of light.

A friend of mine has had his green oxalis for over 15 years, looks great. So I ordered the purple oxalis corms and it's stunning, the only plant with color that I have. It's only been a few months, so I guess I'll find out how it fares over time. 🤞🏼

I had a Birkin due to hype when I started expanding my collection. Then I realized I really didn’t like it. I literally replaced it with the most basic jade pothos and I love that one so much more!!

I had an indoor oxalis for a pretty long time. It was in an east window and I watered it every other day, it stayed very happy! I would have to turn it often because it would so quickly turn to the light. Now I planted it in my shade garden after a few years, and it’s spreading around which I love.

So. I’ve never been into the Birkin either BUT my husband (who is so supportive of my houseplant hobby) went to a shop with me and immediately was drawn to it so I smiled and we bought it. He has no idea that I don’t particularly like but I do find joy in caring for it as his contribution to our collection. The only other upright philo I have is a baby prince of orange and that one is one of my absolute favorites. I mostly agree with your list except I do love my drama queen calatheas. I wonder if ferns and fittonia would also be on your no go list due to their watering demands?

My no thank you list: Bromeliads Ferns Alo/Calocasia Ivy Calathea and Maranta Expensive 🙈😉😁(edited to add: expensive according to my own parameters! I certainly would never judge anyone else’s use of funds for a plant!!! I just know I’m not skilled enough to invest in higher ticket plants is all)

My Birkin cost 5 euros at the Lidl. I now have two..they are super hardy and just relaxed. I love them..same with the pepperomia. Leave them alone, forget it, and they are happy.

My Polly is one of the easiest plants I own😅 It didnt even go dormant last winter, I never worry about it or struggle with it and it is soooo beautiful 😄

I never had interest in the oxalis until I saw Sydney plant guy with his! That thing is like a giant purple fluffy ball 🤣 that said, the air in my home changes a lot (Canada) and the super thin leaved plants tend to not do well so I likely will only ever own that on a grocery store whim 😬 My calathea ornata and medallion both drink the well water and get fertilized every time, no burns, kinda scary to think what's in city water in quantities high enough to burn plants 🤯 I do have a water softener and hard water even with it and still haven't had any issues. The two plants I do have a little bit of tip damage on is my ponytail palm and my dracena, but that could be from age and weather and being bumped and among my most neglected plants and not the waters fault 🤷🏼‍♀️

My Birken is one of my lowest maintenance plants and always looks amazing. I don’t understand the challenge but perhaps I just have the right environment

Interesting, I have the Birkin and its absolutely stunning. One of my favs, mine is in bright light and tons of white variegation

I've had an oxalis given to me from my friend. She'd had it for 15 years...and now I've had it another 35 years. That's over 50 years. Only went dormant one winter after falling off a shelf. Very happy, very beautiful. We just have very different tastes. 😉

I've had my Oxalis Triangularis for the last 2 years, grown indoors and it's very consistent with its size and usually keeps getting fuller in the pot. I unfortunately went through a stage of depression and kind of let it go but I was able to revive it recently just from the bulbs that were still in the dried up soil. It's been just two weeks and my 4inch pot is full again and it's growing back nicely. I'd really suggest you rethink an Oxalis because they can and do last a long time indoors. They're very low maintenance as well, as long as you don't intentionally kill them like I almost did lol.

I have an Alocasia Polly that's 4 years old now and has never had any pests, but none of my plants ever have pests so I'm the exception. If you want to succeed with Alocasia Polly I would highly recommend you get a large leaf one, as the larger leaves can take in much more light. Alocasia Polly takes a long time to acclimate and it will lose leaves, if not in the acclimation period then it will during cold winter months. Mine went from four leaves down to one leaf in the first year. But it's normal for Alocasia to lose their leaves in the dormant periods, and that's also why it really needs bright indirect light. However in my experience they don't need more humidity than other plants and I water them exactly the same as my other plants, meaning letting the soil almost dry out.

