7 Best Artificial Privacy Plants (That You Can Easily Buy!)

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Published: Last Updated on
artificial privacy plants
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Using fake plants for privacy can often be a more practical option than using real plants. While they’ll never truly be the same, if your main goal is privacy, artificial plants are an easier option in almost every situation.

Of course, choosing the right fake plants for privacy still takes some thought. With this guide, you’ll be able to choose the perfect artificial privacy plants for your outdoor space.

Why Use Artificial Privacy Plants?

Some of the more obvious reasons why you might want to use fake plants include:

  • They’re maintenance-free
  • You don’t have to wait for them to grow/mature
  • The climate might not allow you to have your plants of choice
  • Renter or HOA restrictions

Fake plants are a practical and often inexpensive alternative to real plants if you don’t have any interest or patience in keeping them alive. Plus, higher-end artificial plants aren’t far off the real things.

Considerations Before Buying Fake Plants for Privacy

Before buying artificial privacy plants, make sure you consider the following:

Purpose

It might seem obvious, but think about what kind of privacy you need. Are you hiding trash bins or a hot tub, or shielding your balcony or patio? For hiding bins, you probably don’t need something as dense as you would for making a hot tub more private.

Height Requirements

Similarly, the desired height of your privacy screen will be an important factor. While there are plenty of tall fake plants available, you might be restricted by the density of their foliage.

Also, unlike real plants, fake ones will always stay at the same height. This might sound obvious, but it means you need to be considerate about getting the height right at the time of purchase.

Appearance

Although less important than the practical requirements, appearance still matters. Do you want your artificial privacy plants to fit in with an overall theme or are you not bothered? For example, bamboo would look good with a jungle-themed space, whereas lavender or ivy are good all-rounders.

Appearance isn’t too difficult to work out, but be prepared to sacrifice some level of privacy if you’re set on a particular kind of plant. You might think an ivy curtain would look best in your space even though it doesn’t offer as much privacy as a fake hedge, for example.

Weather

Weather isn’t a massive factor for fake plants in most situations. Because they’re made of artificial materials, you don’t have to worry about them degrading in the rain.

The only thing to watch out for is the wind. Just make sure your fake plants are secured to prevent them from blowing away and you should be fine.

7 Best Fake Privacy Plants

In rounding up these artificial privacy plants, we’re aiming more to give you a guide of what works where rather than specific suggestions. You should be able to apply the recommendations to your space to decide what fake plants will suit your needs the best.

1. Artificial bamboo

Real bamboo is a great option for privacy screens, but it can be difficult to manage. Fake bamboo is equally a good pick for privacy and you don’t have to worry about it taking over your outdoor space!

However, finding a decent fake option will take some work. Your best bet will be tall fake plants that have closely-packed stems (like this one). A lot of fake bamboo plants aren’t very tall or are quite spindly looking, which isn’t a great option for privacy.

Alternatively, hanging bamboo leaves will work if you have a covered area. Of course, these won’t give you the same kind of coverage, but they’ll offer a bit of shade from the sun.

Good for:

  • Covered balconies
  • Patios
  • Verandas/porches

Pros

  • Dense bamboo offers good privacy
  • Fake bamboo plants are common – lots of options
  • Often fairly inexpensive

Cons

  • It might be difficult to find ones that are dense enough

2. Artificial trees

Artificial trees are a bit of a broad category, but there are plenty of options we can group together. For example, you could opt for something like an artificial Ficus (like this) or a fake palm tree (like this).

These options will look good in tropical-style or boho outdoor designs. That said, you could probably match them to almost any design style because they’re trees.

Trees like Ficus will be good artificial privacy plants on a balcony or veranda or other walled space. Palm trees are more suitable for blocking railings or for sitting on a raised platform.

