How to Decorate with Artificial Plants — 7 Design Tips

If you want to decorate with artificial plants but desire a more realistic look, then this article is for you! I love a good artificial olive tree, but it takes some styling tricks. Here are my top-secret techniques for making artificial plants look realistic.

1. Invest in Quality

When it comes to decorating with artificial plants, you need to invest in quality. Quality doesn’t always mean expensive, but remember, cheap plastic leaves and thick seams can make your faux plants look tacky.

2. Pot Them Up

Most artificial plants come in small black plastic pots filled with cement. This isn’t ideal for decorating and screams “I’m fake!” Nearly all artificial plants and trees should be re-potted in larger pots or baskets. If the pot feels empty, use some filler like fake moss. You can even go the extra mile and use real dirt. Sneaky and smart, right?

3. Bend and Fluff

Just like bending and breaking, this action works every time. Think about when you take an artificial plant out of the box; it gets stuck there, right? Branches get flattened and straight up and down, so you have to bend and loosen them. Look at a real tree outside. Leaves aren’t perfect. Branches have curves. That’s what you want to mimic.

4. Dust Your Artificial Plants as You Would Decor

Every time I post a fake plant, someone always says, “Oh! That’s a vacuum!” I know someone especially who reads this, he’ll text me after 3, 2, 1… haha. Got it! Anyway, yes, just like any decor in your home, you have to dust. This is also true for people who have real plants in their homes. You have to give the leaves a dustaroo. Now, if you do this a few times a month with a Swiffer or a chicken duster, but if you leave it for 6 months, you’re done.

5. Mix Fake Plants With Real Plants

Don’t use a single plant or tree, but use a variety of fake plants to decorate. For example, I have some fake olive trees, but I didn’t buy the same tree. Each one is a different shape and size. My fake plant decorations also include girl ferns, bird of paradise, and various palm trees. This will distract any screams “I’m fake!”

6. Give Fake Plants Water?

Exactly! Try this trick before you put those fake olive branches in a clear glass vase. Take a kettle of distilled water, pour an inch or two into the vase, then add branches. Water adds a perfect touch of reality, but nobody is wiser. Be sure to use distilled water. Tap water has minerals that evaporate, making it hard to clean inside the vase. You can buy these fake pearl balls here.

7. Use Different Heights for Interest and Depth

To add interest and depth, you can decorate your home with artificial plants of various sizes and styles. Different heights will move the eye around the room. This is similar to Tip 5, but you know, lucky number 7, right?