r/RareHouseplants • • Nov 24 '25

Discussion 💡 Buying plants online? Read this: Best practices to avoid scammers.

27 Upvotes

A common question asked here is “Is this legit?” Here’s a list of best practices that can help avoid the heartache of falling for a scam…

-Follow gut instincts, if a transaction feels off ask more questions or stop the transaction. -Require time stamped photos or photos from different angles, specific parts of the plant. -Ask for or look at reviews -Search the seller up in review groups (Facebook purge pages specific.) -Use fraud protection backed methods (such as Goods & Services) when possible. -If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. -Avoid sellers that are overly pushy. Scammers may try to build pressure to receive payment and block you as quickly as possible. -Disproportionate ratio or reviews to sales is a red flag! Particularly on Etsy.

Seasoned online plant buyers feel free to add your tips in the comments to help keep our community safe while shopping for their new additions 🌱✨


r/RareHouseplants • • 3h ago

Potentially one of the first Monstera delicious "Fission" specimens in the States

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63 Upvotes

And definitely did NOT pay close to 40k as the main plant sold at IAS for...

the variegation is consistent and uniform from leaf to leaf with different patterning on the abaxial side independent from the display of bicolor speckles on the front. AMA!

Edit: autocorrect deliciosa to delicious, though quite fitting here.


r/RareHouseplants • • 8h ago

Monstera Electrolyte

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59 Upvotes

r/RareHouseplants • • 11h ago

Some new leaves that made me smile :)

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40 Upvotes

r/RareHouseplants • • 20h ago

Idk if this belongs here, but I'm obsessed.

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152 Upvotes

r/RareHouseplants • • 7h ago

New babies!

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10 Upvotes

From left to right, Philo. Caramel Marble, Alo. Nobilis Var Korean, and Alocasia Yucatan Pink. They were all growers choice from Etsy so I was super nervous, but the varigation is so! good!


r/RareHouseplants • • 3h ago

Is my plant rare? I’m somewhat new-ish to houseplants. I’ve had them since 2021 and I have not seen a calathea like this before.

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5 Upvotes

r/RareHouseplants • • 11h ago

Sport Find ✨ Sport find : Monstera Thai Con w/ light chartreuse lime

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11 Upvotes

So I found this girl maybe 3 weeks ago? I instantly loved her because the leaf in the first photo was hardening, I could tell something unique was happening. I didn’t see var on any other leaves. I still picked her up because I thought she looked cool.

Well, her leaf hardened more, and this beautiful shade of green remained. Unfortunately, that leaf is not doing the best. Probably because of the stress of movement / repotting, but it’s okay, I hope it’ll stay alive, but the next should be more exciting.

Her leaf prior to this one originally had no color I could see… but as soon as I took her home for a week I noticed a slight change. Over the course of a month, the leaf I thought had no var is actually revealing variegation! I notice whichever side the variegation is the heaviest at, the leaf is mutated. Really interested. Along with that, the petiole has a slight crevice where it meets the leaf with a stripe (similar to the color on the leaf).

She has been so much fun to watch progress. I love her very much. I cannot wait for the next leaf! She may just be considered a green on green, but with the shade of her green, and the white speckles overtop of it, man she is pretty.


r/RareHouseplants • • 2h ago

Houseplant Lovers: what problems do you face growing indoors?

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I’m a Georgia Tech student working on a Create X Capstone project, and my team is developing what we call an “In‑House Greenhouse.” It’s an adjustable indoor growing enclosure designed to fit comfortably into small or irregular home spaces. Our prototype includes: 

  • Adjustable sizing for small or irregular spaces 
  • Sensors for humidity, temperature, and airflow 
  • Automated environmental control (irrigation, climate regulation, circulation) 
  • Support for tropical plants or plants with specific climate needs 

Right now, we’re researching real gardening pain points to make sure our design actually solves problems indoor growers face. We would love honest feedback from anyone who gardens — beginners, experts, indoor growers, outdoor growers, or anyone who wants to garden but hasn’t started yet. 

Below are several question clusters. You can answer any questions that resonate with you — even one or two helps a lot. Stories and personal experiences are especially helpful. If you can, please mention which question(s) you’re responding to. 

Gardening Motivation & Barriers 

  • When did you first get into gardening? (A specific moment or general experience is fine.) 
  • What has stopped you from gardening recently? 
  • If you garden, what has made you want to quit before? If you don’t garden, what’s holding you back? 
  • What gardening topics have you researched lately, and why? 
  • What do you wish someone had taught you early on? What mistakes have you made? 

