13 Plants You Probably Shouldn’t Even Try to Grow Indoors

Reasons to avoid:Allergies, poisonous, dust

Ficus plants are popular indoor plants, but they harbordark secrets. One, they’redifficult to keep clean, because their waxy, broad leaves collect dust like it’s a new trend,requiring constant cleaningunless you want a reputation for being a bad plant parent. Two, they cantrigger allergic reactionsin folks with a latex sensitivity. And three, most ficus plants arepoisonous to pets and humans, at leastto some degree. The sap will irritate the skin, and if leaves or sap areingested,it can lead to vomiting and diarrhea,or worse.

Reasons to avoid:Bugs!

谁不喜欢肉质植物!这些可爱的植物make for ideal houseplants, unless you happen to bring home a succulent that’s playing host to a small colony of mealybugs. Because that small colony of mealybugs will turn into a hyper-advanced spacefaring civilization of mealybugs faster than you can imagine, especially if there are lots of other plants in your collectionthey can infest. While mealybugs aren’t dangerous (just kind of gross) they can be toughto get rid of, especially once they spread throughout your house.

Reasons to avoid: Poisonous

When you have a famousnovel and film adaptation你因为你的倾向于b的名字命名的e poisonous, you know you’re a badass houseplant. While the oleander makes for avery beautiful houseplant, it’s alsokind of dangerous—just having casual contact with oleander leaves or other parts of the shrub can bepotentially fatalto both humans and pets. In other words, it’s simply not worth the risk to have these pretty flowers in your house.

Reasons to avoid:Some varietiescause a rash

The many varieties of bonsai tree are delightful, and we humans love anything that comes in mini form,trees beingno exception. But there are many varieties of bonsai treesthat can cause allergic reactions, and handling some withoutwithout protective gear can result in rashes—and can cause someserious toxic reactions if ingested. The danger extends to your pets—if you have a curious critter who might munch on your bonsai, this is a very poor choice for a houseplant even if you plan to be very careful when handling it.

(Of course, the idea that anyone has kept a bonsai tree alive for more than a week, considering the absurd amount of water they need, probably makes this slide moot. Or is that just me?)

Reasons to avoid:Allergies

Daisies are pretty and very easy to grow, sprouting large, bright flowers—and some of them are even edible, which means you can put themto good use. On the other hand, if you or anyone you know suffers from pollen-based allergies, daisies in generalare a terrible ideabecause they are one of the biggest pollen producing flowers out there. Even if you’re not allergic, guests may have a miserable time visiting your home if daisies are present, so it’s best toavoid the issue altogether.

Reasons to avoid:Dangerous to pets

Also called the Pothos plant, it shouldn’t be too surprising that something named after the devil himself isn’t a good houseplant choice. People love the devil’s ivy because of its unique look andgenerallack of allergy-irritating pollen, but it’s also toxic to both humans and pets. While you may never have the urge to eat some of your devil’s ivy, your dogs and cats and other critters may not be as smart as you, and ingesting this plant canbe quitedangerous. If you don’t have pets,you’re good to go;otherwise it’s best to choose something else to grow indoors.

Reasons to avoid:They can kill your cats

Easter lilies are gorgeous, smell great, and are traditional decorative plants around the Easter holiday (and make for pretty plants at other times of the year as well). But if you are a cat person, beware: While lilies pose no real threat to you or to the dogs of the world, they’reextremely dangerous to cats, who often can’t resist a nibble when they encounter one. Cats are the only animal known to be affected by lilies, so if you don’t have a kitty prowling around you can have all the lilies you want.

Reasons to avoid: Poisonous, rash, dangerous to宠物

English ivy is a popular choice because it will climb up just about anything, giving you a lot of creative freedom when curating your indoor garden. But despite the fact that it’s a wholly different plant from Poison Ivy, it can have asimilar effect on you: A painful, itchy rash that can be very severe. Additionally, English ivy isdangerous to both cats and dogs, so not only will you be scratching yourself like crazy after potting this plant, your pets will also be in danger.

Reasons to avoid: Poisonous

People love philodendron plants because they grow like weeds indoors, require very little maintenance, and are very attractive plants. Unfortunately, they’repacked with something called calcium oxalate, which makes just touching the plant a daredevil activity. Getting the sap on your skin or in your eyes (after handling the plant and rubbing them) can cause severe symptoms including swelling, difficulty breathing, rash, and even permanent damage to your eye. The only way to be safe around philodendrons is to have them in someone else’s house.

Reasons to avoid:Dangerous to pets

People love elephantear (aka caladium) plants because of their large, attractive leaves. But keeping a caladium plant in your home is potentially dangerous to your pets because itcontains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause severe burning pain, vomiting, and possibly worse if your doggo or cat eats some. It will also do those things toyouif you eat some—and while that’s unlikely, you can irritate your skin or eyes if you touch the leaves and then yourself. Best to just skip this one unless you have a pet free home and you’re willing and able to take some precautions.

Reasons to avoid:Poisonous, allergies, dangerous to宠物

Hyacinths are popular in the late winter and early spring because they bloom into colorful, attractive flowers while it’s still cold and dark outside. Unfortunately, hyacinths are dangerous to humans and pets. Aside from triggering your allergies, they’re also highly toxic to you and your dogs or cats. You need to wear gloves and other protective gear when handling hyacinths, or yourisk a long list of unpleasant symptoms. And if your pet gets into the hyacinths they will require immediate emergency medical attention.

Reasons to avoid:Poisonous to people and pets

People like these big leafy plants because they’re relatively easy to care for and their leaves sport interesting gradations of color, going from pale yellow to lush green. But like philodendrons, dumb cane plantscontaina toxic substancecalled calcium oxalate. That makes handling these plants dangerous without gloves and other protective clothing, because getting some of the sap on your hands, or—much worse—in your mouth or in your eyes will be a very unpleasant and dangerous experience. The threatextends to curious pets who might take an exploratory chew on a dumb cane plant—leading to a panicked trip to the veterinarian.

Reasons to avoid: Poisonous

ZZ plants are popular choices for indoor gardening because they tolerate neglect well and have few needs in terms of sunlight or watering. But that easiness comes with a price, because they’re also incredibly poisonous. Just touching them can cause painful rashes and other skin irritations, and ingesting even a small amount is a very bad idea. If small children or pets get curious about this plant, they cansuffer serious injury, so think twice before including this one in your indoor gardening plans.