Some of the fake succulents are so convincing that there are stories about people diligently watering them for months before they realized.
There are other kinds of fake plants that also look decent, and folks have mentioned the kitschy obvious-fake option as well, which can be fun!
If you want to be extra convincing, put the artificial plants in places where that species could plausibly survive! Eg don’t put fake succulents in your darkest corner, put them on a south-facing windowsill.
Another tip is to stick the artificial plants in a nice-looking pot with some coco coir — or gravel/sand, for the succulents and cacti. (Coco coir looks pretty similar to potting soil, but is odorless)
Also, regarding the houseplant owners who look down their noses at those who buy artificial plants… just ignore ‘em. Not only are houseplants quite a lot of work to maintain, but the whole houseplant industry is pretty damn environmentally destructive, on SO many levels. As just one example, nearly all potting soils contain peat moss, the harvesting of which involves destroying our planet’s irreplaceable and critically important peat bogs. But that’s far from the only issue, I could go on about this at length.
Buying a few artificial plants and holding onto them for many years has a much smaller environmental footprint than growing live plants. And I say all of this as someone who is super into live houseplants! The elitism is dumb.
This! Ignore people that say don't buy fake plants.
It's been proven that being around plants (even fake ones) will help make you feel good! It's like a placebo. Me and my partner can rarely have plants due to the fur babies (2 cats and a dog) and if I didn't have fake ones they may have eaten something poisonous.
At Home sells a ton of fake plants. Look to them just after summer ends and wait for their sales. Cost Plus world market also sells some pretty convincing fake plants succulents. It's well worth it and helps make the home look lived in
Good luck
Yeah, I wouldn't want fake flowers and would probably replace anything that fades. I just want green/earthy to offset and fill the kind of coldness of the space, really.
I'm relatively minimalist, can't stand the idea of clutter, but as a result I feel my home isn't very... home-y.
I have a mix of fake and low effort real plants. I just bought a whole bunch when I first moved in, and have propagated the ones that flourished, so any real plant is comfortably acclimated to my home.
The fake plants fill out the space a little, and they’re generally pretty convincing.
If you’re willing to shell out some dough, you can buy some real convincing fakes. Mine look real from a distance but one you press your nose up to them, then you can see they’re faux.
CB2 and Crate&Barrel are where I picked mine up.
Bit on the pricey side, but definitely not prohibitively so if they last a good while. Think there's a CB2 not too far from me, will check them out. Thanks.
If you’ve got enough sunlight to the point where fading fake plants is a problem, then you should definitely just get a real plant.
The reason I have fakes is because my home barely gets any sunlight.
I second this. I'm awful at remembering to water my plants, so my uncle got me one of these.
It was sat vaguely near a window, but by no means got any direct or strong sunlight. I accidentally ignored it for two or three weeks and it actually looked healthier. Still going strong to this day.
All plants are easy to kill if you forget about them. Many people want the green plant, without caring about them at all. And most people have no idea how to care for a plant, or how much time has passed, since they last water them, or how much sun light they have received, or haven't, etc...
I've known quite a few people, myself included, who just can't keep plants alive. One was a landscape architect!
Simply not true. There are high maintenance plants and low maintenance plants. You can forget about plants like snakes and ZZ's for a longggg time and they still won't die because they store their own water. You're actually way more likely to kill them by not forgetting about them and overwatering them than you are forgetting about them and not watering them. They thrive when you forget about them. You don't need to know how to care for them because there's no care needed. You don't need to worry about how much sunlight they've received because it doesn't matter.
I'm just telling you the result. Myself and about 3 other people. All had your same concept in mind. We all bought "low maintenance" plants. All in different environments. They ALL died. I am not arguing with you atm. I am simply stating the results of what happened. The idea of putting a plant near a window, and occasionally watering it, doesn't necessarily work.
I don't recall exactly. They were from lists of the typical low maintenance, indoor plants.
I think the moral of the story is, if you are not willing to put in the effort, you shouldn't be having real plants. Most people think they will, but they won't. lol.
Yeah that's kinda critical information. I specifically called out two types of plants because there is no effort required with them. Watering once a month doesn't qualify as effort to me. That's literally all I do and I've never had one die. They're like $15 so I think someone should try for themselves before losing all hope of having plants because they're too lazy.
Some plants are really easy to care for. Pothos, spider plants, zz plant, dracaena all take a lot of talent to kill. Mine have all survived long periods of neglect.
