post updated Apr. 10, 2023

Don’t Have a Green Thumb? Don’t Worry—These Faux Plants Look Totally Real

TBH, we’re still not 100% convinced they’re fake.

Friends often come to me with their houseplant problems—issues like falling leaves, sad wilting, and no new growth. They’re usually surprised to hear my diagnosis: that it shouldn’t be a houseplant at all. Instead, I encourage friends with a craving for greens in their living spaces to take faux houseplants for a test drive.

Think about the conditions in which plants thrive outdoors—there’s humidity in the air, natural sunlight, and pollinators buzzing around. While some plants perform better than others in indoor settings, it’s not uncommon for most to ultimately die due to dry air quality, inadequate lighting, and poor soil. For these reasons, I’m all about the fake houseplant trend.

Featured image by Michelle Nash.

In this article

The Most Real Looking Fake Plants On the Internet
The Best Faux Hanging and Trailing Plants
The Best Faux Trees
The Best Faux Sprays, Flowers, and Branches
The Best Faux Succulents, Cacti, and
The Best Faux Houseplants

sunny outdoor deck faux houseplants — Image by Julie Pointer Adams

The Most Real Looking Fake Plants On the Internet

Most of our favorite shops now sell incredible artificial indoor plants, making it easy to add a realistic botanical splash to your home. Best of all: the only maintenance these beauties require is a dusting every now and again. Gone are the days of tacky, waxy-looking fake houseplants—it’s practically impossible to recognize fake indoor plants these days. From budding bulbs to full-on fiddle leaf figs, there’s an artificial house plant version of nearly every plant out there.

The Best Faux Hanging and Trailing Plants

Crate u0026 Barrel Faux Trailing Ficus Hanging Plant in Pot

u003cpu003eHanging artificial indoor plants are ideal because they’re rarely in close contact with curious eyes. Not that you need to worry about anyone getting a close look at this beauty! The vibrant green hues are extremely lifelike and add the perfect pop of color.u003c/pu003e

Pottery Barn Faux Trailing Variegated String of Hearts Houseplant

u003cpu003eTransform your space with this cascading trail of vines. The variegation adds texture and color, heightening the realism of this gorgeous faux houseplant. Let the vines hang off a shelf or artfully sprawl them across a bookcase or shelf. It’s practically whimsical!u003c/pu003e

Afloral Artificial Plants Hanging Tradescantia Houseplant

u003cpu003eWith a lush and wandering trail of verdant leaves, the tradescantia epitomizes natural beauty. This faux version balances the oxymoron of being dramatically minimalist to perfection. Whether you place it in a basket or a planter, it’ll be gorgeous in any corner of any room.u003c/pu003e

The Sill Faux Tradescantia Zebrina

u003cpu003eDespite being known for their beautiful living plants, The Sill’s line of fake indoor plants is fabulous. This faux Tradescantia Zebrina adds a fresh pop of color to any space with its vibrant and dramatic appearance. The Sill’s lovely ceramic pot gives it a super-realistic look.u003c/pu003e

living room faux houseplants — Image by Teal Thomsen

The Best Faux Trees

Threshold™ x Studio McGee Olive Tree in Ceramic Pot

u003cpu003eBring the outdoors in with this incredibly realistic olive tree—it’ll look gorgeous in any room in your home. That said, there’s something so romantic about the delicate, fluttering leaves that it just might lend itself to being a beautiful bedroom plant. The sleek white ceramic pot has a polished, timeless aesthetic that won’t pull focus from this lovely tree.u003c/pu003e

Pottery Barn Faux Potted Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees

u003cpu003eAdd this fiddle leaf to the list of notoriously tricky indoor plants to keep alive—making it the perfect option for a faux houseplant. Pick from two glorious sizes depending on how much space you have and watch how it lights up the space. It’s a beautiful, eye-catching tree.u003c/pu003e

West Elm Faux Potted Rubber Tree

u003cpu003eThere’s a reason rubber trees are a longtime classic staple—they’re moody, gorgeous, and timeless. Adding a faux version to your living room, dining area, or workspace will brighten up your days. It’s not easy to make a shiny-leaf plant look realistic, but West Elm pulled it off with this one.u003c/pu003e

peony bouquet — Image by Michelle Nash

The Best Faux Sprays, Flowers, and Branches

Pottery Barn Faux Peony Bouquets

u003cpu003eWhen I first caught a glance of these stunning bouquets, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Peonies are universally loved, but their short growing season makes them difficult to keep indoors as long as we’d like. Thankfully, these affordable faux picks make it possible. I purchased the white bouquet for my bathroom and plan to keep the light pink option on my bedside table. Effortless glamor at its finest.u003c/pu003e

