Succulent plants are popular among gardeners who want to bring nature into their homes without putting in lots of effort to maintain them. So, if you’re looking for succulents that need no care at all, should you consider artificial succulents as decoration for your home?
You should consider artificial succulents as decoration because they look good all year round and don’t need to be watered. However, there are some drawbacks to be aware of. For example, you won’t see them grow or bloom.
In this article, we’ll explore everything you should know before you purchase artificial succulents for decoration. I’ll also examine the different types of artificial succulents and their pros and cons.
What Are Artificial Succulents?
Artificial succulents are fake plants that are usually made out of latex or plastic. They have wired stems that make them flexible so you can use them as decorative features, such as in a bouquet or wreath. These faux plants come in a variety of colors and succulent species.
You can purchase succulent plants in a variety of forms. Some come with planters included, while others come in vases or pots. You can also purchase artificial succulents that are unpotted. This enables you to put succulents in your home without purchasing other accessories.
Why Should You Pick Artificial Succulents Over Real Ones?
There are many good reasons to pick artificial succulents over real ones, such as that they don’t need to be watered or provided with enough sunlight to grow and thrive. This is convenient and ensures that your succulents always look their best.
Many real succulent plants need lots of sunlight daily, but this isn’t always possible, for example, if you live in a cold region that experiences icy, dark winters.
By choosing an artificial succulent to use as decoration, you can keep it in an area of low light in the home without worrying about it drooping or dying. This also means that you can purchase rare and exotic succulents, even if they’re not suitable for your US hardiness zone.
If you want to learn about the best real plants to grow indoors in winter, you should read our guide, What Are the Best Indoor Winter Plants For This Winter Season?
Pros and Cons of Artificial Succulents
Artificial succulents have some important advantages and some potential drawbacks to know about. Let’s explore their pros and cons.
Pros
- They’re safe for use around pets. Some succulents, such as the pencil cactus, are toxic to pets. By displaying artificial succulents instead, you won’t have to worry about them being dangerous for your pets.
- They look good throughout the whole year. If you’re displaying a faux flowering succulent, you won’t need to wait for it to bloom. It will look its best and display its beautiful colors for the whole year.
- They’re low-maintenance. You don’t have to worry about taking care of faux succulents as they’re the perfect decor and make a statement without needing anything.
- You can choose the type of succulent you want. With real succulents, you’re never guaranteed that the plant you’ve purchased will grow with the exact patterns or colors that it’s supposed to display. Choosing artificial succulents ensures that you get the plant appearance that you want.
- They’re ideal for people who don’t have green fingers. Although many succulents are low-maintenance, some require extra care. With faux succulents, you don’t have to worry about them as you can treat them as other decorative items in the home.
- They won’t become sick or damaged. When not given the correct care, real succulents can become a target for pests, become droopy, lose their color, or develop root rot from being overwatered. You won’t have to worry about any of these issues with faux succulents. If you have real plants, ensure you choose the best potting soil by reading our guide, The Best Potting Soil For Succulents (2022).
Cons
- They’re not highly durable. Although fake succulents are more durable than their real counterparts, they are not completely indestructible. For example, they can fade from exposure to the sun.
- They won’t grow or bloom. Having fake succulents instead of living ones in the home prevents you from watching them grow and mature as well as bloom. You might feel that you’re missing out on the excitement of their growth process.
- They might look fake. Not all artificial succulents will look like their real counterparts. As is the case with all fake plants, some products can wind up looking tacky or cheap.
- They require a bit of care. You will still need to clean your artificial succulents, for example, by wiping their leaves with a wet cloth so that they look their best.
Artificial Succulents Types and Their Uses in Decoration
You can use artificial succulents in various ways, such as by making floral bouquets and wreaths or by displaying them in planters or pots around the home.
Let’s explore some of the most popular types of artificial succulents and how to use them for maximum effect.
1. Artificial Succulents in Pots
These artificial succulents are purchased in pots or planters. This is convenient as you won’t have to find the right pot for a fake succulent that you’ve purchased. You can choose pots containing one succulent plant or multiple ones.
I’d recommend Jelofly Fake Plants Artificial Succulent Plants Assorted, available from Amazon. These succulents come in treated wooden pots and look real because the pots even contain fake dirt!
When choosing artificial succulents in pots, make sure you look for succulents with realistic colors—avoid ones that clearly look fake, for instance, ones with bright or bold colors.
Another important tip is to choose fake succulents that don’t have identical leaves, which clearly indicates that they’re not real. I’d recommend Kurrajong Farmhouse Artificial Succulent Plant, available from Amazon. It has leaves that are green and others that are a bit yellow, so they look like they’re at different stages of growth.
