40 Best Faux Outdoor Plants for Planters on a Porch
A round up of the top rated fake plants to use on porches, decks, and patios and how to style them to look like real foliage.
Want to know a secret? We use artificial outdoor plants for the front door. Don’t tell the neighbors. 😉
Ha! Just kidding. The neighbors have witnessed how I kill mums every fall. They know the drill by now.
If you are lacking a green thumb like I am though, faux outdoor plants can be your best friends.
Faux Outdoor Plants for Planters: A Low-Maintenance Solution for Beautiful Outdoor Decor
Planters are a great way to add a touch of greenery to porches, decks, and patios. But maintaining live plants is time-consuming and challenging (hence why I end up killing mine by accident every spring and summer).
I’ve bought lots of faux outdoor plants for planters over the years and have learned from experience which ones look fake and which ones are as convincing as the real thing. Plus, there are some extra tricks you can do to make fake foliage look even more realistic.
They provide a low-maintenance solution for beautiful outdoor decor that’s hard to beat. Here are some benefits of using faux outdoor plants for planters and some tips for choosing the right ones.
Related: Best Artificial Indoor Trees and Tips to Make Them Look Real
Benefits of Faux Outdoor Plants for Planters
Low Maintenance
One of the biggest benefits of using faux outdoor plants for planters is that they require very little maintenance. Unlike live plants, they don’t need watering, pruning, or fertilizing. They don’t attract pests or require special soil or sunlight.
Long-Lasting
Faux outdoor plants for planters are also long-lasting. I can usually leave our artificial plants outside for 9-10 months out of the year and just store them in a big Rubbermaid bin in our attic during the winter months to enjoy again for several years.
They won’t wilt, fade, or die like live plants, so you can enjoy beautiful outdoor decor year-round without having to replace your plants every season. In the long run, I’ve discovered it saves us so much time and money to buy faux.
Versatility
Faux outdoor plants for planters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. This means that you can choose the perfect plants to match your outdoor decor. When using pick or bush style faux plants, you can even arrange multiple different varieties together in one planter.
Related: Faux DIY Concrete Planters With Spray Paint
I love these realistic faux ferns I found for our front porch this year!
Best Places to Find Realistic Artificial Outdoor Plants
I’ve shopped for a LOT of faux plants over the years, and I’ve found some great resources (and total duds) in the process.
Time and time again, I found the best quality life-like plants from these online retailers.
- Nearly Natural
- Afloral
- Wayfair
- Amazon
- Frontgate
- Home Depot
- Overstock
40 Realistic UV Resistant Fake Plants for Outdoor Use
Here are some of the best UV treated artificial flowers and faux foliage we’ve used ourselves in our own home plus other highly rated favorites.
Just click any image in the gallery below to shop.
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Tips for Choosing Fake Outdoor Plants for Planters
Look for Realistic Details
When choosing faux outdoor plants for planters, look for plants that have realistic details. This includes things like natural-looking leaves, stems, and flowers. The topiaries on our front porch look especially realistic because of the wooden branch set in the middle of the structure. Some plants are even made with real touch leaves.
Related: Where to Find the Best Fake Flowers That Look Real
Choose High-Quality Materials
Choose faux outdoor plants that are made from high-quality materials. This will ensure that they stand up in harsh weather conditions. Look for plants that mention UV-resistant in the descriptions so that they won’t fade in the sun.
Consider the Size and Style
Consider the size and style of your planter when choosing faux plants.
I like having a variety of small and medium planter sizes for tabletops on our backyard pool patio or tall trees in large pots to flank exterior doors.
Choose plants that are the right size for your planter and that match the style of your outdoor decor. For example, for a traditional urn planter, use a traditional looking boxwood shrub. If you have a boxy modern planter, you may want to choose faux succulents or grasses.
Related: DIY Window Box from Repurposed Scrap Wood
We’ve had these small faux ferns, faux pothos, and faux palm trees in our backyard since last summer and they’ve held up great in the rain and sun!
Tips to Make Fake Trees and Plants Look Like the Real Thing
1.Use real dirt in planter pots. Many outdoor rated faux trees and greenery are made in plastic pots. Place them inside bigger ceramic planter pots or window boxes and cover the bases with real dirt. Be sure to drill a few drainage holes so water doesn’t collect in the pot.
These faux topiaries look real inside of these urn planters filled with dirt, don’t you think?
Related: DIY Vertical Wall Planter from Wood Scraps
2. Surround fake outdoor plants with live plants or real flowers if you just need a little filler.
3. Don’t forget to “fluff”. Bend faux branches and stems in different directions and separate them to make them appear more full and lifelike.
As much as I love real plants, I discovered over the years that I end up spending more money on real plants to replace the ones that keep dying. With UV resistant fake plants for outside, our porches and patio are decorated with natural elements that don’t require any effort. And I can use them indoors as regular home decor if I want too.
Maybe one of these days when my kids are older and can feed themselves I’ll be able to remember to water all of the real plant babies. But at this stage in life, faux is mostly the way to go for us.
Related: 35 DIY Backyard Ideas on a Budget
What about you? Are you lacking in the green thumb department too? Have you ever used outdoor artificial plants on your porch or patio?
More Porch Decorating Ideas
- 6 Small Front Porch Ideas on a Budget to Add Instant Curb Appeal
- The Best Haint Blue Paint Color for Porch Ceilings
- 7 Ways to Repel Mosquitos from a Porch
- 6 Ways to Refresh Your Front Porch for Spring