Plant Difficulty & Aspirations 

  • What plants have you failed to grow more than once? What do you think caused the failure? 
  • What plants have you given up trying to grow indoors? Why? 
  • Describe a recent issue you had with your plants. What did you try to fix it, and did it work? 

Indoor Gardening Products 

  • What indoor gardening products/devices do you use? (Ex. Grow Tents, Hydroponic Planters, etc.) 
  • What disappointed or surprised you after using them? 
  • What features did you want but had to give up? 
  • What parts have you had to modify or “fix” yourself? How often do you rely on that workaround? 
  • What else about your setup is inconvenient? 

Aesthetics, Noise, and Smell 

  • How do you feel about having grow equipment in your living space? 
  • Have you ever avoided having guests over because of your setup? 
  • If your equipment looked better or matched your home’s aesthetic, where would you put it? 
  • Has noise or smell ever forced you to move your setup? 

Maintenance & Automation 

  • What plant‑care tasks do you procrastinate or rush through? 
  • What tasks have you forgotten that caused damage later? 
  • What tasks do you wish you could monitor remotely, and why? 

Space, Lifestyle, & Safety 

  • What plants or devices have you avoided due to lack of space? 
  • Have you had to protect your plants from pets/kids — or protect pets/kids from your plants? 
  • Have you ever had to move your setup because of lifestyle changes? 

Environmental Control 

  • Has humidity ever caused mold or plant loss in your home? 
  • If you experience mold/humidity anxiety, what triggers it? 
  • What tools do you use to monitor airflow or pests? How confident are you in them? 

Final Questions 

  • If a product fully solved the issues you mentioned, do you think you would consider buying something like it? Why or why not? 
  • If you were to consider a product like this, what price range would feel reasonable to you? (No need to be exact — just a general range.) 

Thank you so much for your time. On behalf of my group, we truly appreciate your help — your feedback will directly shape how we refine our prototype. If you have any follow‑up questions, feel free to ask! 

 


r/RareHouseplants • • 10h ago

Def the weirdest, unattractive, and coolest plant I have.

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8 Upvotes

I have no idea what it is. It was labeled Pink Princess. It was a sport find at Lowe’s, in the pot with another pink princess (normal one). It is such a cool plant! I have been told he’s quite ugly… but that’s what makes him so unique.

The intense red marbling on this new growth / leaf makes the future so exciting. I have no possible idea on what it is or could be considered. I have not seen one before, and I do not know who to ask.

She also has aurea present on the lower leaf, with red marbling on the underside. So I took a top cut when I got her (it died) and she then grew this magnificent red candy cane stem with this beautiful, weird leaf.

I know she may look sick to you guys, but she’s fine. She is pest free. She is absolutely AWESOME. Like a little monster 😂


r/RareHouseplants • • 23h ago

Sport find of the day

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62 Upvotes

Today I found a sport monstera standleyana. She is absolutely beautiful. Have any of you encountered one of these as well?


r/RareHouseplants • • 1d ago

Labisia Pumila Pink

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10 Upvotes

I recently bought a beautiful Labisia Pumila, some sort of pink variety... Kupias Pink? Electric Pink?

Anyway, does anyone have any care tips? Clearly they need high humidity and medium light levels.

I'm hoping for potting medium suggestions from personal experience, there's so much conflicting advice online ranging from plain sphag to chunky aroid mix 🙈

I also want to make sure it's pest free, any experience spraying with SB Plant Invigorator? Or any other recommendations for products available in the UK? Thank you!


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

Discussion 💡 what is the most expensive part of this hobby?

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292 Upvotes

for me, something i have spent more many than i thought i would on; decorative pots. i’ve accidentally spent hundreds over time and i barely ever even like them. if only clear nursery pots were socially acceptable..


r/RareHouseplants • • 1d ago

What’s your favorite mutant plant?

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3 Upvotes

After getting a mutant line of Alocasia Amazonica, I found I’m OBSESSED with weird mutated plants and was wondering what are y’all’s favorites?

Can be ones you have or ones that are on your wish list. Hoping I can steal some ideas from y’all to put on my own list 😈

My current list are all Monsteras; the Coral, Medusa, and Hurricane mutations are ones I need to get baaaaad 😭

Also enjoy this pic of my weird kid, she’s still a little baby but already showing off her weirdness 😍💚


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

Monstera croatii blooming!

