I've written before about how the houseplant industry sometimes sets us up for failure with plants. I talked about one of the plants I'd class as a complete no-no in On The Ledge episode 277: the coconut palm. It needs waaaaay too much sunlight, heat and humidity for most of us to keep it alive longer than a few weeks or months. That renders it a waste of money, and from an environmental point of view, far from sustainable. So, what else do you need to remove from your wishlist, pronto?

Here are three more 'houseplants' to avoid like the plague, and my suggestions if you want the look without the inevitable disappointment of a dead plant.

Medinilla magnifica aka rose grape

I fear the Barbie film may have given plant sellers a new angle on this undoubtedly beautiful tropical plant with drooping candy pink blooms. But stop and think - are you a Elton John? No? Then you probably can't afford the kind of conservatory and professional horticultural care you'd need to keep this plant happy. This shrub comes from the Philippines and is best off admired from a great distance.

Try instead: A big pink-flowered cane begonia such as 'Lucerna’.

Miniature roses aka Rosa chinensis

If you want a really pass-ag way of marking a visit to someone's house, gift them one of these. They're sold as houseplants but they absolutely detest being inside, quickly succumbing to any number of pests and/or diseases. Stick them outside - most likely on the compost heap.

Try instead: A chunky Kalanchoe such as 'Magic Bells' or K. tubiflora.

Olive tree aka Olea europaea

We all want to imagine we're sunning ourselves in an Italian olive grove, rather than being drizzled on in the home counties (or is that just me?) but an indoor olive tree is not the answer. Like the coconut palm, olives need so so much sun - and just don't like centrally heated rooms. They're a pricey purchase for something that will die, slowly and painfully, unless you have a country estate with a humungous climate controlled conservatory.

Try instead: a weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) - either variegated or plain green - can make a magnificent long lived indoor tree.

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.

Don't buy these houseplants!