Home > The Best Faux Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees That Look Real And Will Save You A Fortune

The Best Faux Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees That Look Real And Will Save You A Fortune

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Let’s face it: real fiddle-leaf fig trees can easily cost up to $500 and you’ll be lucky if you can keep it alive for a year.

There is no shame in considering a faux alternative to this plant!

Good quality artificial plants these days look so realistic that often you can barely tell the difference.

Not only that, but a fake fiddle-leaf fig tree will NEVER die and will save you a lot of money and frustration.

Let’s explore which ones are the best faux fiddle-leaf fig trees on the market, and where to buy them. I will also tell you why investing in a fake one will actually save you money!

Do you follow any interior design blogs or decor influencers? Then you may have noticed that these figgy beauties are all the rage.

And guess what? It’s no secret, but a lot of them actually use faux fiddle-leaf fig trees in their photos. 

For example, check out the photo below from Bre at Brepurposed – who would have ever guessed that her beautiful bathroom sports a faux fiddle? She’s one of the many talented designers out there that swear by these faux babies!

Friends, this is the hard truth: real fiddle-leaf figs are notoriously difficult to keep alive!

The fact that Instagram’s favorite plant is actually INCREDIBLY FINICKY is something you need to be aware of if you are considering buying the real version of this plant.

The truth is, unless your interior has tropical rainforest conditions (or you can emulate those conditions), you’re going to struggle to keep your real fiddle-leaf fig tree alive and happy.

From Wikipedia:

Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the fiddle-leaf fig, is a species of flowering plant in the mulberry and fig family Moraceae. It is native to western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone, where it grows in lowland tropical rainforest.

The leaves are variable in shape, but often with a broad apex and narrow middle, resembling a lyre or fiddle, with a leathery texture, prominent veins and a wavy margin.

The fruit is a green fig.

Real versus faux (why faux is the winner)

Unless you enjoy throwing money directly into the dumpster every few months, I would suggest another solution: buy a faux fiddle-leaf fig tree.

Here’s why real fiddle-leaf fig trees can make you lose your mind:

  • real fiddle-leaf fig trees need tropical rainforest conditions to truly thrive
  • they are not pet-friendly (the leaves are toxic)
  • extremely sensitive to over AND underwatering (its leaves will yellow and drop)
  • sunlight requirements are not straightforward. Don’t believe me? Check out this article that explains just how complicated it is
  • susceptible to several different types of pests
  • needs frequent repotting to prevent overcrowding roots and root rot
  • you will get frustrated buying plants that die on you despite your best efforts

Here’s some further reading on how to care for a real fiddle-leaf fig tree.

9 benefits of having a faux fiddle-leaf fig tree

1. You will save money

Buying a faux fiddle-leaf fig WILL save you money in the long run if you have doubts about being able to keep your real plant alive.

Let’s do some grade 3 math!

Let’s say you buy 1 real fiddle-leaf fig at $200. Then it dies and you try again and spend another $200. It also dies a slow death.

Then you finally give in and decide to buy a faux one and spend another $100.

That’s $500!

My advice is to save yourself the aggravation and the money and just go faux right from the start!

It’s also pretty devastating to buy a plant and have it die on you a few months later.

It has happened to me and it sucks. Not only does it make you feel like a plant parent failure, but you’ve literally taken your hard earned cash and thrown it away.

2. It can’t die

Sorry if this sounds super obvious… but good quality artificial plants will last and look great forever (unless your cat nibbles them).

Unrelated – I once had a cat who liked to eat my artificial IKEA plant. He thought it was real grass. Bless him!

3. Requires zero maintenance

Can we just appreciate how awesome it is to have something beautiful in our home that doesn’t need ANY care? Your faux friend will continue to look fresh and gorgeous day after day without any hassle.

Dusting every now and then hardly compares to finding the perfect watering schedule, repotting, rotating and fertilizing a real plant.

4. Great for home staging

Fiddle-leaf figs are super trendy, so the faux versions are readily available in a lot of stores.

I can’t think of a single room in a home that wouldn’t benefit from having a friendly fiddle-leaf fig just hanging out and looking fabulous.

