Newsletter Articles
Strange and Unusual Plants for Your SoCal Garden
By Richard Flowers, ACCNP-Green Thumb Nursery-Ventura
From plants that catch their own insects to living stones that look like pebbles, strange and unusual plants turn a garden or windowsill into a conversation piece. Most are easy once you match them to the right spot: carnivorous plants want bright light and pure water, oddball succulents want grit and sun, and air plants want no soil at all, though a few are toxic to pets or need special care, so it pays to check before you buy.
Quick answer: Grow unusual plants by matching each to its needs, use pure water and bright light for carnivores, grit and sun for living stones, and no soil for air plants, and always check a plant for toxicity and invasiveness before you bring it home.
- Carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps and pitcher plants need distilled or rain water, bright light, and no fertilizer.
- Living stones (Lithops) are succulents shaped like pebbles that need sharp drainage and a seasonal watering rhythm.
- Air plants (Tillandsia) grow with no soil at all, taking water through their leaves from a soak or misting.
- Staghorn ferns grow mounted on a board in bright, indirect light rather than in a pot.
- Some unusual plants move (the sensitive plant folds when touched) or revive from a dry ball when watered.
- Before buying, check toxicity on the ASPCA list and invasiveness on the Cal-IPC inventory, and keep unlisted plants away from pets that nibble.
| Plant | What makes it unusual | How to grow it |
|---|---|---|
| Venus flytrap | Snap-trap leaves that catch live insects. | Bright direct light, distilled or rain water, no fertilizer. |
| Pitcher plant | Tubular leaves that trap and digest insects. | Full sun, a damp acidic bog mix, pure water, no fertilizer. |
| Sundew | Sticky, glistening tentacles that work like flypaper. | Bright light, high humidity, pure water, lean peat mix. |
| Living stones (Lithops) | Succulents that mimic pebbles, with a window-topped leaf. | Sharp-draining mix, bright light, water spring and fall only. |
| Air plant (Tillandsia) | Grows with no soil, absorbing water through its leaves. | Bright indirect light, a weekly soak or regular misting. |
| Staghorn fern | Antler-like fronds on a fern grown mounted, not potted. | Mount on a board in bright indirect light; do not let roots dry out. |
| Sensitive plant | Leaves fold shut within seconds of being touched. | Grow as a potted indoor novelty; keep it contained. |
| Resurrection plant | Curls into a dry ball, then greens up when watered. | Keep as an indoor curiosity; rehydrate to revive it. |
Carnivorous Plants: Flytraps, Pitchers, and Sundews
Nothing starts a conversation like a plant that eats bugs. The trick with all of them is pure water and a lean, nutrient-poor setup. The US Botanic Garden advises never using tap or mineral water on carnivorous plants, since rainwater, melted snow, or distilled water are ideal, and not fertilizing them, because they evolved in poor soils and get their nutrients from prey instead.[1] For a Venus flytrap, the New York Botanical Garden recommends at least six hours of direct sun, distilled or rain water, and a half-peat, half-sand mix, and warns plainly not to feed the plant meat, since it only wants live insect prey.[2] Pitcher plants grow tall tubular traps and want full sun and a damp, acidic bog mix, while sundews catch insects on glistening, glue-tipped tentacles that work like living flypaper. Good news for pet owners: the ASPCA lists the Venus flytrap as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.[3] In SoCal these do best as a bog container or terrarium with pure water rather than out in a regular bed.
Living Stones and Other Bizarre Succulents
Living stones, or Lithops, are the ultimate plant disguise. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension describes them as two fused succulent leaves shaped like an inverted cone with a translucent window on top that lets light down inside for photosynthesis, so the plant looks like a pebble on the ground.[4] The same source says to grow them in a well-drained cactus mix with several hours of direct morning sun, and to follow a strict seasonal rhythm: water from late spring into summer, stop while they are dormant in summer, resume in late summer to early fall, and keep them dry through winter and spring.[4] They make an easy, slow, fascinating windowsill plant in our mild climate, and the ASPCA lists living stones as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.[5] If you want easier-going succulents to start with, see our picks for the best California succulents for beginners.
