What do you think about using fake plants in place of real ones?

Discussion in Home & Garden started by donding • Aug 22, 2014.

  1. donding

    dondingNew Member

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    Let's face it, no matter how hard we try, some plants will simply die on us for no good reason. And then there are the picky plants that need constant attention -- more water this, more fertilizer that. So why put up with all that time-consuming nonsense when you can just get a fake plant, right? I personally feel that using fake plants is somehow 'cheating'. How do you guys respond?
     
  2. Athenagdlyt

    AthenagdlytActive Member

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    The use of fake plants is perfect for occassions like a house party and you'd want to make your surroundings look nice. But real plants have more function than just decoration. They are a real source of fresh air which is good for anyone. Is the upkeep worth it? A lot of people think so. But for lawn grass, I would always place plastic ones over thereal ones when there are guests at home. This protects the real grass from being trampled on. Take it out and my lawn grass is fresh and healthy.
     
  3. donding

    dondingNew Member

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    Excellent points. I might also add that fake plants are far more expensive than the real ones, so they have that going for them. I have seen some fake ones that sell for close to a thousand bucks. Plus the real ones also clean out pollutants inside your house. But then again, real plants have spiders crawling on them -- Yikes! So, I'm still undecided.
     
  4. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    It's good for decoration but I prefer keeping plants for more than just that. I believe that having some plants somehow freshen up the air although. I'm sure the difference is very subtle. Still, if it's just for decoration then I'd maybe buy one or two but I'd much likely just use other means of ornaments. It's a good option to have though, but I also kind of find it fun to keep a plant alive anyway so having one purely for decoration kind of defeats majority of the purpose for me.
     
  5. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Fake plants do not grow so you don't get the satisfaction of raising a plant and seeing it grow big. I have a hanging pothos that was small when I bought it, but I took care of it and now the vines reach almost down to the floor. I get a lot of compliments on that plant. If I'd gotten a fake plant, it would still be the same size. There's a saying that a home isn't alive without plants, pets and people.
    Fake plants don't bring life and vitality to a home and they don't give off oxygen. I'd rather have real plants any day.
     
  6. True2marie

    True2marieActive Member

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    Fake plants can be just as beautiful as real ones. The only difference is you'll have to pay a lot to get a realistic looking fake plant and of course you won't get any oxygen. Otherwise, it's a wash. Some people just can't grow anything green. So, going for something artificial is awesome.
     
  7. eppie

    eppieActive Member

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    Yeah I've seen a lot of fake plants that look so real. I think fake plants work well inside the house because you don't have to worry about insects or other maintenance that real plants need. But outside the house a fake plant is just a big no-no for me. :rolleyes:
     
  8. rgrimes

    rgrimesNew Member

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    Having fake plants definitely have the aesthetic look and no need to keep watering it, but to be honest real plants can give air and make the place seem more lively so I might consider having real plants over fake plants.
     
  9. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Sometimes it also depends on where you live. For city-dwellers a fake plant can save you all the hassle of having to take care of a real one because you may be so busy that any amount of neglect could result in the death of the plant. For me, I live in the country and here having a fake plant in your house is not an option. Not only would it look out of place but to obtain fake plants you'd have to drive more than 60 miles which is a waste of gas [because no one buys them in our small town so anyone trying to sell them . . .]

    So for me, I'd choose real plants over fake ones all the time.
     
  10. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    While fake ones may look great forever and you don't have to take care of them (watering, trimming) I'd still choose real ones. When I'm thinking about plants the most important thing for me is caring and watching them grow, evolve. I actually think it's quite sad when I see people keeping fake plants in the house. True, there are times where it's better (and cheaper) to use fake greenery - Christmas trees come to mind.
     
  11. GemmaRowlands

    GemmaRowlandsActive Member

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    I actually think it's a great idea, because it means that you don't have to worry about looking after them all of the time. I know that I am thinking of getting my own house, and will be getting plants like this. There is also the plus point that there are a lot of plants that do not thrive in certain climates, and if you have false plants then you are able to choose anything that you like without having to think about whether or not it would be able to survive in the place that you live.
     
  12. Strykstar

    StrykstarActive Member

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    I don't like having fake plants; I can see their advantages being not needing any watering maintenance and looking always very pretty, but there's something about having a real plant that makes it have a lot more charm, even if it's not looking as perfect as it could.
    There's this sense of pride when someone comments on how vivacious a plant is when you know you kept it healthy and watered it every day, that's something you just can't do with a plastic plant and it's not that much work.
     
  13. Kek

    KekActive Member

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    I absolutely loathe fake plants. I was out with my friend just the other day, eating lunch at this lovely restaurant she recommended me. We sat at a table near a flower pot. She marveled at the beautiful flowers, not knowing they were fake. I pointed it out to her, and she was appalled. The plants definitely look real from some distance away, but you can clearly notice they aren't if you sit close to them. At least the food was good, which was nice. :)
     
  14. Meowmie

    MeowmieMember

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    I much prefer a real plant to a fake one, but I have to confess, I have both. Most of my house plants are real, but in the dark corner of my living room, by a water fountain, sits a fake tree. Nothing could possibly grow there without having several grow lights on them, and I wanted a tree.

    One person commented that real plants have spiders. Hate to break anyone's bubble, but spiders are more than happy to sit in fake plants, too. Not completely maintenance free- they don't need to be watered or fed, but they do need to be dusted and if the spiders find them, they need to have webs removed.:mad:
     
  15. MindyT

    MindyTActive Member

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    I don't like fake flowers. They just collect a bunch of dust. I would rather go outside and pick real flowers and bring them inside. Even if they are dandelions, I think they are much better than fake flowers.
     
  16. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I recently bought a fake orchid plant. All my other plants are real, but in the case of orchids, I really feel like they are too high maintenance and don't look good once the flowers die. Because I have so many real plants, the fake orchid kind of blends in. If you want real plants that are easy to care for and hard to kill, Chinese evergreen and snake plant are a couple of good houseplants.
     
  17. Rosyrain

    RosyrainActive Member

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    I do not like to buy fake house plants because they get dusty after a while and they are so hard to clean. My fiance and I have bad allergies, so I try to keep things out of the house that might irritate our noses. Dust is bad in my neck of the woods, so fake plants are more trouble than they are worth to me. It is hard to get some plants to grow in my area as we are not at all in a tropical location, so I just admire the plant pictures that others share with me and just keep plants around my house that grow well in this area.
     
  18. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I think fake plants are great. I would much prefer the real thing, they're such a healthy addition to any home, but I have cats and they would eat every plant I bring in. So I'm considering buying some fake plants to liven up the house and give it a more homey feel.. but I'm also very picky. It would have to be really realistic. I've seen some pretty bad faux plants out there lol.
     
  19. Aladar

    AladarWell-Known Member

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    For aesthetic reasons, it's pretty nice. I'm not exactly a plant person, but I do definitely see the benefits of fake plants if you can't for some reason have the real thing. It wouldn't seem weird to me or anything.
     
  20. TommyVercetti

    TommyVercettiActive Member

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    It's alright. Less hassle, you only need to dust them, you won't need to bring soil into the house which as a chance of having bug eggs like gnats or damp flies that infest your interior. If I could get a pretty one that looks like the real thing, why not?