2. Succulents With Artificial Light
You can find fake succulents that come with lights installed in their pots or containers. This adds an additional decorative touch to your living space and works well to brighten up any dark or dull areas of the home.
I’d recommend the Begondis Set of 3 Artificial Succulents with Led Lights, which is available from Amazon. These plants come in a wooden box that contains LED light strings. When switched on, the lights illuminate the plants and shine through the cut-out sections of the wooden box.
3. Artificial Mini Succulents
If you don’t have a large living space, you can brighten it up and make it look more visually appealing by purchasing mini succulents. These can be put on windowsills, bookshelves, and in any other small spaces.
I’d recommend Funarty Artificial Succulent Plants in Pots, which are available from Amazon. This is a pack of five artificial mini succulents, with some displaying pink foliage and others featuring green leaves. These plants are approximately 2.8 inches (7.1 cm) wide and three inches (7.62 cm) tall.
4. Unpotted Artificial Succulents
If you don’t want to purchase artificial succulents in pots or planters, for example, because you already have pots that you’d like to use to display them, you can purchase loose succulents.
These are also great to buy if you want to use them in a decorative DIY project, for instance, if you’re putting together a fake flower bouquet and will need to use floral wire.
When shopping for artificial succulents that don’t come in pots, I’d recommend Supla 11 Pcs Mini Artificial Succulents Picks, which are available from Amazon.
These come with waterproof stems that are wired, making them convenient to use in wreaths or other decorative projects. The pack contains succulents of different types, including echeveria, yucca, agave, and sedum plants.
5. Large Artificial Succulents
Large artificial succulents make a statement in the home, so you’ll want to put these on festive tables as centerpieces and use them to liven up any areas that could do with greenery. You can find large artificial succulents containing one or many succulent plants in the pack.
One of the best large artificial succulent plants I recommend is the Veryhome Artificial Aloe Plant, available from Amazon. It comes in green or red and is 12.5 inches (32 cm) tall. It has realistic details, such as tiny serrations on its leaves, so it will fool your guests into thinking it’s real.
6. Large Outdoor Artificial Succulents
You don’t have to be limited to keeping your artificial succulent plants indoors. By placing them outside, such as in the garden, on a patio, or on a balcony, these large fake succulents will display gorgeous foliage while not requiring any care to look their best. These are perfect for people who lead busy lifestyles and lack time to look after real succulents.
When purchasing large succulents for outdoor use, I’d recommend Pure Garden Giant Agave Fake Plant, which is available from Amazon. It has a height of 52 inches (132 cm) and comes in a seven-inch (18 cm) pot. It’s designed with 17 spiny leaves and has a thick trunk, both of which make it look realistic.
Another plant I’d recommend is the Summer Flower Faux Snake Plant, available from Amazon. It’s a three-pack of artificial snake plants that are 31 inches (79 cm) tall and made of UV-resistant plastic so that the sun won’t fade their patterned appearance.
7. Artificial Hanging Succulents
If you love plants that hang or trail in the home, you can find artificial hanging succulents that will provide a bit of flair to your living space. You can hang them as high up in the home as you like because you won’t have to care for them.
Some succulents trail over the rim of their pot or planter, adding some whimsy to your living space. You can find a range of artificial hanging succulent plants that you can put in hanging baskets or pots.
With this in mind, I’d recommend purchasing CEWOR 4pcs Artificial Fake String of Pearls, which is available from Amazon. They have trailing leaves that look like pearls, and since they trail up to 24 inches (61 cm) long, they look great in areas such as bookshelves or doorways.
8. Outdoor Artificial Succulents
We’ve already looked at some large outdoor succulents on the market, but there are also smaller ones that can be displayed outside. You can find packs of faux succulents that come in a variety of sizes so that you can create an outdoor flower bed that displays all your beautiful no-maintenance plants in one area of the garden.
I’d recommend Supla 5-Piece Assorted Artificial Succulents, which is available from Amazon. It contains succulents of different colors and textures, such as aloe, echeveria, and cactus. You can use them in various ways, whether indoors or outdoors, for example, in hanging baskets, planters, pots, or terrariums.
The great thing about using outdoor artificial succulents is that you don’t have to worry about using potting soil, so you can use pebbles or other decorative items to make them look even more stunning.
You can also plant some real succulents in the same flower bed as your artificial plants, making the bed look more abundant.
Conclusion
If you don’t want to look after real plants, you should consider purchasing fake succulents. These are no-maintenance plants that can be neglected and forgotten about without causing them to lose their luster. There are a variety of faux succulents available that look realistic and beautiful, such as
- Hanging succulents
- Large outdoor succulents
- Mini succulents
- Potted succulents
