10 low-maintenance plants not to be trusted

Mother-in-law's language and chlorophytum comosum are not for you. You prefer challenges and plants that require constant care. Discover our selection of the most difficult houseplants to grow. Varieties likely to turn green-thumbed Tistou into a serial plant killer.

You might think you don't need to graduate from Harvard to take care of a fern... Boston Fern might change your mind. Beneath its friendly, wavy fronds lies a true diva.

Like its Dryopteridaceae cousins, the Boston fern thrives in humid environments. But don't expect to make it happy by sticking it next to your bathroom window. The plant needs light and can't stand temperatures above 20 degrees. To keep it happy, give it a humidifier. Then place it behind an east- or west-facing bay window, screened by a curtain.

We debated for a long time whether alocasia zebrina, alocasia cucullata or alocasia 'Black Velvet would make it into this top list of the most difficult plants to grow. And then we thought they all deserved it.

Elephant ears all have the same flaw: they take a long time to adapt to their new environment. For the first few weeks, even without repotting, their leaves just turn yellow and fall off. And once they've settled in, things don't get any better.

Alocasias are sensitive to drought and excess water. They also dislike bright locations and are prey to red spiders. Have you decided to take the plunge? Download the Monstera app for all our maintenance tips.

According to a survey carried out by a British furniture store, 60% of Lyre fig owners have killed theirs.

But murderers have extenuating circumstances! Ficus lyrata hates change. You take it home, its leaves fall off. You turn the pot a quarter turn, and what's left of the foliage is gone. Your apartment has the misfortune to be bathed in light? The few limbs that survived are turning brown!

If you'd still like to welcome this vintage shrub back into your home, follow these few rules: never move it, water it sparingly and mist it regularly.

After seeing the translucent, heart-shaped leaves of Caladium bicolor flood social networks, are you ready to succumb? Well, you're in for a treat.

Firstly, because you'll only be able to enjoy them six months out of the year. In autumn and winter, Caladium goes dormant. You'll find yourself looking after a tuber, praying it won't rot. Then there's the fact that restarting a caladium from a bulb is no easy task. Temperature, hygrometry, light - everything has to be perfectly controlled.

Is the summer season here, and is your caladium starting to unfurl its foliage? You're not out of the woods yet. Are the stems limp? This may be due to over- or under-watering. Leaf blades turning brown? This may be due to exposure. Or a fungus. Leaves turning yellow and falling off? This is part of the normal life cycle of angel wings! By October, the whole plant will have dried out and all you have to do is winterize your bulbs... Until spring.

Calatheas no longer hold any secrets for you? If you've got a green thumb, step up a gear and adopt maranta leuconeura.

At first glance, Maranta leuconeura is easy to care for. All it needs is draining soil, a little sun and weekly watering. In reality, this praying plant is unforgiving of neglect or over-watering. Nor does it tolerate draughts or radiators. And watch out if you forget to spray it! It will punish you with an invasion of red spiders or mealy bugs.

Another Marantaceae that's no laughing matter: the Stromanthe sanguinea Triostar.

To admire the pink and red patterns of its evergreen foliage, you'll need to invest in a humidifier or greenhouse. The plant requires a level of humidity difficult to achieve in our interiors and good indirect light. Finally, it doesn't tolerate draughts. Remember to move it to another room when you open the windows in winter. Even a few minutes below 15 degrees could be fatal.

Some hybrid rose varieties have been designed to simplify our lives. And others, like the dwarf Chinese rose, to make it even more complicated.

As delicate as its miniature flowers, the miniature rose dreads abundant watering, drought and direct sunlight. Keeping it alive outdoors is almost a feat. If you're in the mood for a feat, try growing it indoors! In this case, make sure you have a lamp that reproduces daylight, a humidifier, a fan and a supply of fertilizer.

Is your bamboo orchid giving you the cold sweats? There's something much worse. Habenaria rhodocheila has been recognized by the American Orchid Society as the most difficult orchid to grow.

To grow and flower a Habenaria rhodocheila, you'll need to recreate the conditions of its natural environment. As always, you may ask. The difficulty? This terrestrial orchid, native to Asia, is used to the monsoon season. From the first shoots to flowering, you need to water it like a Bombay street in summer. Once the last flower has fallen, the plant goes into dormancy and does without water. You'll be fine for a few months, until a new leaf appears.

Hailing from the forests of Brazil, aphelandra squarrosa combines decorative foliage with spectacular flowering.

But Aphelandra squarrosa's white-veined green leaves and yellow flowers have to be earned! This tropical plant needs a winter rest and a good pruning in spring. For the rest of the year, provide a bright, draught-free environment with plenty of humidity.

You'd think that plants that hunt for food would be tough as nails. Not so. Carnivorous plants, like Dionaea muscipula, are among the most complicated species to keep alive.

First of all, you have to resist the temptation to activate the jaws for nothing. Each trap works three times before dying. Each time you put your finger in "to see", you kill your Dionée attrape-mouche slowly.

Another enemy of the Dionaea muscipula is tap water. It contains limestone, chlorine and mineral salts, a deadly cocktail for carnivorous plants. When you give your Venus flycatcher a drink, offer it only rainwater or demineralized water.