5 Popular Plants Gardeners Secretly Wish People Would Stop Buying (2024)

While every gardener will have their preferences regarding the plants in their garden, we wanted to know which popular plants don’t live up to the hype, according to experienced gardeners.

We asked two gardening experts what popular plants they secretly hate (and why), and their answers surprised us. Here’s what they had to say.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are beloved for their massive blooms, vintage appeal, and stunning colors, but Diane Kuthy, gardening expert and founder of the blog How to Grow Everything, says they are among her least favorite plants to grow.

Kuthy explains how hydrangeas often don't bloom and are actually challenging to look after.

"They may look beautiful in pictures, but creating that magical hydrangea garden in real life seems like a fairytale,” she says.

If you’re interested in large flowers, try starting with a more accessible flowering plant such as peonies. Peonies may take a year or so to establish, but they are known to flower prolifically once they are happy.

Roses

Similarly, Kuthy says that she can’t stand growing roses either. Not only are they high-maintenance, requiring regular pruning and fertilization to thrive, but they can be a literal pain to grow.

“I have young children and they are always falling into the rose bushes while playing or getting thorns in their little fingers," Kuthy says. "Don't get me started on pruning, either."

Kuthy often needs to wear a thick denim hazmat suit to properly prune her rose bushes every year.

Kuthy removed most of her rose bushes from her 5-acre property, except for a few climbing rose varieties that are still growing on trellises. Since then, they've required less maintenance and are mostly out of reach of her kids.

If you’re interested in growing roses but have small kids or pets at home, take a page from Kuthy’s book and try a climbing rose species instead of a traditional rose bush.

Ranunculus

Another gorgeous yet notoriously finicky flower is the ranunculus. They make the perfect addition to any bouquet and have become a sought-after choice for cutting gardens and container planting. According to Kuthy, their high-maintenance nature has landed these delicate flowers on her no-grow list.

“These flowers require far too much care, timing, and management to bloom. Ranunculus corms require cool temperatures in order to bloom, are highly susceptible to root rot, and need to be "pre-sprouted" indoors to ensure that they will survive once planted in the ground,'" she says.

Kuthy explains how this makes ranunculus too challenging of a flower for her northern garden.

Zucchini

Zucchini tends to be a default option for new gardeners as they tackle vegetable gardening for the first time, but Kuthy says she can’t stand growing the plant.

Kuthy often finds herself feeling overwhelmed whenever she ends up growing zucchini because there's such a large abundance of it.

"Even just one zucchini plant produces so much that I usually just end up feeding the extra to my chickens,” she says.

Over-production may seem like a silly problem, but the stress of trying to offload homegrown produce you won’t end up using before it goes bad can feel very real.

If you’re a die-hard zucchini lover, then, by all means, dive into zucchini growing head-first. However, if you prefer to enjoy the occasional zucchini rather than making it a staple of every meal this summer, consider skipping this plant in your vegetable garden.

Pampas Grass

Pampas grass has grown in popularity the past few years thanks to its decorative look which has been a sought-after addition to home gardens ever since. However, Bryan Clayton, the CEO of GreenPal with over two decades of landscaping experience, says that pampas grass tops the list of his least favorite plants to grow.

Pampas may be cheap and quickly fill up space, but it can easily become a nightmare in October when it withers and leaves yellow messes all over which will need to be cleaned up and chopped down to the ground, Clayton says.

"You're left with a bare spot all winter,” he says.

Instead, Clayton recommends opting for something that will stay green year-round and save you the hassle of a seasonal cleanup, such as evergreen shrubs or holly. These plants offer a far different look, but if you want to create a low-maintenance landscape with year-round interest, evergreen plants are the way to go.