which plant pleasantly surprised you and which one let you down the most?

For me, I was most disappointed in not being able to sustain any moss growth. Java moss, guppy grass, etc I kill for some reason.

The most impressive is a tie between my anubias and sessliflora. Not only do I like their appearance,I am also impressed with how well they grow for me.

My 10 gallon with 8 watts and eco-complete is the best growing tank and it seems like anything I toss in there flourishes.

My 29 with 34w does well but the gravel substrate has to go!

I really like weeping moss. The color is bright green instead of dark and always grows well for me in tanks with more than 3wpg. Lower lights make it look leggy like anemic Java moss. I've never had problems with algae and I usually get a pretty good growth rate, especially in cooler tanks.

I've never had much luck with swords of any kind. The small ones always turn brown and the roots rot, the big ones never grow upright like the pictures. The leaves always fall over and look ugly. I have better luck with swords when I grow them in a jar in my window than in an actual tank!

I'm always disappointed with java moss. I remember thinking I couldn't grow it after many tries but that isn't true. It does grow, it just gets tangled in other plants, filter etc & holds all kinds of debris. It takes way more maintenance than I like for low tech.
Are other mosses similar? I like the look of well kept flame & fissendens etc.

I cant seem to get full potential out of any moss.. It may grow but the looks are nowhere how it should be...
Im still struggling with crypts just waiting for them to burst with growth..

I think my biggest pleasant surprise would have to be HM. The tank it's in gets almost 3 watts per gallon, but it's doing really well in a completely low tech setup with no dosing schedule.

Biggest letdown would have to be pogostemon helferi. This plant definitely has a reputation for being difficult, but the speed at which the stems I got melted away was just ridiculous.

I find java moss becomes a nuisance after a while. It's messy and unkempt looking.
Bronze crypt is my favorite low care low light plant. All it asks for is some trace iron and potash. Really brings out the reds. Also pleasently surprised with my Argentine Sword. It grows faster and is more hardy IME that the more common Amazon Sword.

i am pleased with the sunset hygro and limnophila sessiflora i got last week. after a shipping problem they were in the mail for almost 2 weeks. :/ the sessiflora has grown 3 inches in the last week and the sunset hygro is growing well, not as pink as i wanted but i'm still pleased. Najas guadalupensis i'm sure is a weed. i am constantly trimming it
i also had issues with moss but i got a small clump from a fellow hobbiest and it's doing amazing. it has grown exponentially and is thick and very green. i have it in very low light. it did not do well in 2wpg or higher and needs to be kept away from fish that nibble it so i had to move it to my breeding tank. i have also been disappointed with my swords. i ordered an ozelot and it's leaves have all gone brown. my amazon isn;t doing much better, the leaves it is currently putting out are small (3") ant it's older leaves are 6 inches.

I'm most happily surprised with how my lily plant is doing. It's gotten big, lovely redish leaves, etc. It's kinda funny because someone picked it up for me at the store as a set of two bulbs. I didn't have high hopes, and one of them didn't grow, but this one is great The plant I'm most disappointed with is alternanthera reineckii.

my favs are alternanthera reineckii (i like it better under lower light because its green and red, higher light is almost completely red), hygrophila corymbosa and vallisneria neotropicalis.
been disappointed with broadleaf ludwigia. and also dwarf baby tears and baby tears (can't get them to root)