I love all calathes, i have 8 of them, the burle marxxi is just stunning! Really easy and rarely fuzzy

A case for Oxalis: I knew an old man who had a purple oxalis for 15 years up until his death, and I inherited it from him. They do die back to the corms every so often, but it survived extreme underwatering and overwatering (towards the end of his life, he'd ask people to water it just to see people, so that plant was DROWNED). Since I inherited it from him, I've divided the corms several times, and I planted a bunch of them on his grave-it's in nearly full shade in the forest in zone 7a, but we'll see if they survive the winter. Funnily enough, the plant remembers being over-watered and really wants that! What I will say against it is that this plant wants way more light than I'm able to give it without putting it under a grow light-it does fine, but it's very leggy and doesn't want to get full. It's also very susceptible to damage from scale, but it puts up new shoots so quickly that it's pretty much impossible to kill. You probably don't need an oxalis, but i'll say that it's a very excellent houseplant anyway!

Oxalis likes indirect bright light, like in the patio. It withers and dies temporarily for a certain time of the year, the way some lilies do, but the tubers underground shoot out new growth and it becomes lush again.

Yes another great video your smile always makes me smile

THANK YOU for this! I love and appreciate ALL plants, but I too am not interested in a lot of varieties- too needy to care for, gets too big, just doesn’t “do it” for me. Refreshing to see a plant youtuber have this honest discussion!❤️🪴

i own a birkin. it's very boring. i love that it looks different from every other plant i have but i don't feel excited about taking care of it or watching it grow at all. im also not a huge fan of the leaf texture? kind of like hard leather. i won't let it die but if it accidentally does i won't feel too bad lol

I love your advice about growing your collection slowly. That’s what brought me the most joy. I recently impulse bought like 15 plants online-trust me, buying them 1-3 at a time is so much more enjoyable, locally if you can. And having new plants to research and look forward to, and of course having a wishlist, brings so much joy. My alocasia polly was and is one of my easiest IF not the easiest plant for me. Never had spider mites on it :) I feel like you’re either anthurium or alocasia. Rarely do i see people with both. Is it just me ghat sees this? 😆 I just got a Birkin! To each their own. Ya the pilea peperomioides isn’t talked about at all anymore, what gives? It’s so cute! I don’t have one, but it’s cute. Lost my watermelon pepperomia to thrips. I have two propagations that survived, it looks so pathetic 😂 but I want it to live!

Alocasia Polly is the plant that got me in to loving houseplants. Before I had a few dying succulents (not a beginner plant). Then I bought A. Polly and Tradescantia Zebrina, which grew so much in the first months. Even though I only have east facing windows. And after 18 months they are still very happy and pretty!

You always come up with the best ideas for videos I love it

im from slovakia, middle europe and here is oxalis doing good inside house but excelent outside, sad thing is we dont have nice summer weather all year but those 2-4 months the weather is good and the oxalis looks perfect

I'm from São Paulo, Brazil, and I bought an Alocasia Polly and few Caladiums for my collection as people here frequently says they're quite easy, but NOT. They are spidermites magnets as hedera helix and require a lot of humidity and more frequent watering. I especially regret buying the Alocasia. Now I only recommend them if you have a nice spot outdoors and live in a warmer region with tropical weather like the northeast states of my country.

I’ve had my oxalis for about three years now and it’s doing so well! It’s grown a ton and I’ve even propagated many plants from it. Definitely one of my favorite more common houseplants

Ahh pilea peperomioides! You're right I feel like they were hot for 5 mins and then no one spoke of them ever again. I have 4 variety of them and they are probably my favorite house plants I have behind my peace lilies! Don't know why I love them so much 🤣

I have a Philodendron Birken. In the Netherlands it is called White wave. Easy plant to care for and if it gets enough light it can become really big with allot of white leaves and red stems.

I got alocasia polly in Aldi and mine has been thriving since April 2020.

The only suggestion I would make since you prefer trailing plants and the like... try peperomia ruby cascade. I absolutely love mine! I'm about to give her a trim of about 2 feet and still have almost 2 feet left to the plant.

I love my polly! Granted after the first spider mite infestation she threw a temper tantrum and killed almost all her leaves. But now she's thriving as well as my other alocasias. I do have them on my east facing balcony always. I live in the Caribbean so the average temperature during the summer is 82-85 F and 75% humidity. Peperomias and begonias hate me. I'm still rehabbing my watermelon and my begonias kicked the bucket.

Me watching this video while having every plant you mentioned 😂 But thank you for reminding me that there’s no reason to rush my collection, I started my succulent collection over a year ago and my house plant collection in feb. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed taking care of all my plants (I’m almost at 100 collective plants) I really need to slow down and care for the ones I already have❤️ Also I love calatheas but I understand the hate around them because they are brats lol

I loveeeee my purple oxalis! Had it for going on 3 years now. After my daughters cat ate most of it the 1st year, I didnt think it would come back. Butttt to my surprise it did. And has bloomed multiple times. I would love more!

