Artificial plants have evolved from their once-tacky reputation to become a staple in modern interior design. Nowadays, to our immense pleasure, we’re seeing more and more households and commercial spaces leaning into the benefits of artificial plants as decor.
With advancements in materials and design, today’s faux greenery offers realistic aesthetics and removes the need for upkeep and maintenance.
And many have taken notice. As a result, this means we’ve got an uptick in Americans looking for low-maintenance decor, but also a rise in decor mistakes.
If you’re thinking about incorporating artificial plants into your space, read this guide first. Here, we’ll delve into expert strategies for decorating with artificial plants. We’ll help you select the right types, position them effectively, and show you how to achieve a natural and cohesive look in your interior.
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The 7 Best Decorating Tips for Artificial Plants
Decorating with artificial plants is much more than just filling empty spaces in your home or business. When you choose and style your faux plants thoughtfully, they’ll add the texture, depth, and dynamism your space has been missing.
After talking to our design consultants and showroom crew, we’ve got 7 practical tips to ensure your artificial plant decor looks natural and visually striking:
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Blend the fake plants with real ones
If you’ve finally decided to use artificial plants in your space, you should ease into it. Since you still don’t have faux greenery, you shouldn’t go overboard and buy 5 different products to style.
Instead, to make your artificial plants feel and look more alive, you should mix them with real greenery. We like to think of it as giving your space some backup - real plants for authenticity, and faux ones to fill in the gaps without any extra maintenance stress.
Whatever you do, don’t throw away your existing decor, especially if it’s a real plant. Use your new artificial plants to complement what’s already there.
Tip: Make sure you’re not pairing a fake plant with its real twin - that’s a dead giveaway.
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Invest in good planters
We can’t stress this enough: While the artificial plant is the star of the show, the planter matters just as much.
Your fake plant can be as high-end and stunning as they get, but a cheap plastic pot will make it look faker than a wig in a shampoo ad. Luckily, there’s an easy fix to this.
Swap out the pot your artificial plant came with for a ceramic, terracotta, or woven basket that suits your existing interior design. Or, if you’re working with artificial hedges, you can even use a metal planter with wheels as a fancier alternative. Just make sure you pot the fake plants effectively and stabilize them well to prevent them from tipping over.
Tip: If you're buying artificial outdoor plants, pick UV-resistant planters so they don’t fade in the sun.
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Play with plant groupings
One fake plant alone can look lonely. Depending on its placement, it can also look obviously fake. Whenever new clients reach out for advice, we suggest grouping a few plants together to achieve that lush, layered look you see in magazines.
For example, you can put an artificial cypress tree in a corner, a potted plant on a console table nearby, and a trailing vine on a shelf in between.
This way, you’ll mix heights, textures, and colors, which will make the whole arrangement feel intentional rather than like you just threw a plant down somewhere.
Tip: Think about grouping in threes - one tall faux plant, one medium, and one smaller. Or, a faux green wall disc on the wall, a fake tree beside it, and a potted plant on a nearby dresser. This triangle effect tricks the eye into seeing balance, just like in nature.
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Vary leaf heights and textures
One of the easiest ways to spot an artificial arrangement is when every plant has the same type of leaf or sits at the same height. Real greenery doesn’t grow like that because nature loves variety.
Most of us have a favorite type of plant. But despite your preference, you shouldn’t stick to the same kind of leaves. To create a realistic display, mix faux plants with broad, spiky, and trailing leaves.
When you approach decorating thoughtfully, you’ll mimic how real plants grow and ensure your arrangement feels dynamic and alive. And you don’t have to do much for this, either - just a few contrasting textures can reinvigorate a flat corner.
Tip: When styling similar faux plants in the same area, don’t line them up next to each other. Instead, change the levels for a layered look that mimics growing greenery.
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Fluff your fauxliege
Fluffing the fauxliege is a key step many new artificial plant parents skip over. Since most faux plants and artificial vertical gardens arrive in boxes, they need to be pressed flat for shipping. If you leave them as-is, you’ll spot they’re fake from a mile away.
Instead, after you unbox and put them in their place, spread out the branches and leaves. If you’re working with a faux green wall, put your hands in between the leaves and gently ruffle them around. Don’t be afraid to bend the leaves into curves or angles - real plants don’t grow in perfect straight lines.
Tip: Fluff the leaves and then step back across the room and check the shape from further away. If it looks too uniform, go back and tweak until it looks livelier.
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Mix in natural elements
One of the quickest giveaways of a fake plant is the base. If you use a bare plastic pot with regular foam showing, it’s no wonder that your visitors will be able to tell.
But this doesn’t mean that you can’t use any artificial tree at all. On the contrary, we recommend sticking with low-maintenance faux greenery, but supplementing the surrounding decor with natural elements.
For example, you can add materials like river stones, moss, bark chips, or even sand to disguise the base and give the illusion that your plant is rooted in something real.
Tip: Line the top of your pot with a mix of preserved moss and small stones. The moss will cover the foam, and the stones will add weight and texture.
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Use pots with weighted bases
Last but not least, if you’re decorating with tall artificial plants, especially top-heavy ones like the artificial olive tree, you need to anchor them to the ground so they don’t tip over. Whatever you do, you can’t let your faux tree wobble when someone walks by - it’ll ruin the effect.
So, whenever we work with potted trees, we advise our clients to use weighted planters or to add weight to the pots. Many designers we’ve worked with actually repot faux trees into larger, heavier containers for both looks and function.
And the best part is - you’ll notice the difference immediately. Your fake tree will look more grounded, but it will also be more grounded.
Tip: If your planter isn’t weighted, pour builder’s sand or small stones around the original pot and then top with moss or soil to hide the plastic.
Finishing Thoughts
Don’t use your artificial plants to just fill in empty corners - that’s a quick way to suck the potential out of your space.
Instead, focus on intentionally creating a space that feels vibrant, natural, and thoughtfully styled.
While there are many other pieces of advice our team can offer you, thanks to the decades of experience under our belts, these 7 tips are enough to get you started.
If you’d like bespoke advice and recommendations based on photos of your space, reach out to our team for a free consultation. That way, our design consultants can work with you to fashion the space of your dreams and give you specific suggestions for product combinations.
In the meantime, check out our comprehensive collection of artificial green walls to get those creative juices flowing.