Fake plants may have a bad reputation, but modern iterations are impressively realistic. Especially with the resurgence of plants as decor, you may be looking for a way to update your home. Unfortunately, live plants mean maintenance and the possibility that it won’t thrive in your home. The Vickerman Ficus Bush is one plant you might try out in your home if you want green decor without worrying about keeping it alive. We tried it out in our living room to see whether we’d recommend it to you.
Design: Good for traditional homes
The Vickerman Ficus Bush is a lush, full plant with small dark green leaves and a woody trunk. There are a few different sizes from which to choose: 4-, 6-, 6.5-, and 7-foot. At this small stature, the plant is more reminiscent of a bush, while the taller options look more like trees. Even so, when we opened the package, we were surprised to find it looked smaller than we expected. Make sure to measure out the size before you order to be sure it will look right in your space. However, because it’s low to the ground and has a wide base, it’s not easily tipped over, even though it’s only 7 pounds. While this ficus is lush and leafy, we also think it looks slightly messy. We needed to rearrange the stems quite a bit (which is expected), but even after, we thought the plant looked tangled (at least much more so than the photos online). There are three base options: rattan basket, willow basket, or plastic planter. We chose the square willow basket, which is high-quality and will blend in with most homes. The plant arrives well-secured inside a plastic foam hidden by a mossy ground covering. It’s not easy to remove the plant if you want to change the planter. We were nervous to break anything, but we suspect that with enough pulling you could possibly add it to a different pot. We feel that the overall design and type of plant is more appropriate for a traditionally designed home, so it looked a little out of place in ours. Keep this in mind when deciding what type of plant or tree to include in your home.
Feel: Slightly fake
The Vickerman Ficus Bush is designed to mimic a real plant, but we think it’s failed at that in a few ways. First off, while there are around 950 leaves for a full look, we don’t think the leaves feel real. Rather than having a rubbery, thick texture that most ficus bushes have, the leaves on the Vickerman Ficus Bush are thin and rough like textured paper. They don’t look very real either, though they are perfectly passable from a distance. We also think the stems look quite fake—it’s very obvious that they are made of plastic, and the edges of the molding look messy. The trunk is the most realistic because it’s made of real wood. If anything, this is what will convince guests that it is a real ficus bush.
Price: Around $50
For its size and when compared to fake plants as a whole, the Vickerman Ficus Bush is well priced. That it already comes with a decorative planter is a bonus. Different style versions (for example, the rattan basket style) are slightly more expensive. While you can find plants from other brands for around the same price, most faux plants like this one are priced around $100 or more.
Vickerman Ficus Bush vs. Nearly Natural Ficus Silk Tree
For an option that is taller and more tree-like, take a look at the 6-foot Nearly Natural Ficus Silk Tree. It only costs a little more and is two feet taller. Unlike the Vickerman Ficus Bush, the Nearly Natural option does not come with a decorative basket, which is either a pro or con depending on whether you want to spend the extra money to purchase a planter on your own (we like the ability to choose our own). Compared to Vickerman’s 950 leaves, the Nearly Natural has 1,008. Although this isn’t any many more as we’d expect, this is because the Nearly Natural has a taller trunk and a similar-sized bush area. The 4-foot Vickerman Ficus Bush is just fine for those on a budget or for low-traffic areas. However, it doesn’t look as realistic as other fake plants.
