The resurgence of plants in interior decoration might look nice, but it doesn’t end well if your decor ends up droopy or dying. Fake plants, like the 6.5-foot Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree, solves the problem of your decorations waning, but the trade-off can sometimes result in plants that look obviously artificial. We put this faux palm tree in our home to see if it would blend in with our other plants without revealing it was made of plastic.
Design: Tropical flair
We’ll admit it—while we love plants, we’ve always been opposed to fake ones. Most of them sit there lifeless and clearly artificial. However, we’re not too proud to admit that this faux palm tree changed our minds, and it looks real enough that we have to remind ourselves not to water it while we’re taking care of our other plants. The tree requires minor rearranging when opened to get it looking just right. The branches were easy to bend and arrange into the shape we wanted, feeling both flexible and sturdy at the same time. For the most part, they stayed where we put them. Once we positioned the tree in our living room, it truly looked realistic and improved the overall look of the room. It filled an empty space perfectly and lent tropical flair to our home. At 6.5 feet tall, it looks proportional to our 10-foot ceilings without overwhelming the space, and the 333 palm leaves fill out the tree nicely. There are three main tree “stalks,” and each has a varying height to make the tree look natural. The included planter is non-decorative; instead, it’s up to the buyer to choose an appropriate vessel for the tree. The stalks of the tree must stay in the pot, but the pot is small enough that it can easily be placed inside another planter or basket. Keep in mind this may also make the tree slightly taller.
Feel: Realistic leaves and fronds
The Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree is substantial enough to stay upright and keep its alibi as a real tree, but not so unwieldy that it’s hard to move around if needed. The leaves are made from a silk-like synthetic material, and the rest of the tree is made of polyester and plastic. The trunk manages to capture the rubbery feel that some palm leaves can have. It also stays lifelike by impersonating imperfections, like the brown and yellow that can appear on trunks and branches, so that the tree looks like a natural, healthy plant. On its own, it manages to replicate the look of a real palm quite well. If you give the trunk a close look, you can see some of the edges of the plastic molding, but even this requires a keen eye, and most won’t notice it. The planter is topped with a moss that looks painted green. We could do without this, both in principle and execution, but you’ll want to have it if the top of the plant will be exposed. Unfortunately, our cat likes to get into the faux moss that tops the planter, but she also likes to dig in dirt plants. At least with this faux tree, she isn’t trying to bite the leaves, too.
Price: Affordable
The manufacturer sells the 6.5-foot Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree for around $127, but you can find it for under $100 on some sites. This is fairly affordable when compared to similar options, especially when you consider the quality and lifelike design of this tree. For a tree of this size, we think this price is fair.
Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree vs. A Live Potted Palm Tree
The branches and leaves of the Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree are strikingly similar to that of a real potted palm. The main difference we noticed is that real palm leaves are slightly thicker and less reflective than the faux leaves, but even so, they are very similar. To the touch, the real plant is much softer (the fake plant feels like it could give us paper cuts). Pricewise, we found that real palms of this size for around the same price or less (at least here in Florida; prices may depend on where you live). It’s a risk to buy the real thing, though, because if it doesn’t make it, then you’ve just wasted $100-plus. For this reason, the fake plant wins this category. We’ll admit it: We love this fake tree. The fairly-priced, maintenance-free Nearly Natural Golden Cane Palm Silk Tree has a realistic design and feel that fits in perfectly with our decor.
