Artificial plants growing indoors

More and more homeowners are buying fake flowers and trees instead of real ones.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Not too long ago, a good fake was hard to find.
But now a whole forest of artificial houseplants commands close inspection. Their leaves and petals feature realistic patterning, subtle color variation and dimension that were lacking in the past.
"I catch myself touching artificial plants because they are so real looking," said Kim Noe of Kansas City, Kan., whose fake 6-foot Areca palm in her living room at first fooled her friends.
Improvements in artificial plants and busy schedules are the reasons more people are faking it. Noe grew up preferring real plants. But as an adult she has never mastered the right balance of watering and sunlight to prevent leaves from becoming dry and yellow.
And, frankly, she doesn't want to take the time to figure out the maintenance because she's already swamped with work. To her, a fake houseplant is better than a dead one.
"I want my plants to look pretty and healthy all the time," she said.
Reasons for the change
Other factors are playing a part in this fake revolution, including:
UAllergy concerns. Houseplants contain mold in the soil, which could aggravate allergies, says Scott Frankel, a Kansas allergist. Also, water on plant leaves and in container saucers collects bacteria that produce endotoxins, increasing the risk of asthma attacks.
To avoid problems, Frankel says, people should not keep real or fake plants (they collect dust) in bedrooms.
UNew home design. Houses and lofts are being built with high ceilings and giant windows, so people are having tall custom trees built to fit the big scale.
Andrea Neuman's Kansas house features extra-large windows tinted to limit sunlight. She bought a natural-looking fake ficus for the family room and a faux palm for the dining room because real ones would not grow in those rooms.
"These will last forever," she said.
UThe rise of second homes. People don't want to worry about watering plants and spraying them for bugs at their faraway lake houses.
Cost
Realistic artificial plants start at $30 at stores such as Target and Wal-Mart. Larger houseplants, such as ficuses, usually cost more than $200, says Sue Reinertson, who custom builds trees for National Equipment Co. in Kansas City.
For huge artificial plants, such as a 10-foot palm, plan to spend at least $400.
A live comparable plant costs about $1,200, says Bryan Messmer, whose family owns Stay Green Silk Plants in Lenexa and Bill's Greenhouse, a real plant business in Kansas City, Kan.
The reason for the large price gap comes from shipping real plants: They cannot be packaged in pieces as fake ones can.
Realistic-looking artificial plants are made from plastics and polyesters, not real silk like they were way back when. These days, "silk" is still used as a generic term for an artificial plant.
Currently the hottest selling artificial houseplants are thin vertical bamboos and tropical trees with massive fan-like leaves, says Annie Wang, customer service manager of Allstate Floral & amp; Craft, an artificial plant importer and wholesaler based in California.
Artificial plants now have slight streaks of brown on their leaves to look more authentic.
Faux cactuses look so real that people avoid their spikes. Realistic fake soil made from resin fills the pots.
When it comes to fake florals, pre-made arrangements are much more popular than single stems because they eliminate guesswork.
Amaryllis, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, roses and tulips are the top sellers, says Doreta Boyd, a saleswoman for Aldik Artificial Flower Co., another California-based importer and manufacturer.
Plant accessories
Adding to the real-yet-fake illusion are clear vases filled with acrylic material that resembles water. And fakes are getting better all the time. Artificial plants with a natural-touch texture are emerging. Also, fragrance is being added to fake florals and Christmas trees so they smell real.
Customers are becoming more comfortable mixing live and artificial plants in a room, and even the same pot, Messmer says. He potted artificial Podocarpus topiaries with real impatiens in containers under his deck near the pool.
But the telltale sign of even the best-looking fake is a dusty leaf, says interior designer Mark Sudermann.
The pot that holds the plant can be just as important as the upkeep and the plant itself. Sudermann emphasizes that people use good-quality containers and top dressings of bark or rocks instead of a mass of moss because they create a more natural look.
"Even though the plants are artificial, they still add a lot of life to a room," he said.