How to Decorate with Fake Plants For Realistic Greenery?

The art of knowing how to decorate with fake plants is preparing them and putting them in a way that they look natural. They take minimal effort, zero maintenance, and sunlight for just looks, and yet add life, color and class to any room.

In this guide, we will see how you can make high-end home decor out of simple artificial plants with a handful of simple tricks in styling.

How to Decorate with Fake Plants: Step by Step

The illusion of making artificial greenery appear natural is primarily a matter of the pre-work and clever design. Here’s how to achieve that designer look.

Step 1: Choosing High-Quality Faux Greenery

The first principle of realistic appearance is the choice of the appropriate material because not all plastics are equal. You do not want the gloss that just shouts fake from the other end of the room.

• PE (Polyethylene): It is the current gold standard of realism. These are injection-molded plants, and therefore the leaves have real veins and 3D textures. They are also quite tough and suitable as outdoor artificial trees.
• Silk/Polyester: Suits well in the indoor environment like bedrooms. Silk plants are natural and soft in their movements and are similar to real leaves.
• PVC: This is the budget option. It is all right when viewed at a distance but on closer inspection, it might seem a bit plastic-y and stiff.

You should always seek variegation, that the leaves must be of a variety of shades of green, perhaps with some brown spots or light edges, as well. You never see real leaves of one color. Also, ensure that the stems have internal wires so that you can bend them in future according to your desire.

Step 2: The “Realism” Prep (Fluffing & Shaping)

Most fake plants come out of the box looking very flat and sad since they were squashed in shipping. You have to fluff them up to make them alive and full.

1. Bend the Stems Outward: Do not keep them straight up like a stick. Actual branches are extended and a little bit dangling under the weight of gravity. Bend the stems in a gentle way out of the center trunk.
2. Angle the Leaves: Turn the leaves in various directions. Plants in real life turn with the sun and thus they are not supposed to be perfectly symmetrical.
3. Cleaning is Must: The dusty plant is a sure sign that it is not real. After a month, wipe the leaves using a wet microfiber cloth. A special cleaning spray is advisable in the case of silk plants so that the fabric is not spoiled.

Step 3: Mastering the Pot and Base

The greatest blunder that people make is to keep the plant in that little ugly black shipping pot that comes with it. You must repot a plant in an attractive heavy pot to make it look like a designer object of some hundreds of dollars.

The Secret Layering Technique:

1. First, put your shipping pot inside the larger decorative pot. In case it is too short, place old books or foam blocks to provide a height to it. 
2. Next stuff the side cavities with waste paper or bubble wrap. 
3. Last, and this is the most essential—cover it with actual dried moss, or river stones, or even a coating of actual soil.

Step 4: Strategic Placement and Styling

The place where the plant is situated is as important as the look. When you place an artificial lemon tree in a dark basement with no windows, people will definitely know that it is fake.

• Follow the Light: Put your fake plants close to the windows or lamps. The light is reflected on the leaves making natural shadows and highlights which make it more detailed.
• Group Them Up: Group three plants with different heights so that they can look like a mini garden.
• Use High Shelves: Trailing vines such as faux Pothos or Ivy look spectacular on high bookshelves. The illusion is perfect because one cannot easily see the top of the pot.

Advanced Tips

1# Mix Fake Plants with Real Plants

To actually pass the eye test, you ought to concentrate on integrating your fake greenery with the natural ones.

• The “Front Row” Trick: Have your natural, healthy plants in the front where they are first noticed. The fakes should be placed in the back or on higher shelves.
• Share the Soil: Use the same type of decorative mulch or moss for both your real and fake pots.

In case you have a hard time keeping your plants alive, combine your fakes with plants that have extremely low-maintenance, such as Snake Plants or ZZ plants.

2# Lighting Effects for Fake Plant Realism

The light can hide the cheap plastic shine or fully expose it, therefore you should be very careful about the spot where the light is shed. A good faux tree is usually the best companion of natural and soft light.

• Backlighting: When you have a source of light behind the plant, the light penetrates the leaves in the same way that it does with the real foliage. Even PE plastic may appear like organic matter by this glow.
• Avoid Harsh Spotlights: Do not place a bright LED spotlight on a fake plant. It will show the seams on the plastic stems and render them extremely unnatural.
• Shadow Play: Plant your plants in a way that they make a shadow on the wall. These moving and organic forms contribute to the realism of the room.

Key Takeaways: What To Avoid When Decorating with Faux Plants

Most individuals fail in faux decor due to the fact that they consider the plant as a piece of furniture and not a living object. These are a few of the traps that you must not fall into when attempting to make your home appear elegant and not gaudy.

1. Ignoring the Pot Size: The biggest mistake is to take a pot that is very small as compared to the height of the plant. It looks unstable and fake. The bigger and weightier the pot the better.
2. Perfect Symmetry: Do not buy two of the same kind of plant and put them side by side. The real plants do not grow in the same manner and thus make efforts to use two different kinds or at least shape them in a different manner.
3. Placing in Impossible Spots: Do not put a fake cactus that is fond of the sun in a windowless closet. It just lacks sense and the logic lapse will be clear to individuals.

If you’re looking for premium artificial trees that make decorating easy, take a look at HRTrees. Our designs bring the beauty of nature into your home without any of the maintenance.