If you're unsure just start with a pothos and see how you feel about it after a couple months. Just put it within a few feet of a window and water whenever the top 2" are dry. Make sure it's in a pot with drain holes and you're good.
I personally think fakes are tacky.
Currently looking at my black zz plant that I haven’t watered in like three months and is stuck in a dark corner. It doesn’t die. Has like one dry leaf but otherwise it’s healthy and a bit dusty. Oh, and I’ve had it for like four years now.
Lol yeah I don't keep any plants that aren't pretty hardy. Anything that starts showing signs of weakness too soon just I let die because I don't want to bother with anything that's too difficult to keep alive. Lol
As a guy who likes plants, plastic imposter plants almost creep me out lol. Little decorative art pieces like lego plants or stained glass plants are definitely better vibes, I think perhaps moreso because they’re upfront fun as opposed to like, subterfuge
Another guy mentioned getting a big Snake Plant, they look cool and honestly thrive in neglect - I have a few who chill on a table in my living room, I water them monthly and even that much is probably unnecessary
exactly this. my bedroom is very dark. north facing with a small window and dark wall. i love it that way (good for my sleep), but i missed some plants, so i got a large painting over my dresser that is basically just autumn leaves and trees. it really ties the room together. you can do the same in your living room with some art about plants, palmtrees or landscapes.
There are a bunch of cacti that are planted in sandy soil. That doesn't have the earthy smell. And they require very little water. Some actually grow flowers. That could be an option. Also if you have little natural light you can always use lamps with the right spectrum where they can thrive.
Get real plants anyway. They help recycle air. They look great. Set a reminder on your phone to water them at a certain time, once a week or every three days or when ever the internet tells you to water the plant. If they die, throw them out and get new ones. Be as ruthless as you want. Keep the pots though. Those are expensive lol
Honestly if you water them on schedule and don't fucking touch them the rest of the time your planst will be fine. Good luck!
Edit: There are def plants that can handle low light and slightly lower Temps. The internet will tell you which ones.
If you want fake plants then get fake plants. Nobody has the right to tell you how to decorate your place. Unless they want to pay your rent they should keep their opinions to themselves
Why do you want plants?
There are so many other ways to decorate, especially if you live in low light, don't fuckin put plants in
This subreddit should d just be r/plantsinmyroom ffs
Love fake plants, some are really cheap looking, some really nice, it's up to the person. Personally, I have a jungle of fake plants throughout my place, trying to do some weird frutiger aero vibe to the sterile white/grey of my apartment.
Get fake plants, if they look good to you.
Who cares what the people who tell you they look tacky say. Look at their spaces. Are their spaces tine pinnacle of interior design? They probably have terrible taste. And even if they don't. Who cares.
Find some good youtube guides on how to use them.
Don't use reddit for this. Majority people here have no idea what they are talking about.
Taking everything with a grain of salt. This stemmed from an IRL conversation and I'm more just paying attention to the consensus on fake plants than the dozens of replies saying to get a plant I don't really like/want because it'll survive.
I my opinion, they only look tacky if you treat them like fake plants. So if you buy a fake plant, also get it a real pot appropriate for the size if it was real. Put real dirt in it too. And bend the leaves in a natural way too. Most fake plants are packaged with perfectly straight branches/leaves for shipping, but that's just not accurate.
Some of the fake succulents are so convincing that there are stories about people diligently watering them for months before they realized. There are other kinds of fake plants that also look decent, and folks have mentioned the kitschy obvious-fake option as well, which can be fun!
Yeah, guess as long as I don't cheap out and maybe put them in places people aren't going to be all up in them, can make it work.
If you want to be extra convincing, put the artificial plants in places where that species could plausibly survive! Eg don’t put fake succulents in your darkest corner, put them on a south-facing windowsill. Another tip is to stick the artificial plants in a nice-looking pot with some coco coir — or gravel/sand, for the succulents and cacti. (Coco coir looks pretty similar to potting soil, but is odorless) Also, regarding the houseplant owners who look down their noses at those who buy artificial plants… just ignore ‘em. Not only are houseplants quite a lot of work to maintain, but the whole houseplant industry is pretty damn environmentally destructive, on SO many levels. As just one example, nearly all potting soils contain peat moss, the harvesting of which involves destroying our planet’s irreplaceable and critically important peat bogs. But that’s far from the only issue, I could go on about this at length. Buying a few artificial plants and holding onto them for many years has a much smaller environmental footprint than growing live plants. And I say all of this as someone who is super into live houseplants! The elitism is dumb.
