Five handy tips to help your fake plants look real

If you love filling your home with beautiful plants but don’t have the time (or a green thumb) to care for them, fake plants can be a great alternative. Fake plants have come a long way since the days of tacky, plastic-looking plants. Now, many fake plant options look almost identical to the real thing, thanks to their quality materials such as silk. Plus, these are more suitable for those living in smaller spaces or those with allergies.

Best of all, you can place fake plants anywhere in the home all year round, without having to worry about the conditions or care guidance. So if you want to save money from replacing your wilted plants, try these 5 ways to make your fake plants look more real.

1. Use Real Dirt or Moss

It’s harder to tell if something is fake if it’s mixed with something real. There are so many fake plants that come in beautiful pots, but the top can look a bit like the surface of a playground. By covering the base of the plant with some topsoil or moss you can trick the eye into believing it is real.

2. Invest in Good Quality Fake Plants

Just because you can find faux plants at the $2 store doesn't mean you should buy them there. Shop around a bit before settling on one, after all these plants can last for years so it's worth investing. You can find fake plants made out of plastic as well as silk. The silk ones are usually more realistic but can cost a bit more.

3. Keep Them Clean

Don't forget to dust! Dusty leaves are a clear indicator of fake plants so make sure to dust your fake plants regularly by using a microfiber cloth. Real plants also usually have that dewy shine or glisten on their leaves which you can achieve by spraying the leaves with a faux plant cleaner, a light hairspray mist or even rubbing some coconut oil on and spraying with water.

4. Mix and Match with Real Plants

It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake if both types of plants are grouped together. By putting a group of fake and real plants together it can camouflage the fakes. A good trick is to arrange plants on a shelf that’s higher than your eye line, so from a distance, they all look genuine. Try finding plants with different shades of foliage, varying heights, and unique shapes to add a feature to any room.

5. Fluff the Branches

Finally, real plants and trees never look as perfect as fake ones usually do, so make sure to "fluff the branches", trim some leaves or even pluck some off to make it asymmetrical.