Where to buy artificial plants in Australia — the honest guide
Buying a quality artificial plant in Australia is harder than it should be. The market has exploded in the last three years — dozens of online stores, mass-market chains, import warehouses and boutique specialists all competing for the same search terms. Some of them are genuinely excellent. Many are not.
This guide is written by The Plants Corner — so yes, we're one of the options listed below. We've been upfront about that from the first line. What we've also been is genuinely honest: we've assessed every major place Australians buy artificial plants, noted where competitors do things well, and given you the information you need to make the right decision for your home — whether that's with us or someone else.
Here's where to buy artificial plants in Australia in 2026, ranked by the criteria that actually matter.
What to look for before you buy
Before getting into the individual stores, here's the checklist every Australian shopper should run through before purchasing a faux plant online.
| Criteria | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Trunk material | Not all moulded trunks are equal. Budget chain stores use thin, hollow plastic that looks painted. Quality specialist retailers use dense, textured moulded trunks with realistic bark detail — a completely different product. Real wood trunks exist on select top-tier pieces and offer the highest realism, but a well-made moulded trunk from a quality retailer will fool people just as effectively in a real interior setting. |
| Cash returns (not store credit) | Store credit means your money stays with the retailer regardless of satisfaction. A cash return policy signals genuine confidence in product quality. |
| Verified reviews | Look for third-party verified reviews (Judge.me, Google, Trustpilot) not just testimonials on the retailer's own site — those can be curated. |
| Dispatch speed | Large faux trees shipped from overseas warehouses can take 3–6 weeks. Australian-stocked retailers dispatch in days. |
| Australian stock | If stock is held overseas, returns are expensive and delivery is slow. Always check where stock is held before ordering. |
| Height accuracy | Many retailers list heights that include the pot. Always check if the stated height is plant-only or plant-plus-pot. |
The stores — honestly reviewed
We're going first because we're the ones writing this — and transparency matters. The Plants Corner is a Sydney-based, Australian-owned brand specialising in premium faux olive trees, fiddle leaf figs, birds of paradise, palms, ficus and decorative accessories. Every piece is personally curated before going live — we don't list anything we wouldn't put in our own home.
Our range is predominantly ultra-realistic moulded trunks — designed to pass the realism test at close range — with real wood trunks on select top-tier premium pieces. The difference between our moulded trunks and the cheap plastic found in chain stores is significant: ours are textured, naturally toned and shaped to replicate the actual structure of each species. Combined with hand-detailed foliage and natural branch structures, our trees are regularly mistaken for real ones in styled interiors. We've been featured in Queensland Homes magazine and have a published editorial collaboration with Style Curator — one of Australia's most trusted independent interiors voices.
Where we're not the strongest: we don't carry artificial grass or large-scale commercial turf solutions. If you're looking for synthetic lawn for a commercial fit-out or outdoor area, a specialist artificial grass supplier is the right destination for that specific product.
The Plant Factory is a Sydney-based store (Revesby, NSW) with an online presence and pick-up by appointment. Their range skews toward smaller plants suited to apartment living — compact species, tabletop pieces and mid-size plants that work in tighter spaces. They also carry a commercial greenery range for office and trade fit-outs.
Returns are store credit only, and verified third-party reviews are limited. For a large statement tree as a living room hero piece, their range is less focused than a specialist premium retailer.
The Plants Project is an Australian artificial plant retailer with an online store and a physical location in Melbourne. Their standout category is hanging plants — a genuinely strong range of faux hanging and trailing varieties that's hard to find elsewhere in Australia. If hanging baskets or trailing greenery is what you're after, they're worth checking.
For large statement trees — faux olive trees, fiddle leaf figs or birds of paradise as a living room hero piece — their range is narrower but sits at a premium quality tier. They are well reviewed on their website.
Adairs is a mainstream Australian homewares chain with stores in every major city. Their artificial plant range sits within a broader home decor catalogue — faux stems, tabletop plants and small decorative pieces rather than large statement trees. For a 180cm faux olive tree, Adairs is not the destination.
Where Adairs works well: small-format faux arrangements, faux stems in vases and tabletop greenery that complements a larger hero plant sourced elsewhere. Their quality at this scale is generally good for the price point and the in-store experience means you can assess the product before purchasing — something online-only stores can't offer.
The artificial plant category is clearly secondary to their core homewares offer, so range and availability varies significantly between stores and seasons.
Spotlight carries artificial plants as part of their craft and home decor range — seasonal stock that changes throughout the year. Their faux olive tree and large statement plant range has improved in recent years and they occasionally stock surprisingly decent pieces at budget price points, particularly during sale periods.
The quality ceiling is lower than specialist retailers — trunks are consistently plastic, foliage density is often thinner than stated, and colour accuracy can vary significantly from product photos. For customers who want to see and touch before buying and are working with a tight budget, Spotlight is worth a browse in-store before committing.
Don't expect the realism of a premium specialist — but for a secondary room or a space that needs greenery without the investment, Spotlight can deliver reasonable value at the budget tier.
