Fake plants in the house

[JanetRose]

Yes, can be tacky!

But I have some nice fake plants from Hobby Lobby which on occasion have actually watered!

Any cute suggestions how we can indicate the fake from the real?

 

[Her Dotness]

Put one of those little blown glass extended release watering things in the real ones. You can get colorful ones (cardinal red, cobalt blue) if you like or plain should you want something that doesn't attract attention.

Not wise for succulents, if you've any, or you'll kill them by overwatering.

Or those little garden plant labeling stakes somewhere less noticeable.

If anyone thinks my fake plants (4/5) are tacky, they can have at it. That I like them in my home is what counts, IMO.

 

[disneyseniors]

OP, I don't think they look tacky, LOL. I love that you almost watered them.
After years of torturing live plants and killing them, I have given up! I only have a few fake plants but at least they don't die a painful death.
People like me are stuck with the fake ones.

 

[Sinder]

I have some succulents in an arrangement and everyone thinks they are real. I think there are definitely some fake plants that look tacky because they look like fake plants for sure.

 

[Micca]

We have some fake plants around the house. They are in high-up places where you can't really see whether or not they're real. If they were live plants they'd be a major pain to water.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have one small one, and I love having a bit of green that I can't kill and the cats don't eat!

As for marking them - grab a few small rocks from your yard, and put them in the pots of the (either real or fake ones - probably whichever you have fewer of) and then you'll be able to see which group each plant belongs to at a glance.

 

[Micca]

I have one small one, and I love having a bit of green that I can't kill and the cats don't eat!

Tell me about it PollyannaMom! We adopted 2 kittens about a month ago and they have ravaged several of our houseplants. Good thing they're cute

 

[monsterkitty]

I have one small one, and I love having a bit of green that I can't kill and the cats don't eat!

As for marking them - grab a few small rocks from your yard, and put them in the pots of the (either real or fake ones - probably whichever you have fewer of) and then you'll be able to see which group each plant belongs to at a glance.

I had a fake plant that was like a tree/bush. It started to lose leaves. I thought, great, I can even kill a fake plant!

Then we caught the cat on camera eating the fake leaves.

 

[Kirby]

This doesn't have anything to do with your post but brought to mind a memory of a Holiday Tour of Homes I went on several years ago. One of the homes on the tour was a huge home, I guess you could call it a mansion. When we walked up to it we noticed that the flowers in the flower beds were artificial, even the ones around the back patio area. Why would someone with the kind of money those people had (I know who they are and know that they are wealthy) put out fake flowers? Was our big laugh for the day.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I have a black thumb so I can’t grow anything inside or out. My husband takes care of the 4 plants that we have on the kitchen window sill and I take care of occasionally dusting the fake fern that I keep in a hanging basket. It’s very lifelike.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Why would someone with the kind of money those people had (I know who they are and know that they are wealthy) put out fake flowers?

This question reminds me of a car game we used to play called "Three Scenarios" - Here are my guesses:
1) They're very concerned about the environment and don't want to waste water on outdoor plants.
2) They got in trouble for watering outside of prescribed hours during water restrictions due to a drought.
3) They got mad at their landscaper, fired him, and put the fake plants in fit of spite.

 

[_19disnA]

Over the years we have tried various indoor plants and have finally given up on them. Most rooms only have windows on one wall which limits the number of daylight hours. Windows in general filter out too much of the sunlight and even plants that grow in low light tend to not do well. If you have all artificial plants then you don't need to water any of them so that resolves one potential issue.

We now prefer to have live annual plants/flowers on the outdoor patio or front entrance. We toss them when the season ends. Plants that have been outdoors tend to have various bugs in the soil once you bring them inside in colder weather.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

OP, just stop watering and see which ones wilt. Then you’ll know the difference.

No artificial plants in my house and the number of real ones must be pushing close to 200 at this point. Although, there might be a few in there whose life status is a bit questionable.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

This question reminds me of a car game we used to play called "Three Scenarios" - Here are my guesses:
1) They're very concerned about the environment and don't want to waste water on outdoor plants.
2) They got in trouble for watering outside of prescribed hours during water restrictions due to a drought.
3) They got mad at their landscaper, fired him, and put the fake plants in fit of spite.

Ha, a couple times my friends and I played a made up game where we’d swap purses and then reach in grab-bag style to retrieve an item, then give three reasons why the purse owner carried that item around with them. The answers were usually rather creative and often quite hilarious, especially after a few drinks.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I guess I would mark the real plants with some kind of decorative sticks in the dirt. I don't have any indoor plants because I can't seem to keep them alive. When we bought our house a few years ago, the previous owner left a lovely potted palm plant on the patio. I vowed to keep it alive and looking nice. I gave it water a few times, then decided it should be planted in a bigger pot. So I got a nice clay pot and some potting soil and started trying to pull it out of its small plastic pot. It wouldn't budge. So I decided to break the plastic pot and chip it away. It was hard to break around the bottom...because it was full of hard cement! Yes, the lovely palm was fake and cemented into it's small plastic pot! Now the pot was broken and the plant would no longer stand up. So I stuck it behind the hose holder on the patio and there it sits. My son loves to tell his friends about how his mom watered and tried to replant a fake plant. Funny guy...

 

[Ekitro]

I guess I would mark the real plants with some kind of decorative sticks in the dirt. I don't have any indoor plants because I can't seem to keep them alive. When we bought our house a few years ago, the previous owner left a lovely potted palm plant on the patio. I vowed to keep it alive and looking nice. I gave it water a few times, then decided it should be planted in a bigger pot. So I got a nice clay pot and some potting soil and started trying to pull it out of its small plastic pot. It wouldn't budge. So I decided to break the plastic pot and chip it away. It was hard to break around the bottom...because it was full of hard cement! Yes, the lovely palm was fake and cemented into it's small plastic pot! Now the pot was broken and the plant would no longer stand up. So I stuck it behind the hose holder on the patio and there it sits. My son loves to tell his friends about how his mom watered and tried to replant a fake plant. Funny guy...

Reading your plant saga made me smile! I can relate—I steer clear of live plants for the same reason. Your story reminded me of the time I tried to rescue a potted palm, only to discover it was fake and cemented in its pot!By the way, if you're into the idea of low-maintenance but realistic-looking plants, I recently discovered Designer Plants USA. They have a fantastic range, and the best part? No cement surprises! So, if you ever decide to add some greenery without the stress, they might be worth checking out. Happy planting (real or fake)!