The Easiest & Most Challenging Plants to Grow, According to Non-Experts
Intro
For gardening enthusiasts, there’s nothing more exhilarating than the first burst of a bright green sapling from the soil. But for so many people, the little thrills of being a plant parent are thwarted by their not-so-green thumbs.
At Breck’s, we know that many new gardeners struggle to properly care for their plants. We’ve heard limitless stories about common gardening challenges such as soil hydration, adequate sunlight, and gardening pests. We even know a few nascent gardeners who have killed even the hardiest flowers and plants.
We want recreational gardeners to be persistent in their efforts to become capable horticulturists. The best way for many new gardeners to build their skills is by starting their gardening journey with easy-to-grow flowers and plants. That way, you can experience the little wins of watching a plant grow, and these triumphs will help build your confidence to expand your garden further.
In an effort to identify the hardest-to-kill flowers and plants for novice gardeners, we surveyed 600 non-expert, recreational gardeners around the U.S. to see which plants and flowers are the easiest and hardest to grow and maintain, in their opinion. We asked respondents to rate each plant/flower on a scale of 1-10 (where 1 = least difficult and 10 = most difficult), so that we could assign each flower/plant a difficulty rating.
After we collected responses, we analyzed the national and state-by-state trends in perceived difficulty from recreational gardeners. Ultimately, our results can help gardeners of all levels pick a plant or flower that best fits their abilities.
According to respondents, the plant with the highest difficulty rating among recreational gardeners is orchids, scoring 7.14 out of a possible 10 points. Orchids are bulb plants, which makes them fairly easy to plant, but their unique blooms can be challenging for gardeners who don’t have expertise in managing the optimal light and temperature that these plants need to thrive. For those willing to take on the challenge, however, Breck’s has tips for orchid care.
In contrast, the plant with the lowest difficulty rating among recreational gardeners across the country is the hosta plant. We can’t think of any better plant than a hosta for new gardeners. They are notably easy to grow, and for minimal effort, gardeners can see their hosta plants sprout huge, impressive leaves that will make any yard feel like a botanical garden.
Other plants that were widely regarded to be easy to grow are daffodils, palm plants, and tulips. All of these plants are great, low-maintenance options for beginning gardeners looking for minimal fuss.
Next, we decided to take a closer look at the easiest and hardest types of flowers to grow. Overall, the largest percentage of respondents, over 45%, find that roses are the easiest flowers to grow. Close behind roses, tulips, daffodils, and lilies were widely regarded as easy projects for new gardeners.
On the other side of the spectrum, less than 10% of respondents think that amaryllis is easy to grow. Although it is easy to find pre-bloomed amaryllis bulbs, the process of cutting and replanting amaryllis plants to ensure they rebloom can be challenging. Since the process can be a little more complex, Breck’s has detailed instructions for how to care for an amaryllis plant.
Next, we wanted to look at indoor plant care. After all, houseplants have become increasingly popular over the past few years, especially among millennials living in studio apartments or metro areas with limited space for outdoor gardens.
The widely held belief among plant parents was that aloe vera, a type of cactus plant, is the easiest indoor plant to care for. Over half of respondents report that they considered aloe vera easy to grow. Succulents, palm plants, and rubber plants are also regarded as especially easy to grow.
Of course, houseplants aren’t fool-proof. Over a third of respondents have killed at least one or two plants over the past year. In fact, over 11% of respondents have managed to kill six or more houseplants in the last year alone. Respondents rate rattlesnake plants and monstera as the most difficult houseplants to grow. Given these difficulties, it may be helpful for indoor gardeners to check out our guide to growing indoor plants.
The Easiest Flowers to Grow in Each State, According to Non-Experts
While national trends are informative, when it comes to plants and gardening, location is everything. The local climate, humidity, and access to sunlight can drastically change how a plant grows for two gardeners with the exact same skills. Therefore, we also segmented the data to understand which flowers were especially easy to grow for non-expert gardeners in different states.
The daffodil was the flower that was the most widely-regarded as easy-to-grow. Gardeners in 20 states consider the daffodil to be the easiest plant to grow. Interestingly, gardeners from Washington to Florida agree that the daffodil is the easiest flower to grow, a testament to the durability of daffodil bulbs. However, among states that ranked daffodils as the easiest plants to grow, average difficulty ratings span from 1.67 to 4.63. This range indicates just how much local conditions determine the ease of growing different plants.
Regarding daffodils, our Director of Merchandising at Breck’s Holland, Edwin Visser, weighed in:
Fall planting bulbs such as daffodils are the easiest to grow. They can be planted in many different soil types and will still thrive as long as they have sun. Another bonus: deer are not attracted to them so they are safe in your garden.
Some unique states are South Dakota, where most gardeners agree dahlias are the easiest flowers to grow, and Mississippi, where most gardeners believe peonies are the easiest to grow.
Finally, we wanted to provide an easy-to-use guide for growing six common flower types. As seen earlier in the study, these flowers span a range of difficulty levels; however, this flower guide can be a useful resource for gardeners of all skill levels.
What’s more, Breck’s has a series of robust guides that gardeners can review before planting. Check out Breck’s guides to growing irises, lilies, dahlias, and peonies. Remember that every flower is different and even the smallest changes in soil type, watering, spacing, and sunlight can be crucial to helping a flower grow.
Wrap Up
Altogether, our report showed us that no matter where you live in the country, there are plenty of plants that are relatively easy to grow. No matter what plant you decide to take on, doing your homework as a gardener and reviewing gardener guides will help you achieve plant-growing success. As a start, feel free to check out some of Breck’s guides for gardeners. We wish you and your plants good luck!
