When we lived in our former (and first) home, one day I decided I wanted to start adding some plants to decorate and liven up the space. We had an east and north facing window in the living room which seemed like a great lighting situation for just about any plant.
I started out with a Dracena. Now, if you research this plant, often called a corn plant, it says: low maintenance beauty making it especially easy for beginners. Y’all. Seriously. I killed that thing in about 3.2 days {it seems like.} Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it wasn’t long, I promise!! Here is the number one mistake beginner plant parents make—overwatering. Yes, you read that right. OVERwatering. There are some plants that thrive {almost} on neglect. The Dracena, Snake Plant, ZZ plant and Pothos being a few. You’re welcome
But dang it if I didn’t see that thing looking sad and I just thought it needed more water. And then more. And then…well you know how this ends. Out to the curb.
So then how did I get from that to having over 45 live plants in our current home for 3+ years now? Well, research my friends. Research. The interwebs can lead you down green pastures when you need the right info. I knew I wanted a Fiddle Leaf Fig for my first plant—btw I don’t recommend this—so I started down my FLF research journey. That plant is most often called a drama queen for good reason. We won’t get into that on this post. However, once I learned the ways of the different plants and their ideal lighting scenarios and watering needs I pretty much got it down. But…I realize this is not for everyone and not everyone wants live plants in their home.
So you can’t use artificial ones, though, right? Those are hideous and remind me of the 80s when they sat on top of the giant China cabinet collecting 2 inches of dust. Oh, but you will be shocked when I show you that you can use artificial plants now and they look almost as good as the real ones!
*This post contains affiliate links. That means, while it’s the same price for you, I get a very small commission out of it that helps me and my family. But most importantly, helps fund my estate sale and coffee addiction.
Here are some of my favorite places for faux plants and flowers and some around our house.
Reasons why faux plants are good!
Real plants inevitably come with a larger cost attached in the long run. Some may be cheaper to buy up front but will require ongoing tending to that always comes with a price tag. Real plants die and need to be replaced and may require increasingly bigger pots as they grow. Artificial plants arrive fully mature with only the up front cost to pay.
They require little to zero care. Yes, they will need to be dusted and sometimes moved if the sun beats on them all day (west windows) to prevent fading. But, the upside is almost all quality faux plants now are UV resistant and will last a really long time!
Real plants do often provide filtration when it comes to the air that we breathe and artificial plants won’t do that. However, research has found that in terms of wellbeing benefits such as improving mood and morale, as well as productivity and focus, artificial plants really work.
Real plants can be the source of a lot of issues for people. They can trigger allergies and may even be responsible for poisoning if they are touched or consumed by children or pets. Artificial plants don’t come with any of these problems and there’s no need to worry about pollen! Win-win!
Here are some great faux plants for those on a budget and those who want to splurge.
So if you don’t have time for the real deal or you just don’t want to learn to be a green thumb, just know that it is perfectly ok and the faux plants today aren’t grannies dusty vines hanging off the shelf!
