Sorry, But Faux Plants Can Be So Much Better Than Real Ones

Plants can soften your home’s decor and add a splash of color and a bit of earthiness. 

Faux plants can do the same—minus the part about adding oxygen to their air. Decorators and home decor enthusiasts have battled over the benefits of real vs. fake for quite a while, and with the much higher quality of the modern faux plants, you might want to take a second look. Here are a few reasons faux is the way to go.

The Obvious: No Maintenance

Keeping up with real foliage and its particular watering and sun exposure needs is a job. Not every plant has the same requirements, and let’s be honest: Sometimes we just forget to take care of them. That’s where faux comes in. 

“I have always had a love for real plants but, sometimes even the most green-fingered people can’t always revive a dying houseplant, no matter how hard they try and nobody wants a dead twig on their windowsill,” says Holly May Price, aka @pollymaypriceathome. “Fake plants are just so robust and a great substitute over the real thing. They are ultra low maintenance, which means you can own a lot more of them, it has been proven that lots of greenery around your home (real or fake) is a great mood booster.”

Faux Plants Have Better Value Overall

Rachel Thomas, aka @rachelkathleenhome, looks toward the Earth nature for her decorating style. “I also love to add a lot of texture, raffia things with pom poms, tassels, wool rugs and obviously I love incorporating plants” she says.

“This majestic palm is my first faux plant,” she says. “I wanted a really big plant to fill up that space. I have had a real majestic palm before, And a bird of paradise. And I killed them all.” 

Thomas says the higher up-front price for large faux plants is worth the money in the long run because you don’t have to worry about killing them and having nothing to show for your purchase.

Faux Is Safer

Though real plants might get the win for adding some oxygen indoors, they also bring in other outdoor elements you don’t need.

“A lot of times people don’t realize real plants can attract pests,” Thomas says. ”Some plants pose a risk to pets and children, even if they touch the leaves—and of course if you eat them. So faux is good if you have pets or children.”

The Location of the Plant Can Be Driven by Aesthetic Needs, Not Light Needs

For a real plant to thrive in your home, it needs the same things it would need outside: the right amount of exposure to the sun. And that limits where you can put them indoors.

“When it comes to real plants, you can’t pick a spot in your house and put a plant there, Thomas says. “With faux, you can add them anywhere you want.”

Price finds faux plants useful in rooms with zero sunlight, such as a bathroom without windows. And the opposite can have ill effects as well. 

“They are great for areas that can maybe get too much light or heat for a real plant to thrive,” she says.

Faux plants take away the guesswork on whether your space has eastern exposure, western exposure or low-light north or south exposure. You just pick what you like and put it anywhere in your home. 

Faux Plants Are Largely Attainable, Regardless of Your Location

Just as faux plants eliminate the worry about lighting, they also eliminate the need to choose a plant that is regionally appropriate. Love evergreens but live in a tropical climate? No worries! Spend months of each year below freezing but love palms? Faux plants have you covered. 

The selection is vast and varied, and you can easily find a plant to fit your mood and style. “There are literally thousands and thousands of options and varieties to choose from when it comes to buying artificial plants,” Price says. “Five years ago, choices were limited and all fake plants seemed to look unrealistic and plasticky.

“It seems most high street shops have cottoned on to the ever growing interiors market and have jumped on this bandwagon and you can now nip to a clothes shop or local supermarket and come away with a potted cactus”

Faux Plants Can Be Good for Business

If you travel frequently, you have to hire or beg someone to drop by to tend to your plants. That can be a hassle at best, and at worse, lead to loss of plant life if your caretaker is less attentive. For those on the go, it might be time to take a look at faux. 

And don’t limit yourself to adding faux plants and flowers to home. These fantastic fakes can make offices and other businesses look more homey and pleasant without the upkeep. Many folks who rent out their homes or condos through short-term leasing find faux plants make for a more attractive listing without having to manage their growth and maintenance. 

No matter how or where you live, there is no denying that sprinkling a few blooms or potted plants around your space can increase visual appeal and add an oasis of calm. Instead of driving to your local gardening spot, check our favorite stores or go online and see what awaits you in the world of faux plants. You might be surprised at what you find.