How to Choose the Best Fake Plants

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I love plants and talk quite a bit about the benefits of adding greenery to your home.  But while I love living houseplants and flowers, I’m not one of those who believes that fakes can’t also have a place in interiors.  Maybe you’d like to place a plant in an area that’s inconvenient to water regularly.  Maybe you’d like to use a plant to fill a dark corner.  Maybe you’d like to add a touch of green to a windowless powder room.  Maybe you just can’t seem to keep anything alive!  In any case, fake plants don’t have to scream “fake!!!” Here’s some tips that will help your fakes fool anyone and keep your home from looking like this.

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1.Choose plants with a little brown.  Real plants aren’t perfect.  Living things are always in the process of growing and dying and imperfections are completely normal and even beautiful.  Look for plants with various stages of growth, too.  This little guy was purchased at Crate and Barrel some years ago and has moved all over the house.  Notice the bits of brown and how some of the leaves are still furled.

 

 

2. Choose plants that are naturally brightly colored, shiny or have uniform foliage.  Succulents are easy to replicate as fakes because they don’t have delicate leaves and tend to look a little “plasticy” anyway.

3. Choose plants in rustic planters.  Or switch out the pot your fake came in for something more “earthy” like a clay planter. The overall effect will look much more organic than a a shiny new container.  I put this cheap Ikea plant in an old clay pot and even my husband thought it was real.  It normally sits on top of our tall dresser but it stays so dark in that part of our house (we have lots of trees!) that it’s tough to photograph in there, particularly on an overcast day.   A fake plant is great for a  room that doesn’t get much light or on top of a piece of furniture that you don’t want to chance getting wet.

3.  This tip may fall under the “don’t try this at home category,” but try creating some imperfections if your plant looks too shiny and new.  I made this little arrangement by sticking hydrangea stems from Michaels into floral foam, putting the whole thing in a old clay pot, and covering the foam with moss and rocks.  Then, I actually burned the tips of some of the leaves and flower petals with a lighter to create some brown bits and help them look more real.

If you’re a plant lover like me, how do you feel about fakes?