I feel you on the peperomia but I did get the pink lady pep and I love it! It’s been reasonably easy to take care of as well

I have a few alocasia including the Polly. They have all been super easy for me. No pests and tons of leaves. Thriving in my living room in medium light. Humidity is usually 40%-60%.

Oxalis - before giving up on mine, I planted it up with a tradescantia. I'm constantly underwatering my plants so the oxalis will consistently die back and pop back up when I water. They're great but in my opinion, only when potted up with another plant. Also, shocking but in upstate NY I've had them survive the winter outside when planted in the ground. Of course, they are more like a perennial in that scenario.

I've been burned by a polly twice before, but third times a charm I guess! I bought an established one and it's been thriving for two years now. It doesn't go dormant for me and while it has lost a handful of leaves, it's still full and dark and stunning! They're VERY sensitive so I just didn't change it out of the nursery soil and kept it in a plastic pot and it's been very happy.

All plants that need full sun or high humidity or that are super high maintenance: I don't want them. High humidity can lead to mold issues which is why I never had a humidifier and why I open the windows frequenty. I don't have a full sun window and the few spots in sometimes-full-sun spaces are already taken. And I have no growlight. Yet. And after hearing you say these things about plant collection expenditure/effort I think the growlight can wait. You saved us some money, I guess :D So, thank you.

I love my pilea peperomioides! The cute round leaves and subtle wilting when thirsty won my heart…

I own a calathea rattlesnake, and have had it for over 3 years. It is so chill, and I basically don’t pay much attention to it. The calathea also sits in a darkish corner, and has grown to a good size. I water him with tap water, and yup that’s about it. Minimal care, haha pretty surprising. No pests either! Only calathea that I can keep alive it seems :P.

i love goeppertia. i have g. makoyana and kegeljanii. and i wish i could post a pic of my kegeljanii who literally gets 40-50% . she’s got 14 new leaves comin in, all perfectly sized, beautiful. she’s in 40% MG potting mix (don’t come for me - she clearly loves it, guys) + 25% orchid bark + 15% perlite + 10% worm castings + 10% charcoal. watered when top is dry. sun in a se facing window so from about 6am to noon. i give her fish and seaweed every few waterings. temperature is around 80-85 during the day (she stays in a room in which the AC isn’t turned on but when i open the door the rest of the houses ac cools it off, plus at night it’s just cooler anyway) and like, 75 at night. i’m amazed how well she’s doing because everyone said she needed 70% humidity. now the makoyana i will say isn’t doing as well. but i also found she had spider mites and she was quarantined and repotted and not in the same conditions. i’m hoping since she was just put back after a month really with not enough light while she healed up, she will get on the same level as the kegeljanii. when i repotted her i did see some new growth coming up but it hasn’t hit the surface yet. 🤞🏻 but with her ive been putting her by the kitchen sink for some extra humidity and boiling water once a day or so. just cause she needed that extra love. the backs of her leaves were all sticky with little holes and eggs. but she’s good now. i caught them quickly and treated it just right.

Oxalis is an Irish traditional plant. Handed down through the generations, so very long lived. Very special in meaning to many, not really a good idea outside as they are an invasive weed...The Birkin I was gifted I kept, not a plant I would have purchased so didn't give it much attention and it has grown into a most stunning plant. Peperomia are great little plants, huge variety depending on your taste, including those that dangle.

Just popped here to say that I have an oxalis in my studio and I've had it for at least 5 years with one move and my mom (who has not a green thumb at all...) had to take care of it for a year I lived abroad. They are really easy care!

Surprisingly my go to are calatheas and Hoyas. I usually like to have thing's I can pamper and thing's that need neglect

Agreed! No calathea! My fav plants are scindapsus exotica, zz, and pothos

i didn’t realize that birkins were a “trendy” plant buy; i just saw one at my local nursery one day and decided to buy it. it’s been a very steady grower for me and hasn’t been too fussy or dramatic of a plant either, even with being accidentally tipped over by my cat. for me it has been a pretty great plant to add to my collection

You upload so regularly and I’m here for it! Also I have been watching like all of your videos but apparently I forgot to actually subscribe 😂 so now I am lol!