Terrain Faux Magnolia Bud Spray

u003cpu003eMagnolias are some of the oldest trees on earth, and their delicate blooms are some of the most celebrated. These delicate and decidedly feminine buds are shockingly lifelike and an unexpectedly joy-inducing choice.u003c/pu003e

Crate u0026 Barrel Artificial White Cherry Blossom Flower Branch

u003cpu003eEven though it’s made of polyester, plastic, and wire, you’d never know this artificial branch wasn’t straight from the garden. Who doesn’t want an eternal harbinger of spring hanging out in their home? It’s a lovely addition to any living space, whether it’s popped into a fuller arrangement or left to its own devices in a decorative statement vase.u003c/pu003e

Terrain Faux Dahlia Stem

u003cpu003eWhen dahlias are in season, there’s nothing I’d rather spend my money on. You’ll find a rainbow of hues at almost any farmer’s market and their multi-dimensional colors fit well with every aesthetic. This stem lets you keep the magic going year-round, adding a peachy pop of warmth to your home.u003c/pu003e

Vickerman Artificial White Magnolia Spray

u003cpu003eIf you’ve had a hankering for some spring blooms look no further than this sweet faux magnolia branch. It features magnolia blooms on a wired twig stem and reaches up to 42 inches in height. Tuck it in a larger arrangement or place it in a statement vase on your mantelpiece. Either way, it’s a showstopper.u003c/pu003e

West Elm Faux Green Palm Plant Leaf Branch

u003cpu003eCan’t escape to the tropics? Bring them to your living room with this faux palm leaf branch. I love the decorative impact of displaying it on its own in a clear vase. You’ll think you’re in Costa Rica.u003c/pu003e

CB2 Faux Maguey Pick

u003cpu003eI love displaying cut stems in vases for a clean, but dramatic look. Only downside? Despite changing the water daily, even the hardiest stems only seem to last a few days at most. This zero-maintenance, thick and lush pick is truly evergreen and always on trend.u003c/pu003e

Terrain Faux Peach Tree Blossom Spray

u003cpu003eThis feminine peach spray is small but packs a design-forward punch. It adds a beautiful note of spring to your mantel or dining room table. I love nestling mine beside a candle for a thoughtful vignette.u003c/pu003e

minimalist California living room — Image by Julie Pointer Adams

The Best Faux Succulents, Cacti, and

Crate u0026 Barrel Faux Pencil Succulent

u003cpu003eSucculents make great faux houseplants because the funky texture lends itself to easily being realistically reproduced. Spice up a coffee table, kitchen counter, or end table with this regal, asymmetrical option. It’s handmade by artisans (so each one is unique) and lives in a round cement pot with a textured white finish.u003c/pu003e

West Elm Faux Trailing Succulent u0026 Pure White Ceramic Planter Set

u003cpu003eWhile some plants fade in and out with the turning of the trends, succulents are forever. For a little whimsy fit for any space, let this I-can’t-believe-it’s-faux plant trail off a mantel or side table.u003c/pu003e

Crate u0026 Barrel Faux Cactus

u003cpu003eI don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to keep a cactus alive for more than a few months (insert sad face emoji). Maybe it’s because I’m fighting against the Pacific Northwest humidity, but whatever the case, this faux option is definitely the answer I’ve been looking for. I’ll welcome any simple solution that invigorates my space with a little warmth of the Southwest.u003c/pu003e

West Elm Faux Potted Agave

u003cpu003eGive any room a little spruce-up with this hard-working botanical. Low stress, high reward.u003c/pu003e

West Elm Faux Potted Donkey Tail Plant

u003cpu003eI love the structural drama of easy-to-care-for succulents. And when you don’t have to care for them at all—that’s a huge bonus in my book. Stacking a ceramic pot filled with one of these faux beauties atop a bundle of my favorite design books? Now that’s an aesthetic.u003c/pu003e

woman buying plants faux houseplants — Image by Michelle Nash

The Best Faux Houseplants

The Sill Faux Maranta

u003cpu003eTuck this beautiful artificial houseplant on a side table or windowsill to jazz up a small empty space. You can get it with or without a planter, but I happen to think that the little ceramic planter is a sweet added element of color.u003c/pu003e

Pottery Barn Faux Potted Maidenhair Fern

u003cpu003eWhen I want to infuse a room with a little romance (always), maidenhair ferns are the answer. While the real version can be notoriously challenging to keep alive—sun damage can do a number on its lush and verdant stems—this faux option gives a welcome spring vibe minus the u0022when was the last time I watered it?u0022 headache.u003c/pu003e

Crate u0026 Barrel Faux Potted Monstera

u003cpu003eEveryone loves the Swiss cheese-look of the popular monstera plant, but they’re not the easiest to tend to. This faux version gives you all the natural, lush beauty of a highly coveted plant without any of the stress. No one will ever be the wiser—even the soil looks realistic!u003c/pu003e

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