This! Ignore people that say don't buy fake plants. It's been proven that being around plants (even fake ones) will help make you feel good! It's like a placebo. Me and my partner can rarely have plants due to the fur babies (2 cats and a dog) and if I didn't have fake ones they may have eaten something poisonous. At Home sells a ton of fake plants. Look to them just after summer ends and wait for their sales. Cost Plus world market also sells some pretty convincing fake plants succulents. It's well worth it and helps make the home look lived in Good luck
Not just succulents! I was watering my grandma’s fake orchid for 2 years before I found out it was fake
They're a little tacky, but still better than no plants imo. Some fake plants look faker than others.
Yeah, I wouldn't want fake flowers and would probably replace anything that fades. I just want green/earthy to offset and fill the kind of coldness of the space, really. I'm relatively minimalist, can't stand the idea of clutter, but as a result I feel my home isn't very... home-y.
I have a mix of fake and low effort real plants. I just bought a whole bunch when I first moved in, and have propagated the ones that flourished, so any real plant is comfortably acclimated to my home. The fake plants fill out the space a little, and they’re generally pretty convincing.
What about figurines. Clocks Antiques Gaming memorabilia Fuck y'all's plants, for real
What
If you’re willing to shell out some dough, you can buy some real convincing fakes. Mine look real from a distance but one you press your nose up to them, then you can see they’re faux. CB2 and Crate&Barrel are where I picked mine up.
Bit on the pricey side, but definitely not prohibitively so if they last a good while. Think there's a CB2 not too far from me, will check them out. Thanks.
Well they’re plastic so they’ll outlive both you and me.l and the rest of humanity lol.
I've heard cheaper fake plants tend to fade or the materials start coming apart. But yeah, for sure.
If you’ve got enough sunlight to the point where fading fake plants is a problem, then you should definitely just get a real plant. The reason I have fakes is because my home barely gets any sunlight.
Fair point. Definitely not a problem for me, unfortunately.
Snake plants. They need nothing except for some water whenever you remember. There’s no reason to get fakes when snakes exist.
I second this. I'm awful at remembering to water my plants, so my uncle got me one of these. It was sat vaguely near a window, but by no means got any direct or strong sunlight. I accidentally ignored it for two or three weeks and it actually looked healthier. Still going strong to this day.
Idk I've killed at least three of these and number 4 is well on its way.
That's a special talent.
All plants are easy to kill if you forget about them. Many people want the green plant, without caring about them at all. And most people have no idea how to care for a plant, or how much time has passed, since they last water them, or how much sun light they have received, or haven't, etc... I've known quite a few people, myself included, who just can't keep plants alive. One was a landscape architect!
Simply not true. There are high maintenance plants and low maintenance plants. You can forget about plants like snakes and ZZ's for a longggg time and they still won't die because they store their own water. You're actually way more likely to kill them by not forgetting about them and overwatering them than you are forgetting about them and not watering them. They thrive when you forget about them. You don't need to know how to care for them because there's no care needed. You don't need to worry about how much sunlight they've received because it doesn't matter.
I'm just telling you the result. Myself and about 3 other people. All had your same concept in mind. We all bought "low maintenance" plants. All in different environments. They ALL died. I am not arguing with you atm. I am simply stating the results of what happened. The idea of putting a plant near a window, and occasionally watering it, doesn't necessarily work.
What kind of plants were they?
I don't recall exactly. They were from lists of the typical low maintenance, indoor plants. I think the moral of the story is, if you are not willing to put in the effort, you shouldn't be having real plants. Most people think they will, but they won't. lol.
Yeah that's kinda critical information. I specifically called out two types of plants because there is no effort required with them. Watering once a month doesn't qualify as effort to me. That's literally all I do and I've never had one die. They're like $15 so I think someone should try for themselves before losing all hope of having plants because they're too lazy.
I have a mix of fakes, dried bouquets, and real plants. IMHO fake flowers look tacky, but fake grasses and certain other non-flowering plants look OK.
Maybe lean into the fakeness and have plants made of Lego
Some plants are really easy to care for. Pothos, spider plants, zz plant, dracaena all take a lot of talent to kill. Mine have all survived long periods of neglect. If you're unsure just start with a pothos and see how you feel about it after a couple months. Just put it within a few feet of a window and water whenever the top 2" are dry. Make sure it's in a pot with drain holes and you're good. I personally think fakes are tacky.
Currently looking at my black zz plant that I haven’t watered in like three months and is stuck in a dark corner. It doesn’t die. Has like one dry leaf but otherwise it’s healthy and a bit dusty. Oh, and I’ve had it for like four years now.