You are truly an Educator at heart 💚 Love your videos.

UUU caladiums and oxalis are the best!!! :) They go dorment over the winter and in spring are bigger and fuller then the year before! I love them.

I have a green Oxalis that I've had for 14 years, I put it out side every summer and it sorta goes dormant in winter, it does it's thing. I used to want a purple but I don't venture out of the climbing aroids much these days. I do have a Birkin, I don't care for it but I'm only keeping it around to see how big I can get it. My first Alocasia was a polly and it's gotten so tall but only puts out one leaf a year and at a time.

I have a birkin, I got it after the craze ended I think as I was late to start plant collecting . Regardless I absolutely love it, always have, but im not really sure why I love it so much lol

I found a birkin that was half reverted as a baby and now it's much bigger and surprisingly still half and half and it's so cool.

Oh goodness! I understand people don’t really know about oxalis but I think it’s underrated. There are beautiful different green ones and they won’t die. If they start to look frail you take scissors and cut them back to the soil. Wait to water for a week. Then water and they come up with a whole bunch of new growth. I have had mine for 5 years and split them into 4 pots and given away two. This was a 4 dollar plant and I still love how animated they are and how forgiving. I’ve never seen any bugs on them either.

Alocasia love heat and humidity. I have 6 different varieties in dappled shade outside. I’ve had my Polly looking good for years. I’ve never had an issue with spider mites personally.

I so agree with you about the green plants 💚. I do have a bunch of calatheas and I do love them. They do take a lot of room thought for the leaves to open and close. They grow fast but honestly I don't know if they will be like a long term plant. And I also have a baby rubber plant. But it does have beautiful unique variegation and is really rather large. I struggled to keep it growing upright but decided to let it hang down. It's literally 5 feet across from one end to the other.

You're missing out on oxalis! They're p cool ☺️ I got my first one as it was going dormant, so I set the tubers aside in a bowl to brown bag for later. Our housekeeper thought the cat had pooped in a bowl and threw them away 😭 I got another one and I love her so much. Very thirsty lady, though!

I will never own a maiden hair fern! I killed my button fern within 2 months. I’ve found with alocasia (polly and black velvet) patience is key. And proactively treat for pests. When they are happy the foliage is amazing.

I agree pretty much with all of these, except I love my Birkin She's so cute!! I actually just bought a 2nd one. I've had my original for about 2 years. My only complaint is that she has grown slowly, but her leaves are beautiful. I'm so glad you mentioned the problem with the Orbifolia. 🤦🏿‍♀️I have not used distilled water. I will try that! I think it's so stunning that I want to figure her out so badly! Unfortunately I've killed 2 already😢

Totally agree about alocasia poly. I’ve never bought one and I never will - although my sister was GIVEN one for free from the nursery she works at, and I have been caring for it outdoors - and she’s doing ok so far. if it does go south suddenly, (which is what I always hear on it) no $ was spent/wasted lol

I bought a Polly a few years ago before I was really buying more than a few casual houseplants. It was in a small no drainage pot with another plant and it did great, always put out new leaves, always healthy. Then I started to learn more about plants so I repotted it in a better mix and tried to treat it better...and it died. And I agree, Birkins are just kind of ugly and I don't really dig pepperomias, either. I will also probably never own any "string of" plants. I do have a Maranta that does fine and I got a makoyana at HD for cheap. I figure it will survive the summer with the 70% humidity and dry out this winter.

I agree with Calathea. But I’m surprised you had problems with Syngonium. I’ve had a couple for 10 years or so and I now have 28 varieties and have never had any problems with any pests including spider mites. Try them again, they are really super easy going.

Hm....I have an alocasia black velvet since one month. I bought it for 5 € with 2 leafs as a baby baby plant. I repotted it, because it was in a mini mini mini pot. and it stands in comparatively dark corner far from my window on the side of my display. I spray it every day, but otherwise I do nothing extra with it. And it does really well till now: 4 leafs by now and rolling out the fifth. Seems generally to be pretty happy.

Thank you for the interesting list!! Calathea plants only do great for me when I can leave them outdoors (from April to ~November), so I'm pretty much treating them as annuals, if I get a deal on them, I might re-buy them, if not... Meh. Oxalis is also an outdoor plant for us and I love it, it currently lives in a pot with a Chlorophytum, a beautiful Begonia (bulb) and my big Stephanotis and they're loving their lives atm. I'm stepping away from Sansevieria plants, I can never get their watering right and they are kind of boring. Have a great weekend!!

