The best-kept secret of stylists and show homes isn't all-real or all-faux — it's the blend. Fake the demanding statement tree in the dim corner, grow the easy herb on the sunny sill, and no visitor can tell where one ends and the other begins. Done carelessly it looks like a mistake; done deliberately it gives you a lush, always-green display with a fraction of the upkeep. The trick is knowing exactly what to fake and what to grow.
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In this guide
- Fake the difficult, grow the easy
- Match the planters to unify the scheme
- Blend at the base to hide the tells
- Play the practical strengths of each
- A few of our favourites
- Frequently asked questions
Fake the difficult, grow the easy
Start by dividing your wish-list honestly. Fake anything large, slow, expensive or fussy — a full-size olive, a fiddle-leaf fig, a palm for a dark corner, a maple you could never keep indoors. These are the pieces that die dramatically or cost a fortune to replace. Grow the plants that genuinely thrive in your conditions and reward you: a pothos that trails happily off a shelf, herbs on a kitchen sill, a resilient snake plant. The living pieces bring the tiny movements and scent that faux can't; the artificial ones carry the size and the guaranteed good looks.
Match the planters to unify the scheme
The single most powerful trick for a convincing blend is consistent pots. When a real fern and a faux olive sit in the same family of planters — matching material, finish or colour — the eye reads the whole grouping as one intentional collection rather than clocking which plant is which. Choose a unifying thread: all terracotta, all matte black, all woven baskets. This visual consistency is what stops a mixed display looking like two unrelated things sharing a shelf, and it's why coordinated pots do more heavy lifting than the plants themselves.
Blend at the base to hide the tells
A living plant sits in real soil; a faux one usually sits on a plastic base. Reconcile the two by treating every pot the same way at the surface — a top-dressing of natural moss, bark chips or pebbles across all of them. This hides the artificial base and simultaneously makes the real plants look more considered, so the transition between real and faux disappears at soil level. Cluster the plants close enough that fronds and leaves overlap slightly, letting real and artificial foliage mingle so no single stem is isolated for scrutiny.
Play the practical strengths of each
Use the mix to solve real problems room by room. Put faux where conditions defeat living plants — the windowless bathroom, the high shelf you'll never reach to water, the shady corner — and reserve the real plants for the bright, accessible spots where care is easy. In a display you look at closely, place a living plant at eye level where its texture rewards inspection, and let a faux piece take the far corner or the top of a tall bookcase where the distance flatters it. Match each plant to the position that plays to its strengths and the whole arrangement stays effortless.
Keep reading
If you found this useful, you'll enjoy How to Style Artificial Plants Like an Interior Designer and How to Tell If an Artificial Plant Looks Real Before You Buy.
A few of our favourites
A few pieces from the Botanik range that suit this beautifully:
- 90cm Artificial Palm Tree Potted in Decorative Planter
- 125cm Orange Maple Acer Extra Large Artificial Tree
- 120cm Artificial Olive Tree Natural Style
Frequently asked questions
Can you mix real and artificial plants in the same display?
Yes, and it's a stylist favourite. Fake the large, fussy or expensive pieces and grow the easy, thriving ones, then unify them with matching planters and a shared top-dressing of moss or pebbles. Blended well, the display looks entirely natural while cutting your upkeep dramatically.
Which plants should I fake and which should I keep real?
Fake anything big, slow, costly or demanding — olives, figs, palms for dark corners. Grow the plants that genuinely thrive in your light and that you'll actually water, like pothos, herbs or a snake plant. The living ones add scent and movement; the faux ones carry size and reliability.
How do I stop a mixed plant display looking obvious?
Coordinate the planters so everything reads as one collection, and top-dress every pot the same way with moss, bark or pebbles to hide the faux bases. Cluster plants so real and artificial foliage overlaps, and place living plants at close-viewing eye level where their texture rewards a look.
Why put artificial plants next to real ones at all?
It lets each do what it does best. Faux plants handle the dim, hard-to-reach or care-hostile spots that kill living plants, while real plants bring scent, subtle movement and freshness to the bright, accessible positions. Combining them gives a fuller, always-green look with far less maintenance.
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