Since moving to the city, I’ve become OBSESSED with plant life – typical of a blogger right? But I can see the hype behind it – they truly brighten up the room with positivity and give life to a white-walled studio apartment.
However, working two jobs – real life and blog life – leaves me with limited time to take care of an indoor garden full of live plants. So in order to limit my responsibilities, I’ve found a fantastic mix of faux plants that have almost everyone fooled right off the bat.
Real or fake!? Obviously real – the water might have given that away. But note the use of oversized mason jars as the vases? They hold my flowers lower to the base of the window ledge so I can see them a bit better from my bed’s vantage point when I wake up. Plus, keeping them near the window where my apartment overlooks a courtyard where the light is not aggressive allows them to open up fully.
These are babies and beginning to bloom but by adding cold water (including ice cubes) and having the cool breeze hit them extends their typical life cycle by a week. Cutting the stems on a diagonal every five days is a bit much but the water is best absorbed in that manner.
Fake fake but how cute are these? Marshall’s LOVES to tempt you with last minute items in the winding check out line, which is where I found this faux style tossed out of a shopping cart earlier I’m sure. The white flower box and white coloring matches well in the bookcase where they stand for decoration.
Now this plant is pretty special – known as the “Money Tree.” There’s controversy behind buying one for yourself; as they say it’s to bring the owner good fortune especially when given as a gift. However the way I see it is that if you purchase it for good intentions, not greed, you will receive the benefits of the plant’s fortune. Why did I get it? I needed more live foliage and when a plant has the potential to bring me luck, the superstitious human being that I am CANNOT resist.
They say you place the plant in the area where you wish to receive the most luck – for romance, near the bed but for career, near where you consider “the office.” Therefore, the desk it is. These plants are very easy to care for and prefer darker light so being far away from my window works not only in the plant’s favor, but mine as well – considering my desk is on the opposite side of the studio.
Ps, they say finding one with seven leaves in a bunch is the luckiest of all. So yes, I sadly spent an hour looking at each plant. In the end, I settled for one that was healthy and happened to have more bunches of six leaves throughout the entire group. Close enough & plus, it’s working so far (knock on wood.)
The Bonsai Tree – something that yes, I could own in real life but to maintain one this size would not only be difficult but also would take a longgg time to grow or be expensive to buy as is. Thank you once again, Marshall’s.
However, I do want to dabble in the world of creative Bonsai care as I’ve become very fond of the arrangements I have seen in floral shops and Home Depot here in the city.
Ah the Bamboo Plant – or what commonly is known as “Lucky Bamboo” roots. Naturally I had to get one and what’s better than in a vase with an elephant!? I call that a double whammy.
Known as one of the most recognizable feng shui cures, a bamboo plant is one of the easiest to care for as it can survive in literally any type of light. Just stick it in a pot of stones to maintain balance and pour water to the surface. The plant is strong AF so it says to welcome positive energy into your home, which I think we can all agree is a great thing.
Above and the rest of the photos below include faux plants I found at Marshall’s that I found to be very suitable for my studio’s theme of grey minimalism. Minus the mini Orchid – which is very real – these faux plants give my apartment more light and color than any hue on the walls or piece of brightly patterned furniture could – in my favorable opinion.
As for Orchids in general, another SUPER EASY plant to care for. Just give them between one-three ice cubes (depending on the size of the pot) for water every two weeks. I told you, when it comes to maintaining an indoor garden I try to make it as easy as possible by mixing both faux and relaxed live plants for the perfect blend of foliage.
This is so lovely. I find plants to be calming.