Several people also buy faux fiddles for staging their homes when they’re trying to sell. Not surprising, as so many people associate fiddle leaf figs with extremely well put together interiors. In photos, you’d pretty much *never* be able to tell that you’re looking at a faux tree – many Instagrammers use faux for this reason.

 

5. Perfect for filling empty corners

Do you have an awkward empty corner in your home? I have several!

Fiddle-leaf fig trees look particularly attractive in corners because of their height and large leaves; they really help to add visual interest without being overbearing.

6. Awesome for low light areas of the home

Low light areas instantly look brighter and cheerier with plants. The problem is that a lot of plants don’t do well in very low light conditions. Real fiddle-leaf fig trees certainly don’t! That’s why a faux tree is a perfect solution.

7. Goodbye drainage holes

If you have some real plant experience, you’ll know that drainage holes are a must for preventing root rot. It often becomes an issue to display plants in pretty baskets or pots because you risk ruining them if water seeps through your plant’s drainage holes. Not so with a faux plant! Since no watering is required, you can use whatever display vessel you like, with absolutely no risk of ruining it.

8. You can have one even if you have pets

Real fiddle-leaf figs are toxic to our fur babies so a fake one is a perfect compromise for pet owners.

9. No risk of bug infestations

Mealybugs, aphids and other “interesting” critters that like living in your plants will not be interested in your artificial tree. Big yay.


6 things to look for in a good quality faux fiddle-leaf fig tree

You may not be able to find all of these features in one single faux fiddle-leaf fig tree, as they are all made a little differently.

But these are some of the characteristics of better quality faux fiddle-leaf fig trees to keep in mind when you’re shopping.

  1. Flexible leaves (with wire)
  2. Color variations in the leaves
  3. UV resistant
  4. Weighted base
  5. Bendable branches
  6. Realistic looking trunk

The 5 very best faux fiddle-leaf fig trees

There are a LOT of different faux fiddle-leaf figs on the market nowadays, so which one is the best? I have done a lot of research for you and I’ve managed to narrow it down to 5. 

Here they are.

WORLD MARKET FAUX FIDDLE-LEAF FIG TREE

world market faux fiddle leaf fig tree

Height: 72″ tall (6′ feet)

This particular faux fiddle-leaf has become very popular due to many prominent sites recommending it. It has a weighted base that will prevent your plant from tipping over. It also has poseable branches and realistic branching. The leaves have a nice variation of light and dark greens and the trunk looks quite realistic. Unfortunately, it has been known to arrive with branches that get damaged/cracked during shipping.

The benefit to this tree’s popularity is that there are a ton of real photos in the reviews that you can look at to determine whether or not you like it. The drawback is that it sells out quite quickly. Luckily, it just came back in stock this week at World Market. So if you like this one, be sure to snap it up before they sell out again.

SHOP NOW


WAYFAIR BUNGALOW ROSE FAUX FIDDLE-LEAF FIG TREE

wayfair bungalow rose faux fiddle leaf fig tree

Height: 36″ tall (3′ feet)

This faux tree by Bungalow Rose is actually really impressive. It’s only about 3′ feet tall, so it’s the shortest one on this list. What amazes me most is the attention to detail where the leaves join the branches. It has nice big glossy leaves and the trunk looks incredibly realistic. It also comes in a pot that is slightly better proportioned than most other fake fiddles. You might be able to get away with displaying it without a basket. The price is incredible on this one, considering how good it looks.

Bungalow Rose also makes a taller fiddle-leaf fig tree, but it’s a shocking $1060 (not sure what they’re thinking there …).

SHOP HERE


WEST ELM FAUX FIDDLE-LEAF FIG PLANT

west elm faux fiddle leaf fig tree

Height: 65″ tall (5′.5 feet)

The West Elm faux fiddle-leaf is actually hand-painted and made to look very realistic. It has beautiful deep green glossy leaves. Its branches are bendable and poseable so you can shape it any way you like. The trunk is a touch too glossy/plastic-like to be super realistic looking. However, West Elm faux plants and flowers are known to look extremely realistic even up close, so all in all this one is a great choice. 

