One of the greatest worries when it comes to owning an artificial plant is whether it looks realistic or not. For all the benefits of fake plants – from their longevity to their easy maintenance – this can be a tricky problem to solve. Fear not, stick around to find out how to make an artificial plant look real.
Artificial plant placement
A quick and easy way to add a touch of reality to your faux fern is in their placement.
Whilst artificial plants are a wonderful addition to any room, you need to be clever about where you position them.
Choosing spots in the room that will help add an accent rather than stealing the show will help you achieve the benefits of a real plant without the scrutiny. Pick surfaces where a real plant would thrive – think of sunlight and accessibility for watering.
Blending in
Another brilliant placement trick is to mix artificial plants with living plants. This solution is not one that only benefits the green-fingered among us. Some plants are very easy to maintain like a trusty little succulent, so why replace something so low maintenance with an artificial plant!? The more thirsty plants such as artificial Boston Ferns or trailing plants that are more often displayed at a higher height use your maintenance-free artificial option.
Another clever trick with blending living plants with fake plants is to try to display your living plants in positions you see close up and potentially touch whilst displaying artificial plants that are a little more distant.
Fluff them up
The aesthetically pleasing Kentia Palm is in the bag. You might notice when your artificial plants arrive that they’re a bit compacted and flat looking. They are packed in this way to protect them in transit. This is very easily remedied thanks to the pliable foliage.
Make sure all the branches are pulled out to give space for the beautiful foliage to be displayed. Then arrange the foliage by running it through your fingers into the position you would like it to be displayed. Try and think about the direction and shape the foliage would naturally grow when doing this, it can also be really helpful to have the website picture in front of you to help.
Pick the right pot
Your stunning artificial plant might not be real, but it does deserve a real class home. With the right pot, the economical decision of a fake plant is offset by a more upmarket presentation.
Giving the eye something else to notice will help your artificial plant pass the test. Choosing an eye-catching, attractive pot in which to house your fake plant is a great way to tie together the decor or colour scheme of the room and elevate your new greenery.
Achieving realistic artificial plants
With a couple of DIY touch-ups, you can add a little bit of realism to your artificial plant. These can be a really creative way to solve the quandary of how to make an artificial plant look real.
Fake soil
One presentational obstacle is an unconvincing base. Many of the fake plants you can buy from other retailers come with unflattering pots. At Evergreen Whenever we pot anything for you, we ensure it comes with a bonded stone finish to ensure there are no giveaways! You can also buy a portion of our bonded stones from our webshop if required.
For some DIY fake soil options at home, you could consider ground coffee, sand, gravel or indeed real soil.
If you are feeling really fancy…
- Mix glue and the brown paint so the adhesive dries in a dark colour.
- Add some sand to stop the coffee from clumping together.
- Add the ground coffee so the consistency is soil-like.
- Apply to your artificial plant and leave to dry
This little trick will ensure that your potted artificial plant has that extra natural element to it.
Choosing Your Fake Plant
There are lots of different artificial plants to choose from and to put the above techniques to use with. The main thing to get right is to select the right artificial for your living or working space. Wondering how to make an artificial plant look real should always begin with investing in quality and longevity. You can rarely go wrong with a simple, clean and effective palm as your first artificial plant addition.