I don't have the best east window but so far what I have found is that cuprea needs more light, dragon scale second, silver dragon grows very compact, black velvet gets the worst light but no problem. Humidity ranges from 45 to 60 no problem there Pests not really a problem when I first got them had but after some spraying all OK now

I totally agree i hear so much about the Alocasia Polly that one is an unsuccessful one. Also Alocasia in general i find the watering is so hard to manage aswell they like there soil constantly moist. I have 4 in my collection now and if they don’t survive won’t try them again. I have the Dragon Scale, Sinuata, Azlanni and the Scalprum. My Cuprea one and the Pink Dragon no longer have. Pepperomia another finicky plant which i have given up i only have the Hope and the Raindrop one and they are starting to look unwell. Succulents i also gave up keep having root rot and leaves falling off. Calathea i just bought my first one which given it a try the Warscewiczii one the leaves are so velvety which i could not pass up on and the colours so beautiful.

I don’t have as many plants as you but I got a calathea Dottie just to see if I can! I love so many calathea haha I have like 4 on my wishlist lmao. I’m on disability so my plants are like my routine in life haha, and I just use a plant app to schedule my watering, I just do what “Plant Mommy” tells me 😂 so I end up watering some plants every day. But it’s not really a big deal if something needs watering more, it just gets added to the list for that day. I’ve been giving her distilled water and just keeping her in the bathroom for a few hours during and after I shower, or even in there with the sink full and the door closed (surprisingly great for humidity?!). So it’s going okay so far!

Talking about the birkin I have one that has been sitting around waiting for a leaf to unfurl since late winter I kid you not. Slower grower than the aglaonema.

This is such a good idea for a video! I'm almost the exact opposite - love calathea, alocasias, peperomias etc. But I'm not into syngonium at all. I only have one because it was gifted to me. I'm also not interested in anthurium or philodendron!

The only Alocasia that i own is the alocasia polly and i love it! It has grown a lot for me and i haven't had any pest problems. I can highly recommend it :)

I have 1 alocasia, alocasia stingray, and it does amazing for me. I have a thrips problem so I beleive thats why it wont hold more than 5 leaves at a time but despite that, it grows like a BEAST. I have it in leca and I think it loves that. I do have it directly under a grow light so it for sure enjoys that. But I suggest to people who have struggled with alocasia, try putting it in leca. Less dirt is less places for pests to hide and it gets all that mositure its looking for. (I keep mine is a clear plastic container so I can see the water level at all times, that helps me not dry it out all the way)

I will say I LOVE my alocasia Polly! It lives in my greenhouse cabinet at around 75-85% humidity and it's about two feet tall now with 5 leaves that are about a foot long, and it's about to put out its third flower in the last 6 months. There would be more but I cut off a few from before it went into cabinet so it had some crispy leaves :( The key seems to be high humidity!

I have to agree on most all the plants you mentioned. lol I did have the Frost and he took about three months before all the big pretty leaves died and were replaced with miniature ones and never did grow large again.

My hubby gifted me a rattlesnake calathea two years ago and somehow it's still alive. It's been in the same pot for those 2 years and it just won't die. 😆

Oxalis is super easy, I've had them for years. They go dormat in winter but mine stay leafy, just a little less leafy. The green ones dies back to cromes though. If you like hanging plants Peperomia glabella and Peperomia 'Hope' might work better for you. I have a Peperomia quadrangularis that's quite a good looking hanging plant as well.

I actually LOVE watering my plants. I have a caladium and a calathea, and I’m starting alocasia Polly from bulbs and I’m excited for that. I water them a lot and I actually use water dechlorinater in tap water for my plants so the calathea seems really happy with that. It’s a lot cheaper than distilled water.

my alocasia polly is on my bathroom floor next to a radiator, near-ish a north-eastern skylight. i water it maybe twice a month and it is THRIVING! super bushy, always putting out new leaves, has flowered many times! never had any issues with spidermites, even when I had an infested calathea in the same room for ages (that one did die on me)

I agree, I got over 100 plants in a year after my mom died, then I coasted for a year. The next year I struggled to keep some of these plants alive. Now I have about 80, I rarely buy plants and the struggle bus plants all died. I’m pretty happy with my collection.