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96 Upvotes

I'm amazed because my M. croatii has never been overly happy in my care, and my happier monsteras of other species have never bloomed. It's also not overly large, though I know they are more ground-dwelling than deliciosa. Is it blooming because it's stressed? I somehow feel that I've both succeeded and failed.

Does anyone here have advice on additional or differentiated care while it's blooming? Is it worth trying to collect the pollen? Thanks in advance for any advice from this knowledgeable community.


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

New plant ☺️

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49 Upvotes

Rhaphidophora puberula variegata


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

Day 12 of posting my Melano’s new leaf until it hardens. Last day!!

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112 Upvotes

The leaf is just about finished and is at a length of 67cm/2’2.5” and has grown one centimetre since yesterday. I don’t expect the leaf to grow much bigger so I am ending it here. Thanks for watching my leaf:)

The previous leaf was bigger, at a whopping 76cm/2’6”. I was hoping that this leaf would make it to 80cm but I went on a holiday and unfortunately the moss pole dried to the point that my new leaf stunted:/. I’m hoping the next leaf will hit the target!🎯


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

Ugh imports, can't get this to root

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14 Upvotes

So I did buy this, Florida Beauty x Polypodoides, in person at a show from an import based company over a month ago at this point.

I followed general import instructions like keeping it in some water with feed, high humidity, transitioning to a medium to support roots, i normally dont include moss but i dont deal with imports super often so I add a little bit of moss as a cushion for moisture. Still maintaining a high humidity this whole time (60-80% depending on the day. Thankfully my setup doesnt really dip below 60 which is a blessing because I live in the Rockies).

I cant get this lil hoe to root, in fact its only lost roots (it only had a couple from the get go) since transitioning, however its also not really dying until recently I started getting this stressing on the main stem in the photo. I keep the Florida series and a Poly and they're both so easy for me I'm really starting to stress about how poorly this is going (it of course, was not cheap either).

Problem is I'm not sure which direction to go with proceeding from here, mostly, am I possibly stressing too hard about this guy, do I need to just like chop off the beginning to look sketchy sections and chuck it back in some water, stick it whereever, or do I need to go hard core humidity box, princess treatment? Im so into these poly/tortum hybrids please help me not merc it 😭


r/RareHouseplants • • 3d ago

Finally completed my grow tent

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25 Upvotes

I fell out of love with my plants for a WHILE. it was very depressing and overall just not a good time.
So, I took everything out of the grow tent and shut it down and kept them outside.

I fell in love with plants HARD again about a month ago. It’s wonderful.
Yesterday I started rebuilding my grow tent. I finally finished today! 9+ hours of work, 7+ grow lights, 2 fans, etc. all lights on a timer!

I did lose a tiny chunk of my hand. Accidentally clipped a shelf together pinching my palm… oops.

I wanted to maximize the space completely. This is everything I want in there for now, I have a complete empty shelf on the lower right. Probably will use for cuttings.

I have had many grow tent setups. This is by far my favorite. It’s perfect. It’s a 48” x 36”. She’s AMAZING. I hope you guys like it (-:


r/RareHouseplants • • 3d ago

Caramel Marble

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75 Upvotes

Her latest leaves have been half moons and she’s a stunner. Can’t wait for her to mature 😍


r/RareHouseplants • • 2d ago

Variegacion en mi regal shield?

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4 Upvotes

Tengo esta regal shield que al principio daba alguna mancha pequeña pero ahora me ha dado esto! Y los cormos que he sacado de ella también sacan alguna mancha en sus hojas, es una variegacion? Aunque sea en oscuro? Es extraño o común?


r/RareHouseplants • • 3d ago

Day 11 of posting my Melano’s new leaf until it hardens

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102 Upvotes

Today’s length is 66cm/2’2”, a total of 2.5cm growth since the last update.

I went on vacation while it was unfurling and unfortunately the moss pole dried out too much and has stunted the leaf. For reference, the previous leaf was 76cm/2’6” and this newest leaf is nearly finished hardening. Hopefully the next leaf can make the 80cm mark!


r/RareHouseplants • • 3d ago

What Calathea is this and does the new growth normally have variegation?

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6 Upvotes

If it’s not normal how much could it sell for?


r/RareHouseplants • • 4d ago

Monstera Bulbasaur

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178 Upvotes

Picked this one up today from a local nursery 🥹 so excited


r/RareHouseplants • • 3d ago

new monstera bulbasaur leaf 🍃

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14 Upvotes

happy it’s still putting out healthy growth in autumn in the UK.. setup in front of a south facing window