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If you’ve made a reputation for yourself as a serial plant killer, we have some good news for you and your brown thumb: The Sill just unveiled a faux plant collection.
The 14-piece collection ranges from tabletop rex begonias ($75) to towering birds of paradise and weeping ficus trees (both $300). The new artificial line includes all of the trendy plants you want to be able to keep alive (like monsteras and fiddle leaf fig trees) without the stress of actually keeping one alive, according to The Sill founder and CEO Eliza Blank.
“It was an incredibly thoughtful decision to launch our line of faux plants,” Blank told HuffPost. “We have customers who simply have restrictions — be it low light, busy schedules, or pets at home. They often have real plants, too. But sometimes you really just want that Fiddle Leaf Fig tree without the headache.”
The Sill provided the HuffPost Finds team with a sneak peek of the new collection. We found them to be a convincing and practical option for those among us who don’t have the time or patience for the real deal. Keeping reading for our reviews of The Sill’s new faux plant line.
Brittany’s Review
I received a faux rex begonia that arrived well-packed and secured in bubble wrap to protect the planter from chips and nicks during shipping. (It’s worth noting the price of a faux plant from The Sill includes one of the brand’s exclusive ceramic planters.)
I put my fake plant on my dining table — a place I would never keep a real plant. I have an extremely curious cat who will get into any greenery I leave around, so I never place real plants within reach of her paws or mouth. She sniffed around the faux begonia and quickly lost interest, so now I don’t have to worry about placing the plant out of reach when I go to bed or leave for work. It’s a refreshing change of pace for a pet parent who’s trying to become a plant parent, too.
It’s worth noting that because the faux plants themselves are smaller in circumference than the planters they were shipped in. I suggest (and Danielle agrees) lining the planters with real dirt to stabilize the faux plant and make it look even more convincing.
That said, like most faux plants, these are perhaps most convincing when used sparingly. After all, fake plants are just that — fake. I believe the best way to use fake plants in your decor is to mix them with the real plants you can keep alive. (I’ve found I’m great at keeping Pothos varieties alive — as seen in the photo above!)
Place a few faux alternatives in lower, more accessible areas where curious pets or grabby toddlers might deter you from placing real plants. Use them in the dark corners and on high shelves that get little sunlight and are hard to reach for daily waterings. Splash out for a faux bird of paradise just once, and you won’t have to worry about all that wasted money from killing a real one.
Or, if you simply can’t keep a plant alive no matter what you do, they’re great for that, too.
Danielle’s Review
I’ve recently started living on my own, and I feel like a major part of adulting is being able to keep plants (and myself) alive. I regret to inform you that, while I am alive and well, most of the planters in my apartment are either filled with the drying husk of what was once a plant or are just empty pots of dirt. My apartment basically looks like a plant cemetery.
I don’t exactly have a green thumb, but my apartment also has limited natural light and the only plants that (sometimes) survive are the ones I can crowd around my window. I was excited when I found out The Sill was debuting a faux plant line because it was a way for me to have multiple plants around my apartment without stressing out about when and how they were going to die.
I received a faux angel wings begonia. It arrived wrapped in hefty layers of protective bubble wrap (it’s like The Sill knew what kind of person they were delivering it to) and came in a cute terra cotta-colored planter with a drainage tray, giving it a very authentic look. The leaves have crepe-like, papery feel when you touch them, but from afar you wouldn’t presume it to be a faux plant.
While I don’t think I’ll be giving up on real plants entirely, I’ve determined faux plants are a great way to have a steady presence of greenery in my apartment while I experiment with growing (and killing) the real deal.
Whatever your lifestyle, we both agree that these plants are a noncommittal, low-effort way to add personality to you home. If you’re interested, check out The Sill’s full collection of faux plants to learn more.