Fake foliage for winter: How to keep your garden green

Spruce up your winter garden with fake foliage. As we’re heading towards winter, your garden will likely look a little worse for wear. However, there are a few things you can do for your winter garden, such as adding garden accessories to uplift the mood. Modern fake winter foliage is far removed from the tacky greenery and foliage of old. Now, they’re pretty enough to make your garden green quickly. Using fake foliage in winter is a stellar idea and Modern Gardens writer Sarah Wilson has the inside scoop on all the best artificial green foliage.

Sarah insists that dense green leaves of artificial plants, trees and hedging panels “are so lifelike, you will be hard pushed to tell it from the real deal”. This is due to the improvements made by manufacturers. In fact, fake garden foliage is available in more colours and styles than ever before, boasting “realistic texture and attention to detail.” Add some colour to your winter garden or add decorative interest to garden walls.

The best fake foliage at a glance:

• Best faux rose: Outsunny Artificial Rose Tree – View on Amazon UK
• Best faux foliage outdoor sofa: Two Seater Artificial Grass Sofa – View on Evergreen Direct
• Best artificial living wall: Deluxe Botanical Artificial Living Wall – View on Evergreen Direct

Colour livens up a garden and if you’re looking to bring a pop to your winter garden, why not invest in some artificial blooms on spikes? Here, you can push them into the ground with little effort. Sarah says, “These look great when added to a mix of real plants in beds and borders.” There are classic, contemporary and realistic-looking fake flowers to pick.

Faux green plants and grass have come a long way. Follow our ideas on how to fake it and no one will ever know. We’ve put together a guide to outdoor artificial foliage to add green to your garden. And if you're feeling festive, there's a wonderful assortment of outdoor artificial Christmas trees to bring some cheer.

Best fake foliage

Keep hedges green all year

With fake foliage like hedging, you can disguise ugly walls and fences or add privacy to your garden.

Sarah says, “Unlike with real options, there’s no need to wait for small shrubs to grow or spend a fortune on fully grown ones.” Artificial hedging is available either on an extendable lattice framework in varying sizes or comes in sections planted in a trough and can be used for dividing garden spaces.

FAQs: Fake foliage

How to get an evergreen lawn in a day

Let’s just say, that the heatwave was a serious one. Did you water your poor gasping lawn throughout those months? And – have you since been trying your best to revive it to its former glory with no such luck? We bet you’ve even tried some lawn fertiliser. Well, Sarah Wilson has a few tips…

We all know how demanding a lawn can be. Sarah says, "If your lawn was wrecked by a combo of sunshine, drought and lack of TLC and is now a bit boggy, it could be time to go fake.” With an artificial lawn, you should be able to rejuvenate your garden at a fraction of the usual cost.

Artificial grass is designed to drain quickly making it safer to walk on. Sarah adds, “This means mud and pawprints won’t get trekked through the house.” It’s a good idea to get your lawn sorted for winter or spring when summer comes around and you can spend as much time as you like outdoors.

With most artificial plants, it’s best to pay for something a little pricey. Often, these look the most realistic. Though fake grass is getting better, you need to pay a little more. If you’re going to lay down turf yourself, ensure your proper foundation is a sharp, sand base or permeable sub-base. This will need to stop weeds and allow water to go through. Speak to experts first. We recommend buying your grass through Artificial Lawn UK.

Transform your patio in minutes...

Sarah suggests working on your patio, too, “Your patio is what you probably see most of during the winter months, both when looking out of the windows and, weather permitting, as the place you’re most likely to be found when outside.” You could add some Christmas twine to your existing pots, planters and window pieces.

However, Sarah suggests adding some statement planters, for example, following the trend for copper décor. After all, you want to be admired by your guests.

Sarah adds, "As well as making a strong statement displayed as a single plant, these plants can be grouped together to bring alive a dull corner or to screen an area you want to cover up." Mix and match on your patio for a burst of green.

Next, you need to take care of your terracotta.

Sarah says, “If your terracotta has taken a hit in the past due to frost, or you want to avoid moving heavy pots around think carefully about how best to show off your new faux plants. Trough planters always look stylish. Try a tough but lightweight terracotta substitute that looks like the real thing.”

How do I look after my fake foliage?

If you’ve opted for an artificial plant, chances are it’s arrived in a box and needs a little fixing before putting on display, "Bend or reshape it by hand, fluffing it out until you have arrived at the effect you want to achieve,” Sarah advises. Don’t worry if the plant is a little creased.

You should transfer your new fake foliage to a stable planter when it arrives, too. "Keep the starter pot as a base and position your plant in the centre of the planter then fill in around it with earth or sand.” Add some gravel chippings or something a little festive like tinsel.

Another top tip is to check for the level of UV fade resistance before buying. Sarah advises looking for a ‘UVsilx’ label, which means the colours will stay vivid thanks to a special treatment, keeping them protected under those pesky UV rays. Plants are enhanced with a premium-grade polymer designed to protect them from the sun’s rays.

Always go for a premium. Though prices may be a little steeper, the products will be more realistic and better quality, not to mention longer lasting. Check for guarantees and how long they last outdoors. Sarah advises, “You can use indoor-only ones outside and cheat the look for a couple of months, but they will then need to be discarded as they’ll quickly fade and get tatty.”

Just like your indoor houseplants, you need to give your faux plants a little cleaning. We suggest using a dry paintbrush and starting at the top of the plant. It’s the best tool for dusting them off.

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Piper Huxley is a Homes, Garden and Wellness Product Writer for Modern Gardens Magazine, an all-rounder. When she’s not writing about houseplants, she’s tending to her own growing collection…