Faux Plants From Fake to Fabulous: Easy Awesome Hack

Summer dinner tablescape with white china plates, crystal glasses, giant conch shell, and a variety of real plants including white orchids and hydrangea leaves.

Real plants are my first love like in this Summer dinner tablescape I prepared last weekend. but that being said would I ever use fake flowers? It’s the age-old question…is it okay to use artificial plants in decorating? Well, there are artificial plants and there are artificial plants. Some are better than others. Now…if given a choice I do prefer real to manmade. HOWEVER, over the past few years, I have experimented with plastic flora and even ceramic cacti. And, I have been pleasantly surprised at the results. So, I have come up with an easy hack to ensure my faux plants go from fake to fabulous every time!

A white orchid plant and a large succulent plant are displayed with faux small succulent plants. Fake plants can go from fake to fabulous.

In last week’s post, I talked about adding some Summer cheer to your home with seasonal flowers from the farmers market or greenery from your yard. They look great and liven up my home! But unfortunately, those floral arrangements don’t last forever and I don’t always have the time to shop for flowers and greenery. I do enjoy potted plants immensely and I have plenty of them displayed all through my home. But even my green thumb can’t keep them alive forever. Sometimes when I’m looking for potted plants, I’ll be honest, it can be hit or miss! It can be slim pickings! And, often I leave the store empty-handed. So, a few years back I decided I’d finally try some faux ones…boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Faux Swiss Cheese plant leaves look more real displayed on a window sill with a live succulent plant.

Faux Plants From Fake to Fabulous

Now, before you go out and buy heaps of plastic stems…here’s how to make faux plants fabulous with an easy hack. You just have to remember one rule. Always add a natural element to it or around it. For instance…by adding rocks, water, sunlight, or other real plants around the imitation ones, you can trick the eye into thinking they are the real deal. Here are some clever ways I’ve used natural elements.

Adding Rocks

The small plastic succulent plant appears more real planted in rocks in a vintage McCoy off-white pot. Faux plants go from fake to fabulous.

Adding Water and Sunlight Elements

Faux Swiss Cheese leaves in a glass vase along with a ceramic creamer with a faux succulent plant inside.

My artificial Swiss Cheese leaves in a glass vase with water give the appearance of live greenery. The window sill setting with the natural light also gives an illusion of keeping all plants alive…even the faux ones (hint: the succulent in the cow creamer is not real).

Mixing Live Plants With Faux

Faux plants can go from fake to fabulous. House plants on a shelf along with a plastic succulent plant in an off-white ceramic pot.

My plastic succulent plant in the McCoy vintage pot is surrounded by live plants which helps fool the eyes that it too is really real.

Ceramic Cacti are Fun and Whimsical

Two ceramic large cacti in vintage cream-colored flower pots are displayed on a dining room table.

Three green ceramic cacti plants are displayed with other houseplants and books. Faux plants go from fake to fabulous with an easy hack.

My ceramic cacti collection is not realistic by any means but they sure are FUN! They work amazingly well with my home decor because they add a playful sculptural element to my dining room table as well as my bedroom dresser. I bought the large ones a few years back. You can find similar ones on Amazon (see links here and here – paid links). I bought the set of three from IKEA.

Three ceramic cacti plants in white flower pots planted in gravel displayed with vintage wooden boxes and house plants.

I definitely love natural plants and flowers and would always choose real over imitation. BUT discovering the beauty and fun of faux plants has been eye-opening! I was so surprised!! So give it a try! You might be surprised too! By just adding a few natural details, artificial plants can really look amazing! Who knew? And, the truly fun part is when I have guests over. I get many compliments on ALL my wonder and beautiful house plants (Shhhhh)! It’s the perfect hack!