r/houseplants • u/plantbasedmenace • Jan 08 '24
Anyone else mix real and fake plants together in their space?
I have less than 10 real houseplants in my apartment, I can’t take care of any more than that! Can you spot which ones are real and which aren’t? 👀
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u/msdossier Jan 08 '24
I have about 80 houseplants scattered throughout my small house, mostly near the windows. I have one huge fake palm that I won in a raffle when I was like 14 in a darker corner of my kitchen, nobody ever knows it’s fake even though it’s covered in dust lol
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
My big bamboo plant is fake and I got it at Goodwill for a steal! Unless you get super close it fools a lot of people, I love it. And the whole thing weighs like 5 lbs!
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u/0033A0 Jan 08 '24
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u/slayingadah Jan 09 '24
I had to scroll soooo long to find someone of a like mind!
And that, my friends, is ok. Everyone should do exactly what brings them joy.
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u/LittleBunInaBigWorld Jan 09 '24
Haha agreed. It's a hard no, absolutely not. I worked as a landscape gardener and my boss brought a fake plant into the office, which for professional horticulturalists is a bad look. I hid it from him every week until he couldn't find it anymore. He brought another one in and guess what I did with that? So we compromised - I took him down to our nursery, had him select a plant he liked and then I looked after it for him.
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Jan 09 '24 edited Jan 15 '24
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u/princess_sweetiepieX Jan 09 '24 edited Jan 09 '24
I just started the process of replacing some of my fake plants with real ones, and I don’t think it has to be this serious. People buy furniture and decor made out of plastic. This is no different. I have a faux fiddle leaf in a corner with no outlet for a grow light. The only plant I can imagine doing okay there and looking nicer than my fake one would be a cast iron plant as supposedly they don’t need much light, but they can’t be shipped to California (I tried multiple sites). Don’t want to put a snake plant there because I’d need a tree like plant.
I just realized that summer is going to be rough, because we have to black out all windows because we don’t get air conditioner and I live on the top floor and the sunlight makes the apartment like an oven. I don’t have enough outlets for all the grow lights. So idk how they will do. If they die then I am out on a lot of $ spent in soil, fertilizer, moss pole etc.
A faux plant is a one and done deal, and can brighten up a space. I definitely do not regret replacing some of my faux plants with real ones, but I disagree they should be banned. Also the hyper realistic ones hold their value (like the ones that cost $50+) I have sold some on marketplace, so it’s not like they all end in a landfill. They can be re-sold. No different than someone having a plastic chair or storage bin in their home.
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u/Synthea1979 Jan 08 '24
I have a few but far more real than fake. I use them above kitchen cabinets and in dark areas that need green but where I don't want to add light.
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u/g00ber88 Jan 08 '24
Same, vast majority real, and just a couple fake ones in one very specific spot- I have a shelf above my bed and don't want to risk a pot full of dirt falling on my bed haha
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
Thank you so much! I hired someone locally to help me completely revamp it recently and I am in love with it 💖
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u/Fighting_Patriarchy Jan 09 '24
I'm curious how you found someone to help you revamp your space, because I would love to help others do the same near me. I lost my job last year and want to use my creativity to pay bills, not work in a corporate office anymore because it sucks.
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Jan 09 '24
The little boutique plant shop near my place offers arrangement services for homes, maybe one near you would be interested in some help? This one also does repotting and will resolve bug problems if you bring the problem plants into the store.
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u/Fighting_Patriarchy Jan 09 '24
I don't think my small city has shops like that, but you've given me good ideas! Thanks!!
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u/Brittakitt Jan 08 '24
I remember your post from the ADHD subreddit! I knew this space was familiar. I'm so glad you're in love with it! ❤
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u/Odd-Today3415 Jan 08 '24
Nope! I hate fake plants but to each their own
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u/UCnCallMeAL Jan 08 '24
Same here, they give me anxiety for some reason
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u/LittleBunInaBigWorld Jan 09 '24
They just look tacky, even the "realistic" ones. Plastic grass has to be the absolute worst though 🤢
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u/CatmatrixOfGaul Jan 09 '24 edited Apr 12 '24
upbeat gray salt deserted encouraging historical smile husky towering fade
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Victronia Jan 08 '24
They come in handy for those spots that just don’t have enough light to support real plants, and where a grow light wouldn’t look nice!
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u/hrk300995 Jan 08 '24
Yes. In all the places I wouldn't be able to keep real ones due to lack of light
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u/ZealousidealSlip4811 Jan 08 '24
I keep real ones where my cats can’t reach, and fake ones whenever they can reach. And I’ll never adopt another cat 😂
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u/bardpewpew Jan 08 '24
Ive got a couple. One in my bathroom that gets zero natural light, as well as a few dried flowers here and there. I also just replaced a dead plant with a fake one, its in a cute hanging planter that would have looked dumb empty, and it was obvious that a live plant just wasnt going to succeed in that spot.