IKEA's artificial plant range (the FEJKA series) is one of the most recognisable in Australia — and for good reason. At small formats, the quality is genuinely impressive for the price: the tabletop succulents, small potted herbs and trailing plants fool people regularly and cost under $30. For this scale, IKEA is hard to beat.
The large-format statement tree range is where IKEA falls short. Their artificial trees max out at around 150cm, have plastic trunks and a distinctly flat, mass-produced foliage profile that doesn't pass the realism test up close. As a solo statement tree in a living room, an IKEA piece will look like an IKEA piece.
Where IKEA genuinely works: as filler plants to sit around a premium statement tree, as bathroom and kitchen accent pieces, and for customers who want something functional and low-cost without caring about maximum realism.
Side-by-side summary
| Store | Best for | Cash returns | Real wood trunk | Verified reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Plants Corner | Premium statement trees | ✓ 14 days | ✓ Ultra-realistic moulded (most) + real wood (select) | ✓ Judge.me |
| The Plant Factory | Small apartment plants & commercial | ✗ Store credit | ✗ Not stated | ~ Limited |
| The Plants Project | Hanging plants · Melbourne in-store | ~ Check policy | ✗ Not stated | ~ Limited |
| Adairs | Faux stems & tabletop | ✓ Standard retail | ✗ N/A | ~ Mixed |
| Spotlight | Budget in-store browse | ✓ Standard retail | ✗ Plastic | ✗ Not available |
| IKEA | Small accent plants | ✓ Standard retail | ✗ Plastic | ~ Mixed |
Our honest recommendation
For most Australians buying a large faux tree for a living room, entry hall or bedroom — the decision comes down to two things: how realistic you want it to look, and how confident you need to feel about being able to return it.
If realism and a genuine cash return policy are your priorities — and they should be for any purchase over $200 — a specialist Australian store with verified independent reviews and quality trunk construction — whether ultra-realistic moulded or real wood on select pieces — is the right choice. The Plants Corner is that choice for us, obviously, but the framework applies regardless of where you buy.
If you're specifically after hanging or trailing faux plants, The Plants Project has a genuinely strong range in that category and a Melbourne store worth visiting in person.
If you're in the Revesby area and want to see smaller apartment-scale plants before buying, The Plant Factory offers pick-up by appointment.
If budget is the primary constraint, start with IKEA for small accent plants and Spotlight for a mid-size tree to see if you enjoy the look before committing to a premium piece.
The most common mistake: Buying cheap to "test the look" and then replacing it within 6 months anyway. A $89 budget faux olive tree from a chain store is more likely to make you sceptical of faux plants in general than convince you they can look real. If you're going to have a faux tree in your living room, buy the one that actually fools people.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to buy artificial plants in Australia?
For large-format statement trees — faux olive trees, fiddle leaf figs, birds of paradise, eucalyptus, palms and more — specialist online retailers with Australian stock, verified reviews and quality trunk construction deliver the best result. The Plants Corner, based in Sydney, is the leading premium option. For budget pieces and small accent plants, IKEA and Adairs offer good value at the smaller scale.
Are artificial plants from Spotlight or IKEA any good?
At small formats — tabletop succulents, small potted plants and accent pieces — IKEA's FEJKA range is genuinely impressive for the price. Spotlight's range varies by season and tends to be adequate for secondary spaces. For large statement trees where realism is important, neither chain reaches the quality level of specialist premium retailers. The trunk material, foliage density and colour accuracy don't hold up at close range.
How much should I spend on a quality faux olive tree in Australia?
For a 180cm faux olive tree with convincing foliage and a quality trunk, expect to pay $250–$350 from a specialist Australian retailer. Most quality specialist ranges use dense, textured moulded trunks with realistic bark detail — completely different to the thin hollow plastic in budget chain stores. Real wood trunks are available on select top-tier pieces at the higher end of the price range. Budget options at $80–$150 tend to use cheap plastic trunks, thinner foliage and less accurate colouring that's obvious up close. A quality faux plant lasts 8–10 years, making the investment worthwhile.
Do Australian artificial plant stores offer returns?
It varies significantly. The Plants Corner offers a 14-day cash refund on all purchases. The Plant Factory offers store credit only. Chain stores like Spotlight, IKEA and Adairs offer standard retail returns. Always check the returns policy before purchasing — for an online purchase over $200, a cash return option is a meaningful consumer protection that's worth prioritising.
Is it better to buy artificial plants online or in-store in Australia?
For small accent pieces, in-store is useful — you can assess the quality before buying. For large statement trees, the specialist online stores carry significantly better quality than what's available in chain stores. The key is buying from an online retailer with verified independent reviews and a genuine cash return policy — so if the product doesn't match what you expected, you're not stuck with it.
Which artificial plant stores in Australia have the best reviews?
The Plants Corner has over 1,000 verified orders with a 4.7-star average collected through Judge.me — a third-party platform that doesn't allow review editing or curation. This volume and verification approach is the most reliable quality signal available. Most other Australian faux plant retailers have limited or unverified review counts, making it harder to assess batch-to-batch quality consistency.
Ready to find your perfect piece?
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