The $6.50 Kmart buy that transformed my houseplant collection
The artificial stripe leaf plant in basket is a stunning option for a small shelf space. Rachael Gavin
Produced in partnership with Kmart
Indoor plants are a must-have décor item for adding a touch of nature into the home, but not every place has the right conditions for houseplants to thrive.
And those who do have enough light might want more indoor plants than they have the time to take care of.
That's where faux plants come in handy; they survive no matter how much sunlight your space gets and enhance your real indoor plant collection without adding much to the care load.
The artificial monstera plant is a great option if you want a trailing plant in your home. Rachael Gavin
Though they are artificial they don't have to look that way, and with a few styling tips and tricks you soon won't be able to tell the difference.
I used these hacks to elevate the look of three gorgeous faux indoor plants; the $6.50 artificial stripe leaf plant in basket, the $18 artificial monstera plant and the $29 tall artificial monstera plant.
Artificial plants look extra lifelike with a few tips and tricks. Rachael Gavin
Mix and match
Don't let owning real houseplants stop you from incorporating faux ones. It's the quickest and easiest way to your own mini jungle setting without more watering to worry about.
Here I've mixed the artificial stripe leaf plant in basket and artificial monstera plant with a peperomia jade, a marble queen pothos, bambino fiddle leaf fig and a Zanzibar gem.
They all work seamlessly together so that if you didn't know they were faux plants you wouldn't be able to tell easily.
The Kmart plants on the top two shelves look gorgeous alongside real plants. Rachael Gavin
Even for me with full knowledge that they're artificial I was stunned by how closely they resembled the real thing when mixed with actual plants.
I'll certainly be looking for more faux plants to incorporate alongside my real ones to get the impact of a mass display of greenery in the home.
The plant pot hack
With a decorative pot and some moss or stones you can make it look as if the faux plant has been potted up just like a real one.
For this hack I've combined the tall artificial monstera plant with the $15 extra large water hyacinth planter basket.
To start I popped a large old towel in the bottom of the basket to elevate the faux plant to the top of the basket, just like you would do with potting mix in a pot.
Fill up the pot with old towels to elevate the plant. Rachael Gavin
Then I added old hand towels around the sides to fill in the rest of the gaps and support the plant.
Next I added sphagnum moss over the top of the plant to hide the towels and add the effect of a potted real plant.
Add sphagnum moss on top to hide the towels and plant pot. Rachael Gavin
It makes a huge difference to having the plant just sitting as is on the ground and even to how it looks in a pot without any propping up or extra details.
I really love how this turned out and that I can enjoy a large plant without having to lug the pot around for watering – it can stay right there.
This looks so good and fills up an empty space I didn't know what to do with. Rachael Gavin
Dust
Faux indoor plants don't need watering, fertilising or light to stay in good condition, but the one thing they have in common with real plants is that they need dusting.
Dust shows up easily on faux plants and not keeping on top of this makes it a little more obvious they aren't real.
It doesn't take much to get them looking shiny again with just a damp but not wet cloth enough to wipe the leaves.
Dust faux plants the same time you're dusting the other décor and surfaces in that room to make things easier.
Product prices are current as at January 14, 2025. Availability may vary store to store, please visit kmart.com.au
