Plants, Plants, Plants!

“Trees and plants always look like the people they live with” Zora Neale Hurston. So, what do your plants in your home look like? In what ways do they reflect you? A home with plants always feels more inviting and warm. But, not everyone has a green thumb and not everyone wants to have to take care of plants. Fake plants are our friends! And these days, it’s not difficult to find fake plants that look just like the real thing! Here are some fun ways to go the fake route and some great ideas for making the best use of them.

First, how do we decide what plants are best for each area of the home? These are some great starting points to determine this:

• Scale - you don’t want to go too big or too small in a space. Let’s say you have high ceilings, you don’t want to choose a short floor plant, it’ll fade into the background. Choose something tall, with full leaves, Fiddle Fig Leaf and Palms are great for this. And in a smaller, tighter space, you don’t want to overwhelm it with your plant choice. Let’s say you have a nice end table that you want to add to, a full fern will be too much, but a Pathos would be a great choice here. Let the size of your plant choice complement the room, not overtake or underwhelm it.

• Color - do you want to stick with good ‘ole green, or do you want pops of color? If you want to incorporate color, the obvious answer is to choose options with flowers, but you can also choose something like a croton, calathea, or purple passion plant. Flowers aren’t required to bring in some color, a quick Google search such as “houseplants with vibrant leaves” will give you plenty of options!

• Quantity - have an idea of many plants you want in each area of your home. Do you want a nice touch of greenery to spruce things up, or do you want to feel like you have a small jungle in your home? How much green do you need to bring more joy to your spaces? There’s no right or wrong answer here, just simply, what would you enjoy most. Knowing your quantity will also help in determining what types of plants you’ll want. 

We’ve made some decisions and have a plan of action, now is the fun part! Time to pick your plants! As previously mentioned, we’re really talking about the benefit of fake plants here. One of the biggest benefits, little to no maintenance. The most you’ll need to do to maintain your fake friends is give them a good dusting from time to time, but that is it. There’s no need to water, trim, treat, move according to sunlight, etc., just purchase and place in your home. 

When purchasing fake plants, there are a few things to consider, notably that you don’t really want them to look fake. A few pointers for buying life-like looking plants:

• Natural shapes - Look for stems with natural curves and bends, as straight stems are a giveaway

• Varying shades - Choose plants with leaves in different shades of green, reflecting the natural variation in a real plant. 

• Imperfections - A plant with imperfections, like slightly uneven leaves or petals, can add to its realism. 

• Material and Finish - choose something with “real touch” plastic or silk and a matte finish to mimic a plant's natural texture and look. Consider the look of the trunk and what it is made of for a more characteristic aesthetic.

• Realistic pot - Choose a pot that complements the plant and avoids a plastic, artificial look. Just because the plant is fake, doesn’t mean you can’t re-pot it!

• Compare against photos of the real plant. This will allow you to know if the fake one really replicates the real thing well enough.

Fake plants aren’t just for inside your home, they can be used outdoors too! You can apply everything we’ve talked about to choosing options for outdoors as well. There are even options that are UV resistant so you don’t have to worry about fading. Adding mulch or dirt will make them more realistic. And choosing plants that are native to your area will also help them to blend in more with their surroundings. 

When you look at the facts, it’s pretty obvious that fake plant friends are the route to take. You get the added benefits of making your home look even more beautiful, without having to add any extra chores to keeping it looking beautiful. But, we get it, choosing good faux options isn’t everyone’s forte. Bella Home Interiors has been designing with fake plants disguised as the real thing for years, we know how to pick em! Schedule a consultation for your very own plants, plants, plants!