Good for:

  • Balconies or walled spaces
  • Covering railings

Pros

  • Dense artificial trees will offer lots of privacy
  • Available as short or tall fake plants
  • Options to suit all budgets

Cons

  • Won’t be as consistently dense as something like bamboo

3. Fake ivy

Fake ivy is a go-to for lots of outdoor designs. You could turn it into a curtain, weave it into railings, or attach it to a trellis for a temporary privacy screen. However you decide to use it, fake ivy is a pretty practical option.

The most important thing to look for when picking fake ivy is the density of leaves. Cheaper options won’t provide enough coverage, but even the high-quality ones won’t be expensive. Look out for options that provide more coverage than you think you’ll need so you can pack them tightly together.

Good for:

  • Turning into curtains
  • Weaving around railings
  • Balconies, verandas, patios, etc.
  • Making temporary privacy screens

Pros

  • One of the most widely-available types of fake plant
  • Easy to work with
  • Should suit most privacy needs

Cons

  • Cheaper options won’t have good enough leaf density

4. Artificial lavender

Lavender might not be your first thought for artificial privacy plants, but you’d be surprised what you can do with it. A massive benefit it has over other fake plants is that you typically don’t buy it in its plant form. Instead, you buy it as picked stalks, which gives you greater flexibility.

Look for lavender bundles (like this) designed for table centerpieces or floral arrangements. You could then turn it into a small hedge, put in pots, or use it however you wish. Of course, it won’t have the same height as other options, but that’s not a massive issue.

Good for:

  • Adding height to walls and railings
  • Accenting other fake privacy plants
  • Hiding AC vents, etc.

Pros

  • Easier to work with than full fake plants
  • Versatile
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Doesn’t have the same height as full plants

5. Hanging plants

Like artificial trees, hanging plants are another broad category. Unsurprisingly, this is an option for covered spaces, or at least ones with somewhere you can attach the plants.

The benefit of using hanging fake plants for privacy is if you still want a small gap. For example, you might have a balcony wall and you just want to block off some of your space without covering it completely.

In terms of options, there are plenty. Fake Boston ferns are very dense and will offer the greatest level of privacy. Alternatively, you could use garlands (like these) or just a collection of different hanging plants (like these) to break up the view.

Good for:

  • Covered spaces
  • Spaces where you need to work from the top down (walled balcony, patio, etc.)

Pros

  • Lots of options available
  • Some fake hanging plants are very dense
  • Potentially more interesting than standing plants

Cons

  • It’ll be difficult to find ones that provide the same height coverage as tall fake plants

6. Artificial hedges

Hedges are one of the most practical fake plants for privacy. You have rolls (like this), panels (like this), or full box hedges. Generally, the leaves are very dense, meaning you’ll get the maximum privacy possible from a fake plant.

Thanks to the flexibility of designs, they’re easy to suit to any privacy needs. For example, the panels would be great for covering a balcony railing, whereas the standing box hedges would work well on decking or a patio.

Good for:

  • Hiding bins, AC vents, etc.
  • Balconies and verandas
  • Patios, decking, etc.

Pros

  • Range of budget options
  • Loads of designs available
  • Great leaf coverage

Cons

  • Typically more expensive than other options

7. Decorative grass

Fake decorative grass addresses the cons of artificial bamboo. Even if it’s tightly packed at the bottom, it’ll usually offer better coverage than a bamboo stem. You have products you can stick into pots (like this), ones that look like bullrushes, or ones that come in pots (like this).

The only major drawback is that they won’t be very tall fake plants. However, there are plenty of options for that; these are better for low coverage, much like fake lavender.

Good for:

  • Adding height to walls
  • Blocking railings
  • Mixing with other short fake plants

Pros

  • Lots of different styles available
  • Generally inexpensive
  • Easy to work with

Cons

  • Not as tall as other options

Final Thoughts on Artificial Privacy Plants

As you can see, there are plenty of fake plants for privacy. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to find the perfect product for your needs, simply because there are so many available. Make sure your pick is tall enough, and there isn’t much else you need to consider.