7 Popular Flowers That Are Too High-Maintenance

Borage

Erin Scottberg, certified horticulturist and head of content and education at The Sill, says borage flowers are beautiful but they can quickly overtake your garden if you aren’t careful.

“These annuals are insanely prolific self-seeders, and unless you’re careful to stay on top of them, they’ll quickly take over your garden,” she says. “And if you’re in a small space—like my tiny Brooklyn backyard—that level of maintenance is just too much.”

Morning Glories

Scottberg lumps morning glories into the same category as borage—they’re prolific self-seeders and quick to spread.

If you’re looking for something similar that’s a bit easier to work with, she suggests planting Star Jasmine in a container. “It’s a vigorous climber that propagates by underground runners, so by keeping it in a container, you can, well, contain its spread,” she explains. “Plus, the smell is magical.”

Garden Peonies

NYBG-certified horticulturist Bliss Bendall says garden peonies also require lots of work. “First of all, they need to be properly staked with garden hoops because they tend to fall over in wind and rain,” she says. “After one rain shower, even staked-in hoops tend to fall apart as their stems are very weak.”

If that isn’t enough to make you skip those flower seeds, this not-so-fun fact might: According to Bendall, when they’re cut and brought into the house, they tend to bring ants inside with them.

Gardenias

Courtney Sixx, founder of Bouquet Box, a DIY floral arrangement kit, says the more you stress a gardenia, the more you’ll be stressed about growing them.

“If one or two days of a gardenia’s care is skipped or inconsistent, it will stress the plant, creating yellowing leaves, dieback, and causing flower buds to drop,” she says. “Gardenias require specific temperatures, sun exposure, watering, and fertilizer, all on a rigorous schedule.”

So, if you’re new to growing flowers or frequently travel, it’s best to plant a different seed. 

Dahlias

Dahlias are gorgeous, but according to Sixx, they are very time-consuming to grow. “These require a certain depth of planting, staking, fertilizing, disbudding, cutting back, and correct watering,” she says. “At the end of their season, there is digging up and finding the perfect environmental storage for them to replant the following year.”

There’s also gall to deal with, Sixx adds. “Diseases such as gall need to be recognized to prevent spreading this bacteria to the area as well as to other dahlia plants,” she says. “If this fungus is located in the planting bed, you must not replant dahlias there again.”

Delphiniums

Delphiniums are stunning, but Sixx explains that they don’t live long enough to make the effort worthwhile. “Delphiniums thrive in cooler climates and need at least six hours of sunlight to stay healthy,” she says. “They also require staking and rich, organic soil with plenty of organic matter to prevent crown rot.” Despite all this effort, their blooms last only about a month.

Hybrid Tea Roses

Hybrid tea roses are beautiful, but Sixx warns that if you don’t have time to properly water, fertilize, and prune them, they’re a nightmare. “They require deep watering in the morning, being careful not to get the leaves wet to avoid fungus,” Sixx says. “They also need heavy fertilizers and constant pruning.”

If you want to take on a challenge, know that hybrid tea roses grow best in loose, loamy, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH. Applying mulch around rose bushes will keep the roots cool.