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Artificial plants......would real ones be much better?

(16 Posts)
Ajs67 Sun 23-Feb-20 09:48:02

As a keen grower of house plants which have provided me with so much pleasure over my life, I am appalled by artificial plants

Looking at the vast numbers of artificial plants of all shapes and sizes, especially house plants I feel strongly that real plants should be considered instead by purchasers

What advantages do artificial plants have. ...they don't need watering....they last longer?

Yes ...but they do collect the dust, their production contributes to pollutants

Whereas a real plant will produce oxygen, it will hopefully grow and it provides the same enhancement to the room it's put in

Maybe the reason folk buy artificial plants is because of previous experience with real plants dying?

If so can readers help to provide a trouble free list of indoor plants to help would b owners...

May I. Suggest we begin with rubber plants and tradescantia

Can other readers help please....

Thank you

Niobe Sun 23-Feb-20 10:18:18

Mother in Law’s Tongue ( Sanseveira) takes a lot of neglect, only killed by over watering. Mine is 20 plus years old.

Aspidistra tolerates very low light levels so I am going to get another as I left my last one in my classroom when I retired.

Spider plant is cheap to buy and the baby plant lets can be potted on and given away. I bought one for £3 in Wilco and it is growing fast.

Ivies are cheap too.

Yuccas can grow into small trees . I got mine for £2 as a barely alive stem and it is now about 5 foot tall and lives on the patio in a large pot. I have a smaller variegated yucca that was also bought as a bargain for £3 about 2 years ago and is just as tough as the green one.

I also have a Crassula or jade plant which lives in the bathroom and was bought at a coffee morning 9 years ago.

My plants are treated to Miracle gro between March and September and given an occasional cold shower to remove dust.

Oldbutstilluseful Sun 23-Feb-20 10:24:27

Christmas cactus and oxalis. Despite my being the death knell to indoor plants, these have kept going for years!

henetha Sun 23-Feb-20 10:36:04

I tend to agree, but each to his own. There's a place for artificial plants if that's what some people want. I grow lots of living plants, indoors and out, flowers, shrubs, but I also love my pink silk rose which is on the mantelpiece in a small crystal vase.

anniezzz09 Sun 23-Feb-20 10:43:32

House plants are great, they bring life to a house, I have lots and wouldn't be without them.

It's said that they clean the indoor air of pollutants, especially spider plants, dragon trees and peace lilies which are all easy to keep. Spider plants are incredibly tolerant of conditions and produce lots of baby plants which you can give away to your friends. It's usually over watering that does for plants or too much/too little light. Weeping figs are tough plants whereas I've always found palms difficult.

GagaJo Sun 23-Feb-20 10:44:49

I don't have either . I'd LOVE to keep plants but I'm so unintentionally neglectful that they all die.

Definitely wouldn't have plastic ones either though. I'd rather go without.

Franbern Sun 23-Feb-20 11:10:10

Good artificial plants can be indistinguishable from real ones - not made from plastic = usually silk. I do like these, the good ones, use Blooms and Peony.
Do have real plants as well, mainly Peace Lily -easy to keep, good for ridding air of pollutants.
It is notan 'either - or'. I mix real and artificial flowers. At present have some carnations that were sent to me in the same vase as my silk tulips. Together they look brilliant, and are perfumed..
This Spring/Summer I have to sort out my large balcony - and will use some potted plants and some artificial plants to ensure it has a good cover all the year round.

craftyone Sun 23-Feb-20 14:03:48

I bought some absolutely beautiful faux flowers from peony, you cannot tell the difference and they even feel like real flowers. These beautiful displays go into my darker spaces. I particularly like their orchid displays in bowls and their tulips are wonderful. The orchid display in my living room is in a bronze/gold coloured bowl and cost me almost £100 but I have it for always. I do rotate the plants according to season eg I have roses waiting in a wardrobe

I do have bombproof green plants but tbh I have better things to do that to care for real flowers when I have so many growing outside

craftyone Sun 23-Feb-20 14:07:07

oops I got the tulips via amazon not peony

SueSocks Sun 23-Feb-20 15:08:48

Cacti and succulents are very easy to look after. I avoided orchids for years, but now have six, they are also very easy to look after and the flowers last for ages.

Calendargirl Sun 23-Feb-20 15:11:50

Leopard lilies aka dumb canes. Very striking looking, small ones grow to magnificent specimen plants.

Nannylovesshopping Sun 23-Feb-20 15:27:24

I am very keen gardener, sort of jungle type plants, decided I wanted to bring this look into the dining room, so I have mixed, real and artificial plants grouped together, without my glasses on, can’t tell which are the artificial ones ? I love my new look, white walls, orange feature wall, and mustard rug, jungley cushions, fabulous imo.

lemongrove Sun 23-Feb-20 15:33:36

I agree crafty and think there is a place for both real and faux houseplants in the home.Some places are a little dark for
Real ones, or draughty etc.
I also use faux silk flowers in with real foliage for displays now and again.
I have peace lilies, spider plants, tradescantantias, orchids and
Two azaleas in the house ( real ones.)

MiniMoon Sun 23-Feb-20 16:03:50

I've got a cactus in the kitchen. It started off looking a bit like a very small furry bear. Now it is putting out branches!!
In the living room we have two varieties of dracaenia (dragon tree). One of them came from DD when she moved house and hadn't room for it. I water them about once a month. The cactus seems to live on neglect.

Framilode Sun 23-Feb-20 16:27:05

I have a tall artificial bamboo in the sitting room. I bought it years ago in Spain because real houseplants don't work there. I get so many compliments on it and it is completely indistinguishable from the real thing. You have to feel the leaves to tell it is false. The bamboo stems are real. A quick shower every few months is all it needs. So I would have a look round and also try the net.

BradfordLass73 Mon 24-Feb-20 06:41:19

I have always been a keen gardener and a lover of flowers and houseplants but now my poor eyesight is getting even worse and I simply don't have the ability to look after living plants.

I recently knocked a lovely vase of birthday flowers off the workbench and that was it for me.

I bought a bouquet of very beautiful silk roses and gave my house plants to my lovely home-care lady who will treasure them as I have.

I'm doing the same with my garden and will not be buying the usual Spring bulbs either. I have two climbing plants (a deep pink rose and a Black-eyed Susan) at the back and they'll take care of themselves with the occasional feed.

My days of being a gardener (like so many other things I used to love) are over, so I feel the artifical flowers are a beautiful alternative.