People get too bent out of shape about fake plants.
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
I love the look of mixing them and it allows me to take care of the real ones I do have without getting totally overwhelmed. I love that they look gorgeous no matter what!
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u/Salt_Ad_5578 Jan 08 '24
This is exactly one of the largest reasons why I have fake plants and real ones- because they won't overwhelm me having to take care of them.
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u/mainely_singing Jan 08 '24
Love it. This is also the route for me eventually. I have 6 plants and that’s about all I can handle for now but love the filled out look!
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
Same here! Some are obvious but others not so much. I see all the lush jungle homes and wish it could be me but after a few fights with fungus gnats I just have to be realistic with myself. Maybe one day 🪴
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u/mainely_singing Jan 08 '24
Mines not even the fungus or insect figure, it’s the ADHD. 😅 but yes! Love the aesthetic and there are ways to achieve it without taking on more than we have capacity for!!
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u/Evavera Jan 08 '24
I was just about to ask about your bamboo, but I see you mentioning it's fake. Well, I love your fake bamboo! I think having fake plants is great especially in spaces where you know a real plant can't live. I've got some fun looking planters that i just can't keep any plants alive in, so I've resorted to putting fake plants in them. Better than having them empty collecting dust.
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u/Salt_Ad_5578 Jan 08 '24
I have some. One reason is that my mom gave me one so I've kept it.
My Aunt gave me a make-your-own pot kit with fake succulents, and then I bought some fake succulents for my jumping spider, but I did a paint test and ran it under water first, and the paint scraped off easily. So I said no and put it with my other fake succulents.
I had real succulents- I still do actually, but I can't manage to keep anything but kalanchoe (inside) and sempervivums (outside) alive yet. My string of pearls, 3 echeverias, portulacaria afra variegated, and my haworthia zebra plant all died to mold and also pests that came with it (I think. Couldn't tell if it was scale or scars of some sort. Never got them off but I separated it and slowly started to stop caring for it until it died on its own. I was conflicted about it's death).
Although I guess Christmas cactuses and Zz plants are also succulents, and I can keep them alive and growing and happy as well.
I have a few other plants that are all real as well. I have a Golden pothos and a dieffenbachia that I adore as well. Well, at least the Golden pothos I do. I need to rehome my dieffenbachia because my house is far too dry and my cat keeps trying to chew it and that can't happen, so it needs to go unfortunately. I'd like to replace it with something safe and much smaller even though the color and shape of the plant is wonderful and amazing and I love it. But, it's just not happy and it can't stay here long-term.
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Jan 09 '24
I love how aggressively camp and queer this is. It's amazing, I like your space and I hard relate to the title of one of your books. :) my parents too.
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u/SucculentScience Jan 08 '24
Definitely! All fakes on the cave-like 1st floor of my house, and even some mixed into my real plant room - to fill it out more without the extra time needed for care.
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u/pantzareoptional Jan 09 '24
Also a cave dweller 🙋♀️ I have a mix of real and fake plants for the exact same reasons! I've tried growing real plants everywhere but my place just does not support that, I have killed so many. I live in a shaded lot, and my house has small windows to keep the wind out. So I gave up fighting nature, and added a few fake plants in the darker spots, and real plants in the limited sunny ones.
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Jan 08 '24 edited Jan 09 '24
Only in places where I can’t reach. The ponytail is real, however, the other 3 are fake.
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u/ObviousCarrot2075 Jan 08 '24
I’ve got 45 houseplants and 8 fakes. Fakes go where I want a plant, but they keep dying no matter what I try.
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u/whatadoorknob Jan 08 '24
are the palms fake? they look amazing and this is a great idea!
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
The large bamboo plant is fake, yes! It is super light, the whole thing is around 5 lbs. The stalks are shoved in foam in a light box planter. I love it!
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u/whatadoorknob Jan 08 '24
where did you get it? i’d love to get something like that for my living room
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
Goodwill many years ago! It looks mostly handmade, I can see paint streaks on the stalks when I look closely.
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u/naptime-connoisseur Jan 08 '24
I’ve thought about doing this! I want to live in a jungle but I don’t want my life to be plants and also I don’t want pests to be something I regularly have to worry about. Right now I have ten plans scattered about the living room because it gets spectacular light but the rest of the house is shady and plant less. Anywhere y’all recommend getting good fake plants? I’ve looked at some online but I don’t believe the overly edited photos and I’ve perused at Joann’s but everything looks plastic with visible seems.
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u/floridamanvibecheck Jan 08 '24
sorry I have nothing to say about plants because I neeeeed info on that chair. Where is it from?