SHOP HERE


AMAZON NEARLY NATURAL FAUX FIDDLE-LEAF FIG TREE

amazon faux fiddle leaf fig tree
 

Height: 72″ tall (6′ feet)

This faux fiddle-leaf fig plant is made by Nearly Natural. It has real wood trunks and a whopping 270 leaves. Many reviewers actually comment that the tree is TOO full, and have opted to remove several leaves in order to give it a more realistic look.

There is very nice variation in the leaves and the real wood trunks help make it look quite realistic. Unfortunately, the branches are quite stiff and are not poseable. It has a weighted base.

It’s a really competitive price compared to other faux fiddles of the same size and height.

This is the exact same plant that Walmart and Hayneedle sell, but at the moment it’s cheapest on Amazon. It’s possible that you can find it for about $20 cheaper at Walmart when there’s a sale, so keep an eye on this link.

SHOP HERE


HOBBY LOBBY FAUX FIDDLE-LEAF FIG TREE

hobby lobby faux fiddle leaf fig tree

Height: 60″ tall (5′ feet)

I’m surprised this particular faux is not more popular because it’s truly impressive. Although it’s not really obvious from the product photo, it has nice color variation in the leaves. The trunk is plastic but DOES look very realistic.

This tree is often on sale for 50% off (like right now!) so make sure you wait until there is a discount if you want a real steal. It’s not UV or heat tolerant so don’t put it outside or it might fade. Stellar reviews all around.

SHOP HERE


How to make your faux fiddle-leaf fig plant look real

1. 95% of the time, faux fiddle-leaf fig trees come in pots that are disturbingly tiny! This gives them the appearance of being extremely disproportionate to the foliage. There is an easy fix to this though, just display your plant in a big basket and it will look great.

2. The undersides of the leaves are just not going to look that great on ANY of these faux plants. If that truly disturbs you, then try to pose the leaves so that you can’t see the undersides as much. Or, avoid positioning them next to a chair or sofa where you might glimpse the underside while sitting down.

  • carefully “fluff” or primp the leaves when you take it out of the shipping box (same as you would with a faux Christmas tree)
  • if your leaves don’t have wires in them, use a hairdryer to “sculpt” the leaves to give them a realistic curve – look at pics of real fiddle-leaf fig trees as a guide
  • most real fiddle-leaf figs live near bright windows, so place yours next to a window too. It will add to the realism
  • slightly bend the top of the tree towards the window to mimic how a real plant would search for sunlight as it grows
  • if your tree is a bit too full, carefully remove some of the leaves to thin it out a bit. Do this carefully and take a step back after every few leaves to make sure you’re happy with how it’s looking. You can usually re-attach the leaves if you prune too much.
  • once you’ve placed your plant in a basket, you may find that too much of the trunk ends up being concealed. To fix this, you can raise the plant up by placing it on top of an old Tupperware container that you’ve flipped upside down. Or just use anything that will give the plant a bit of height.

A faux fiddley fig conclusion

Look, I know that buying a large realistic faux fiddle-leaf fig tree can seem pricey. But it is so, so worth it when you factor in how much trouble (and money) you will actually save yourself in the long run.

Personally, my favorite is the World Market fiddle-leaf. But if that one is too expensive, I think the Amazon one gives you a great bang for your buck. If you don’t mind the look of the multiple trunks and the other points we discussed above, it’s definitely a good deal.

If you have Amazon Prime then it’s really a no-brainer because you can just return it if you don’t love it. Pssst – you can try a month of Amazon Prime for FREE with this link 🙂

So tell me, which one is your fave?

the 5 best faux fiddle leaf figs

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5 Comments

  1. Awesome review of my fave but tough-to-keep-alive plant! 😄 Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I think I’m going to go for the West Elm option as I’m in the UK and it’s currently on sale (yay!). It’s gonna look awesome in the awkward empty corner of my low-light lounge!

    1. Yes I agree, fiddle figs are PERFECT for filling awkward empty corners!! ♥ Hope you love yours! Thanks for stopping by 🙂