Air Plants and Mounted Wonders
Some unusual plants skip soil entirely. Penn State Extension explains that air plants (Tillandsia) absorb water and nutrients through their leaves rather than their roots, which serve mainly to anchor them, and that they bloom only once in their lifetime before producing offsets called pups.[6] Clemson Cooperative Extension says to give them bright, filtered light and never direct sun, and to water once a week by misting well or submerging the plant for 20 to 30 minutes, then turning it over to drain.[7] The staghorn fern is another soil-free oddity: the Missouri Botanical Garden describes it as an epiphytic fern with antler-like fronds, grown mounted on a board or bark in bright indirect light while avoiding full sun, and winter hardy in USDA zones 9 to 12, so in frost-free SoCal spots it can even hang outdoors in bright shade.[8] The ASPCA lists the common staghorn fern as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.[9] Air plants pair naturally with our guide to watering air plants if you want to go deeper.
Plants That Move and Revive
A couple of oddities seem almost animate. The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) folds its leaves shut within seconds of being touched, a rapid movement that peer-reviewed research describes as an anti-herbivore defense driven by calcium and electrical signaling in the plant.[10] Duke Gardens classifies it as a tropical perennial, and it grows easily as a potted indoor novelty.[11] One caution: it is a weedy plant in frost-free tropical regions, so even though it is not on California’s invasive or noxious-weed lists, keep it in a pot and do not plant it out in a frost-free coastal spot. The resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla), a Chihuahuan Desert native, curls into a dry brown ball that looks dead, then uncurls and greens up when it is watered, a feat of desiccation tolerance documented in research on how its stems curl.[12] It is sold as a revive-it-with-water curiosity rather than a landscape plant.
Before You Buy: Safety and Invasive Checks
Unusual does not always mean worry-free, so run two quick checks before bringing one home. First, toxicity: of the plants here, only the Venus flytrap, living stones, and staghorn fern are confirmed non-toxic to pets by the ASPCA.[3] The pitcher plant, sundew, air plant, sensitive plant, and resurrection plant are not listed by the ASPCA, which does not mean they are safe, so keep any unlisted plant away from pets and children who might nibble it. Second, invasiveness: it is always worth confirming a plant is not on the California Invasive Plant Inventory before planting it in the ground, and the Cal-IPC inventory is the place to check.[13] None of the plants in this guide is on that inventory, but a quick look is a good habit, especially for anything new or unusual. If you want more unusual edibles rather than ornamentals, see our guide to fun, unusual vegetables, and for dependable choices, our picks that stay green all year.
Strange and Unusual Plants FAQ
What are some strange plants I can grow?
Fun options include carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps and pitcher plants, living stones (Lithops) that look like pebbles, soil-free air plants, mounted staghorn ferns, and the sensitive plant whose leaves fold when touched. Each has its own simple formula for success, mostly about matching light and water.
Are carnivorous plants hard to grow?
They are not hard, just specific. The US Botanic Garden says carnivorous plants need pure water (rain, melted snow, or distilled, never tap), bright light, high humidity, and no fertilizer, since they feed on insects rather than nutrients in the soil.[1] Get the water and light right and they thrive.
Which unusual plants are easiest for beginners?
Air plants and living stones are the most forgiving. Clemson Cooperative Extension notes air plants need only bright indirect light and a weekly soak or misting,[7] and University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension notes Lithops need only sharp drainage, bright light, and a seasonal water-then-rest rhythm.[4]
Are unusual plants safe for pets?
It depends on the plant. The ASPCA lists the Venus flytrap, living stones, and staghorn fern as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.[5] Many others, including pitcher plants, sundews, air plants, and the sensitive plant, are not listed by the ASPCA, which is not the same as being safe, so keep those away from pets that nibble.
Do strange plants need special care?
Some do. Carnivorous plants need a bog-like, pure-water setup, as the US Botanic Garden describes,[1] while living stones, air plants, and staghorn ferns fit ordinary SoCal homes as bright-light houseplants with minimal fuss. Match each plant to the right spot and most are easy.