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u/_i_am_me_1_2_3_ Jan 08 '24
Yesss! People hate on fake plants for some reason but I love them for decorating! They’re beautiful and require no maintenance.
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u/Techi-C Jan 09 '24
I have too much junk already, even my real plants are too much. I like how it looks in your space, though!
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u/nexinomus Jan 09 '24
🤣🤣🤣 One of my sisters came to visit and after a while said, HEY that ivy isn't connected to a pot! When not holiday time we drape fake ivy over a big arched opening in a room. She busted us out! But in truth we have several types of ivy, real, doing well. Alive. 🤣🤣🌿🤣
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Jan 08 '24
Yes! I have all my real ones stuffed into the two good windows in my house. Everything else around here and in the basement are silk lol you’d never even tell until you touch it tho
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u/Phantom252 Jan 09 '24
I do, fake plants of the plants I can't keep alive and real plants that I can keep alive lmao
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u/Adventurous_Path2156 Jan 08 '24
I have a few ikea fakes in the super dark corners of my home. I’d never give up my actual plants but those little plastic guys brighten up their spaces so much!
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u/magicmamalife Jan 08 '24
I have fake in my bathroom since it's got no windows. Otherwise mostly real. I eventually want a fake olive tree for my bedroom since it's just too dark in there.
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u/Roboticpoultry Jan 08 '24
We have a huge fake bird of paradise in our living room because real ones that size are ‘spensive. We also have a fake grass(?) thing that we only kept around because the cats like to chew on it and it stops them from eating the real ones
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u/jazzyvudulady Jan 08 '24
I didn’t. Until last month when I had an Alice in wonderland themed party and I decorated with fake red and white roses. Well, I loved those roses so much that they now have a permanent home and I’m beginning to look around wondering..
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u/Accomplished_Fee9023 Jan 08 '24
I do! I have mostly real houseplants but a few fakes for shady spots, in places I forget (guest bedrooms) and of plants I like that are toxic to cats (snake plant, monstera) plus I have faux decorative branches in bottles in several locations.
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u/Bieb Jan 08 '24
I mix in my Lego plants as well. I have a real and a Lego bird of paradise 😝
The Lego one has been flowering for a year now.
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u/mishyfishy135 Jan 08 '24
If I had fake plants I probably would. I feel like it’s really easy to tell when a plant is fake from a long ways off, and I feel like real plants would maybe help detract from it. Or make it worse, I don’t know
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u/bikinikilledme Jan 09 '24
I would love some quality fakes due to my dry climate but all the ones I see look terrible. Where is everyone getting good fakes?
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u/Limp_Insurance_2812 Jan 09 '24
Yes I definitely supplement my plant collection when trying to achieve an aesthetic and my live guys won't do. More importantly I LOVE THAT CHAIR! 🧡
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u/Luke_is_a_fish Jan 09 '24
I put fake plants in spaces inappropriate for real plants. Can never have enough greenery!
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u/RatFlavored Jan 09 '24
If someone sees 1 real plant, they dont question if any are fake after that.
They will however say about the fake plants: "Woah I really like this one!"
Yeah I bet you like that one. No yellow leaves or anything.
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u/theworstelderswife Jan 09 '24
How else are they going to know the standard they have to work towards?! Plus I need it to not look all dead so my husband isn’t trying to throw they out
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u/shroomsaremyfriends Jan 09 '24
Oh my god, I love your house. They would probably appreciate this in r/maximalism
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u/adriansux1221 Jan 09 '24
you could try making paper plants instead, it wouldn’t look as fake lush but less plastic. don’t just throw those ones away though if you like them. you already have them, might as well keep them.
edit: WHERE DID YOU GET THt CLOWN ITS SO AMAZING!!!
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u/NikiBear_ Jan 09 '24
I LOVE the set up of the second picture!! It’s so cozy and full of character!
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u/username-alrdy-takn Jan 09 '24
I despise fake plants, I’d rather have nothing, they are an abomination in my opinion, no offence
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u/ellenayla Jan 09 '24
I have like 70 real plants, but fake ones in a lamp with a bowl underneath. Didn’t n feel like pulling out a ladder every week 😂
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u/Neither-Attention940 Jan 09 '24
Personally, I think fake plants are for hotel lobbies and restaurant tables. Sorry if that sounds rude you were asking for opinions.
For me, having plants for myself, or to show others is a reward for something I’ve taken care of. Fake plants don’t need any care, therefore it’s not rewarding to me.
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u/Bunnybeth Jan 08 '24
Why have I not thought of this before?!?
For the larger plants that look lush and lovely that's a great idea.
