The faux plants that look real are large-leaf trees with uneven leaf sizes, a visible trunk and a pot you swap yourself, and these 15 picks run from $6.99 for three IKEA succulents to $184.99 for a 4-foot Nearly Natural monstera. Each entry lists the size, the material when the retailer states it, the price and what helps it pass for live.
Key Takeaways
- Large, irregular leaves read as real from across a room; small repeated leaves give away a fake first.
- Material matters: IKEA’s FEJKA eucalyptus uses recycled polyester leaves, and Afloral’s string of pearls is 60% plastic, 20% wire and 20% paper.
- Check UV rating: Nearly Natural’s 4-foot monstera is listed UV resistant, while its 6-foot fiddle-leaf is listed as strictly indoor.
- Spend most on the one tree people see up close; keep small filler plants cheap.
- Swap the shipping pot for a real planter and cover the base with soil or moss.
Statement Trees for Empty Corners
Tall faux trees carry the room, so they are where the price difference between a convincing plant and a plastic one shows most.
1. Nearly Natural 6-Foot Fiddle-Leaf Fig
This 6-foot tree is 26 inches wide and has 270 leaves on a real natural trunk, according to Nearly Natural’s listing. It was $149.99 on sale (regular $218.99). It looks real because fiddle-leaf leaves are large and wavy, so a few hundred of them break up the symmetry. The listing calls it strictly indoor, so keep it out of the sun. Replace the small black nursery pot with a basket.
2. Nearly Natural 6-Foot Olive Tree
A 6-foot olive tree measures 28 by 10 inches and comes in a 6 by 7 by 7 inch nursery pot, with a thin brown trunk that splits into stems, per Nearly Natural’s page. The price was $120.99 (regular $192.99), though it showed as sold out. Olive leaves are small and silvery-narrow, so the thin trunk and open branching do most of the work. Check that the olives are not glued on in clumps.
3. IKEA FEJKA Eucalyptus, 59 Inches
IKEA’s tall FEJKA eucalyptus is 59 inches high in a 7 1/2 inch pot at $89.99, with recycled polyester and polyethylene leaves and a steel stem, per IKEA’s page. Sealed water-filled bags in the base keep it upright. Eucalyptus is easy to fake because the real leaves are round, dusty and sparse, so the fabric leaves look right. The steel stem lets you bend branches apart.
4. Bird of Paradise
A faux bird of paradise gives tall, paddle-shaped leaves for a bright corner. Monarch’s Strelitzia in a pot was $131.89 on Staples, with no height listed, and a 4.5-foot Nearly Natural real-touch version was $113.75 at Walmart (snippet). Wide leaves hide seams, so choose one with split, uneven leaf edges. Fan the leaves out so they are not stacked in one plane.
5. Faux Rubber Tree
A rubber tree has thick, oval, glossy leaves, which makes it a forgiving plant to copy, because real ones already look a bit plastic. Monarch’s Rubber Tree in a pot was $129.59 on Staples; the listing gives no height. Pick a dark green with a slightly lighter new-growth leaf at the top, and put it in a real planter near a lamp, where soft light shows the leaf shape.
Mid-Size Foliage for Tables, Floors and Shelves
Mid-size plants sit at hand height, so they get touched and inspected more than a tall tree.
6. Nearly Natural 4-Foot Monstera
This 4-foot monstera is 16 inches wide with a 6.5 inch pot and is listed UV resistant for indoor or outdoor use, at $184.99 on Nearly Natural’s page. Split leaves are instantly recognisable, so they must look right. The UV rating means a sunny window will not bleach it as fast. The page does not state the material.
7. Faux Snake Plant, 30 Inches
A 30-inch Nearly Natural sansevieria was $42.99 on sale (regular $82.99), in a 4.5 inch vanilla planter, per Nearly Natural’s page. Real snake plants have stiff, upright leaves with mottled edges, so a fake with those features is hard to tell apart. It is the cheapest tall plant here, and it works in a dark corner where no live plant would last.
8. Faux Schefflera, 4 Feet
A 4-foot Nearly Natural schefflera tree in a pot was $87.19 on Staples. Schefflera has leaves in a hand-shaped cluster, so the fake succeeds when the clusters point at different angles. Open each one outward and tilt a few downward. For a similar footprint in live plants, see small apartment plants. It fits beside a desk or an entryway table at a height that does not block the window.
9. Faux Bamboo, 4 Feet
A 4-foot Nearly Natural bamboo plant in a planter was $90.09 on Staples. Bamboo has narrow leaves on straight, jointed canes, and the canes give a faux version a believable structure from a distance. Put it in a tall, narrow spot such as beside a doorway, where the thin profile suits the space, and set it in a heavier basket so the base looks anchored.
10. Budget Fiddle-Leaf Fig
The same large-leaf shape is available for far less. Monarch’s fiddle-leaf fig in a pot was $60.69 on Staples, and a Nearly Natural fiddle-leaf tree in a pot (item 9121) was $64.39. The listings give no height or material, so look at the leaf finish in photos before buying. Use it in a spot where it is seen from a few feet away, not close.
Trailing and Hanging Fakes
Trailing plants hide their base and their stems, so they fool the eye more easily than upright ones.