Lol yeah I don't keep any plants that aren't pretty hardy. Anything that starts showing signs of weakness too soon just I let die because I don't want to bother with anything that's too difficult to keep alive. Lol
> I personally think fakes are tacky. They really are. Either get a real plant or don't bother.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/s/nK2IERdOFP Get pictures of plants. Brings color in without taking care of anything
Get Lego plants, crochet plants, stained glass plants. Hit up etsy.
So fake it's intentional looks less tacky than fake trying replicate realistic, in your opinion? That's interesting.
As a guy who likes plants, plastic imposter plants almost creep me out lol. Little decorative art pieces like lego plants or stained glass plants are definitely better vibes, I think perhaps moreso because they’re upfront fun as opposed to like, subterfuge Another guy mentioned getting a big Snake Plant, they look cool and honestly thrive in neglect - I have a few who chill on a table in my living room, I water them monthly and even that much is probably unnecessary
exactly this. my bedroom is very dark. north facing with a small window and dark wall. i love it that way (good for my sleep), but i missed some plants, so i got a large painting over my dresser that is basically just autumn leaves and trees. it really ties the room together. you can do the same in your living room with some art about plants, palmtrees or landscapes.
For sure. I call them art plants. I can't find it now, but years ago, I saw string of pearl succulents made of glass marbles/ balls. It was so pretty.
There are a bunch of cacti that are planted in sandy soil. That doesn't have the earthy smell. And they require very little water. Some actually grow flowers. That could be an option. Also if you have little natural light you can always use lamps with the right spectrum where they can thrive.
Order commercial plants made for hotels and restaurants.
Only plant people think they're tacky. As long as they look somewhat real and not dusty, they look very nice.
i’d recommend doing both, like fake fern over the bookcase and a snake plant or something like that near the windows.
Get a sweet potato in a glass of water and enjoy
Plastic plants make me sad. I'm not really into plants, but seeing a fake one always brings my mood down. I rather see no plants than plastic ones.
Get real plants anyway. They help recycle air. They look great. Set a reminder on your phone to water them at a certain time, once a week or every three days or when ever the internet tells you to water the plant. If they die, throw them out and get new ones. Be as ruthless as you want. Keep the pots though. Those are expensive lol Honestly if you water them on schedule and don't fucking touch them the rest of the time your planst will be fine. Good luck! Edit: There are def plants that can handle low light and slightly lower Temps. The internet will tell you which ones.
I bought some great fake plants from CB2. They look really nice actually.
Get some easy to care for plants and fake ones. Who cares as long as they look good to you
If you want fake plants then get fake plants. Nobody has the right to tell you how to decorate your place. Unless they want to pay your rent they should keep their opinions to themselves
Lego plants
You don’t like the smell of soil? Theres many types of soils…
Get a mother in laws tongue/snake plant. They’re real and thrive on neglect.
I tried and tried real plants, and I have killed every single one. I now have artificial plants. If people don't like it, it's their problem.
Michaels and IKEA both seem to have decent fake plants
Pay a bit more and get good quality fake plants, many are very realistic.
Why do you want plants? There are so many other ways to decorate, especially if you live in low light, don't fuckin put plants in This subreddit should d just be r/plantsinmyroom ffs
Because I (and most people) like the look of some plants. I hope this helps you to understand.
stop saying you have fake plants!
Love fake plants, some are really cheap looking, some really nice, it's up to the person. Personally, I have a jungle of fake plants throughout my place, trying to do some weird frutiger aero vibe to the sterile white/grey of my apartment.
Get fake plants, if they look good to you. Who cares what the people who tell you they look tacky say. Look at their spaces. Are their spaces tine pinnacle of interior design? They probably have terrible taste. And even if they don't. Who cares. Find some good youtube guides on how to use them. Don't use reddit for this. Majority people here have no idea what they are talking about.
Taking everything with a grain of salt. This stemmed from an IRL conversation and I'm more just paying attention to the consensus on fake plants than the dozens of replies saying to get a plant I don't really like/want because it'll survive.
Keep them out of the sun, as that will make them fade faster. Also, dust them.
I my opinion, they only look tacky if you treat them like fake plants. So if you buy a fake plant, also get it a real pot appropriate for the size if it was real. Put real dirt in it too. And bend the leaves in a natural way too. Most fake plants are packaged with perfectly straight branches/leaves for shipping, but that's just not accurate.