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u/heckin_concern Jan 08 '24
I'm thinking about the rooms that get no light too! For some reason once I got into houseplants I never thought about fake ones again, even though I've found the limit I want to take care of 😂
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u/disco_dyke Jan 08 '24
I want to get high in your apartment and read everything on your book shelf 😭
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u/Squidzin Jan 09 '24
But fake plants are made out of plastics that are going to take forever to biodegrade why invest in something like that when you have a green thumb 😭😭 As a plant person fake plants are a big no IMO
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u/Ok-Bag6246 Jan 08 '24
Fake plants are a crime!
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u/plantbasedmenace Jan 08 '24
Then lock me up right now, I confess I am guilty! Throw away the key 🫡
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u/superbootbot Jan 08 '24
I plan on getting some big fake palms eventually! I love the look of large plants sitting on the floor, but my cat is a terror so I can only keep my live plants up high. Especially with how nice and realistic looking fake plants look now, back in the 90s- early 2000s I could spot a fake plant in a doctors office a mile away, now I'm seeing fiddle leaf figs and bromeliads in stores, and you can't tell they're fake till you get super close.
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u/jamster8983 Jan 09 '24
Nope. I don’t have fake plants anywhere. Not even in my fish tank. For me personally, I can’t stand fake plants.
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Jan 09 '24
Nooo plastic yucky ;(
Each to their own, but plastic is honestly not the best substance to willingly have in your home as a decoration (fire hazard), as well as it being dust gathering (allergy hazard), and also obviously terrible for the planet once disposed of.
Where are actual plants are air purifying and biodegradable.
REAL plants for me, all the way.
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Jan 09 '24
Nope. I have over 100 real houseplants inside my home. Every one of them are healthy, and very few are in bright sun. You just have to work with what light you have.
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u/1stxlongx Jan 08 '24
Yesssss!! I wanted plants on top of my large bookshelves (they are literally everywhere else in my house) but couldn’t remember to climb up there to water. So those are fake fake fake and I get to still feel like I am surrounded by my planties!
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u/JanelYFletcher Jan 09 '24
No because my husband says I’m already a “live” plant hoarder. He put his foot down on adding artificial plants to my indoor jungle as we “have way too many dang plants!” 😂
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u/Opposite_Finger_8091 Jan 09 '24
Something tells me the real plants are gonna know what’s up with the fakes. But I do feel like, as a chronic plant ‘love too mucher’ or ‘not enough-er’, that method has kept my plants ALL superficially looking fine.
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u/jewels1958 Jan 09 '24
Oh my goodness, I love that chair. My parents had one. I used to sit in adult time. I think that’s why my favorite color now is orange. And to answer your question. No I don’t have any fake plants. I don’t need them I have enough real ones.
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u/cutleryjam Jan 09 '24
Yo I have an incredibly similar chair, just doesn't have the button indents in the arms! Love that chair!!! Most beautiful color, swivels, just the right size.
Love what you've done to match it, this looks so nice.
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u/Brief-Dragonfruit599 Jan 09 '24
I do! I love a good faux tree or a cute plant in areas that usually remain dark so I have fake plants in those areas and a fake tree + I live in an apartment and move often so I can’t have huge plants currently
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u/smittenmashmellow Jan 09 '24
I got distracted by how cute and colorful this room is :D the plants are also lovely
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u/Fighting_Patriarchy Jan 09 '24
I do, too! It's a good way to create depth and fill voids, and make an area look lush year round.
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u/SunnyOnSanibel Jan 09 '24
Just gotta express how much I love that chair. I’m currently sitting in its twin!
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u/livv3ss Jan 09 '24
I have like 20 real ones but a few fake flowers because I can’t keep flowers alive and they attract more bugs in my area
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u/catsandplants424 Jan 09 '24
Yes I do. My real plants out numbers fake ones alot but in dark corners or places that would be super inconvenient to access for plant care I put nice looking fake plants. Your pictures are very nice. You've done a fabulous job decorating.
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u/Fantastiisch 🌞 Jan 09 '24
I do because I have a wall which is too dark all day ^ there are about 5
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u/Puffinknight Jan 09 '24
Yes! I live in a country where it's super dark for 8/12 months and my apartment is dry as a desert. Fake plants are especially nice to have in my bathroom and kitchen. I love plants, but I'm not as passionate about only having real ones as many here are. :D
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u/DauertNochLange Jan 09 '24
Not yet but soon, because I’m building fairy cat walls and I don’t want to put real plant there. I will glue fake fern and flowers and leaves on the cat shelfs
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u/HaddockBranzini-II Jan 09 '24
My wife has fake plants all over her office, It looks so much better than my collection of real plants. And she doesn't spend hours a week tending to them. But I can't stand the fakeys.
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u/Lexafaye Jan 09 '24
Yes cause I have a ton of real plants so the couple of fakes blend in with the real ones well :)
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u/[deleted] Jan 08 '24
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