11. Afloral String of Pearls
Afloral’s faux string of pearls drop-in plant is 17 inches tall and 18 inches wide, with 33 hanging vines 2.5 to 17.5 inches long and a 3.5 by 3 inch root ball, at $68 on Afloral’s page. It is 60% plastic, 20% wire and 20% paper. Vines of different lengths look natural because real strands never match. Real ones are hard to keep alive, so a fake earns its price here.
12. Faux Pothos Hanging Basket
A Nearly Natural pothos hanging basket was $56.63 at Home Depot (snippet) and is listed as UV resistant. Pothos leaves are heart-shaped with varied spacing, so a basket with irregular vines reads as live. Hang it high, above eye level, where nobody checks the leaf texture. Pair it with a real plant nearby, as in hanging plant ideas for indoors.
13. Faux Boston Fern Basket
A large Nearly Natural Boston fern hanging basket was $55.54 at Home Depot (snippet). Ferns are among the hardest plants to fake, because the fine, feathery fronds look flat when they are molded. A basket works because the arching shape hides the base. Hang it in a dim or humid spot such as a bathroom corner, away from close inspection. For real plants that suit dim rooms, see low-light indoor plants.
Small Fakes for Shelves and Desks
Small plants are where cheap fakes work best, because the eye does not linger on them.
14. IKEA FEJKA Succulent Set
A set of three FEJKA succulents is $6.99, with plants 3 1/2, 4 1/2 and 5 1/8 inches tall in 2 3/4 inch pots, made of EVA plastic and polyethylene, per IKEA’s page. Real succulents already look waxy and still, so a molded one passes. Vary the heights as the set does and mix them with a real plant. At this price, the set suits a shelf or desk where a live plant would struggle. See plant shelf and corner ideas for layouts.
15. Eucalyptus and Grass in Pots
A two-pack of Monarch eucalyptus and grass in pots was $38.39 on Staples. Two different textures in one pack give a shelf variety without a matching-set look. Put them at the back of a bookshelf, where the pots are hidden by books, and keep the leaves a little uneven so the grass does not stand in a perfect line. See indoor plant styling ideas.
How to Spot a Fake Before You Buy
Check these before you pay, because cheap fakes share the same tells.
- Look for a hard seam running down each leaf edge, where molded halves meet.
- Look for visible glue where a leaf meets a stem.
- Check that leaves differ in size and angle; identical repeats look fake.
- Choose matte leaves over shiny ones.
- Bend a branch: wired stems let you break up perfect symmetry.
- Check the UV rating if the plant will sit near a sunny window.
Faux Plant Price Snapshot
| Pick | Size | Price | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEJKA succulents, set of 3 | 3 1/2″ to 5 1/8″ | $6.99 | IKEA |
| Snake plant | 30″ | $42.99 sale | Nearly Natural |
| Pothos hanging basket | basket | $56.63 | Home Depot (snippet) |
| String of pearls | 17″ | $68 | Afloral |
| FEJKA eucalyptus | 59″ | $89.99 | IKEA |
| Olive tree | 6 ft | $120.99 | Nearly Natural |
| Fiddle-leaf fig | 6 ft | $149.99 sale | Nearly Natural |
| Monstera | 4 ft | $184.99 | Nearly Natural |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make fake plants look real?
Put the faux plant in a real planter or basket, cover the foam base with soil, bark or moss, and bend the wired stems so they are not symmetrical. Dust the leaves and keep the plant out of strong direct sun. A live plant nearby makes the whole group read as living.
What are the most realistic faux plants?
Large-leaf plants and plants with sparse, irregular foliage fool the eye best, such as fiddle-leaf figs, olive trees, eucalyptus, monstera and snake plants. Small molded succulents also pass, because real ones look waxy. Ferns are the hardest, as their fine fronds tend to look flat when molded.
Are expensive faux plants worth it?
For a tall tree that sits in plain view, yes. A 6-foot fiddle-leaf fig at about $150 has 270 leaves on a natural trunk, while the cheaper $60 versions list no height or material. For small succulents, shelf filler and plants above eye level, a $7 to $40 option is enough.
What is the difference between silk and real-touch faux plants?
Silk plants use fabric leaves. Real-touch plants are coated, usually in a soft, slightly rubbery finish, and many retailers label them this way. Product pages do not always state the material, as with several Nearly Natural listings, so check the description and photos before you buy.
Where can I buy realistic faux plants?
IKEA’s FEJKA range, Nearly Natural, Afloral, Staples, Home Depot and Walmart all sell faux plants. Buy a tall tree where returns are easy and read the listed height, width and pot size. In-store, touch the leaves and check for seams before you pay.
Do faux plants fade in the sun?
They can, so check the listing. Nearly Natural lists its 4-foot monstera as UV resistant for indoor or outdoor use, but its 6-foot fiddle-leaf fig as strictly indoor. Keep indoor-only plants away from strong direct sunlight, and dust them so colors stay even.
Spend Where People Look
Put the biggest budget into the one tree people see up close, buy mid-priced foliage for tables, and keep filler plants cheap. Pair fakes with a few real plants from the best low-maintenance indoor plants so the room reads as alive.
Prices checked October 2026.