You Won’t Believe These 5 Houseplants Are Fake (and Better for Decorating Than Their Live Equivalents)

Decorating your home with indoor plants improves the aesthetic and can be beneficial to your health and happiness. However, if caring for plants is too cumbersome and ends up causing a major inconvenience and stress, then it might be a wise decision to try some artificial plants instead. 

Fortunately, you can feel some of the positive attributes of natural plants with fake ones, such as their ability to boost one’s mood simply by looking at them. Plus, some real plants can trigger allergies, attract pests inside the home, and even cause toxic reactions to both people and pets. 

Opting for certain fake plants that look real might be a solution, especially when it comes to plants that are particularly challenging to care for daily or in certain conditions. “Fake plants are perfect for people who lack the skills, experience, or simply the desire to care for real plants,” says Zeeshan Haider, CEO and founder of Greenry Enthusiast in Sheridan, Wyoming. “They are a great way to add greenery to your home without the worries of keeping real plants alive.” Many artificial plants actually cost less in the long run compared to real plants and can be purchased at places such as Wayfair, Amazon, Target, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and IKEA. 

Here are five plants that are particularly challenging to take care of indoors yet can easily be replaced by fake ones. 

1. Elephant’s Ear (Alocasia spp.)

It’s a bit of a challenge to grow alocasia indoors, says Caleb Young of Rare Indoor Plants. “They like high humidity and a warm environment. If the roots stay too wet or it gets too cold, they’re quick to show signs of stress,” he says. Elephant ears require consistently moist—but not soggy—soil since they are susceptible to root rot, which can make them challenging to care for. 

This plant relies on bright indirect sunlight when grown indoors, so it is also critical to avoid placing it in full direct sunlight because this can lead to leaf burn. Another major problem with growing this plant indoors is that it is toxic to dogs, cats, horses, and humans, causing mouth and stomach irritation and possibly vomiting if ingested; a fake Elephant Ear would be safer. 

2. Calathea (Calathea spp.)

Commonly referred to as prayer plant, pinstripe plant, or rattlesnake plant, calatheas are attractive but difficult to grow indoors, given their requirements for the right amount of light, water, and nutrients. “Calatheas are pretty with their colorful leaves, but they’re hard to maintain when it comes to care,” says Young. He says the plants need high humidity and consistent watering. “If those aren’t spot on, they’ll start showing stress with browning edges,” Young says. 

The prayer plant is known to curl, fade, or droop under the wrong conditions. These houseplants do best with indirect light and should never receive direct sunlight because that will lead to leaf burn, causing the leaves to curl, turn brown, and fall off the plant. Given their specific humidity needs, it is necessary to mist the plant with water once or twice a day, run a humidifier, or grow it in a large terrarium. All of these options require additional work to keep the plant flourishing, and to consider an artificial calathea instead. Finally, they are susceptible to spider mite infestations, which can lead to the leaves curling up.

3. Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)

An artificial fiddle leaf fig tree is a much better option than a real one since it’s toxic to pets and people, quite finicky, and hard to keep alive. “The fiddle-leaf fig is an absolute diva—she requires perfection when it comes to lighting, no drafts, and plenty of attention, or she will drop leaves all over the place,” says Haider.

Fiddle-leaf figs love bright, filtered light such as being in front of a window with eastern exposure. If that’s not possible, they might need LED grow lights. However, too much direct sun can burn the plant and turn the leaves brown. The water temperature also has to be just right; if the water is too hot or too cold, then the plant can go into shock. Finally, this plant is susceptible to common pests like mealybugs, scale, whiteflies, aphids, and fungus gnats.

4. Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum spp.)

A maidenhair fern is among the hardest plants to grow indoors, mainly because the leaves are so thin. “This plant is super delicate and really hard to keep alive in drier homes,” says Young. “It needs constant moisture and humidity, so if it doesn’t get those conditions, it starts wilting or turning brown pretty fast.” 

These plants demand 60 percent humidity, which is unrealistic for a healthy home, and a good reason for a faux fern instead. Therefore, they need to be placed inside an enclosure to control humidity levels, such as a fern case, large terrarium, or glass cloche. They also like bright, indirect sunlight; if they are left in dim spots, they will struggle. Finally, fern spores can trigger allergic reactions like rashes and hay fever. 

5. Phalaenopsis Orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.)

Also called moth orchids, Phalaenopsis orchids are one of the most popular orchids, but can be challenging to care for as a houseplant. “They are gorgeous yet very vulnerable and quite easy to damage,” says Haider. They are also really picky, according to Young. “They need the perfect balance of light, humidity, and watering. A lot of people struggle with getting the watering just right,” says Young. As a result, the plants end up wilting or never blooming, Young adds. These plants also need bright, indirect sunlight, so if a sunny spot inside isn’t available, the best alternative is to purchase faux silk orchids.