An Insta post from horticulturist Leslie Halleck really made me chuckle this week. Entitled 'stop FLFing yourself', it explained why the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) makes a really terrible houseplant for the vast majority of households.

I agree. I wrote a chapter on this plant for Legends of the Leaf, and although it's a fascinating species, you need to remember that this is an African tree. It gets massive outside and is often grown as a shade tree, in other words it sucks up full sun like candy. And not your pathetic dribble of light coming in through a partially-obscured window. I'm talking full on sunshine, Africa-style.

So - unless you have floor length super sunny windows, or a very good growlight budget, just don't bother. Oh, and if you can't grow an FLF, forget about bird of paradise or banana plants, they too like oodles of sun and will smash your planty dreams to pieces.

Want to know what other trees do work indoors? Of course you do. Here's a trio that won't let you down. Yes, they may be common, but remember, it's all about how you style them.

The dragon tree, Dracaena reflexa var angustifolia

An absolute treasure that's too often overlooked*. If you find the regular red-edged species a little dull, the cultivar 'Sunray' offers something brighter for the variegation crowd. Dracaena fragrans, the corn plant, has wider leaves and is almost - but not quite - as bombproof.

Weeping fig, Ficus benjamina

If you want a big Ficus, go for this one. The leaves are way more elegant than the fiddle leaf fig, and it tends to cope better with lower light situations. Its major achilles heel is dropping a lot of leaves if moved, or as the seasons change, but there are some newer cultivars that claim resistance to this trait, including 'Monique'.

Rubber plant, Ficus elastica

If you like big leaves, these are just better than lyrata - glossy and less, well, coarse. This classic Ficus comes in a helpful range of cultivars, although being a basic bitch I am always going to prefer 'Robusta'. If you love variegation, 'Tineke' is stunning too.

Want more on trees/really large houseplants for your home? Check out On The Ledge episode 274 where I talk about the black olive/shady lady tree and some other alternatives.

*Fun fact - as a child my family used to take the piss out of me by repeatedly copying the way I said Dracaena marginata 'Tricolor'. The 80s, what a time to be alive.

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.

Forget the fiddle leaf fig. Try these indoor trees instead...