This archive report was first published on 13 July 2019.
On a visit to his girlfriend's home, a man thoughtfully watered her new plant, unaware of the surprise that awaited him.
Months later, he discovered the plant's secret: it was a high-quality fake, expertly designed to mimic the real thing.
Yolanda Garbers, an Australian woman, shared a photo of the plant on the Facebook group Kmart Home Decor & Hacks, revealing the plant's true nature.
"How good is Kmart faux foliage?" she wrote, accompanied by a photo of the plant.
Her boyfriend's mistake was not the only one, as many others shared similar experiences of watering fake plants, thinking they were real.
One person commented, "I did that for months with a small succulent in a glass bowl, until my daughter and myself wondered why it wasn't growing. We felt it and it was fake."
Another shared, "My dad was watering my Ikea fake succulent for two weeks when I was away. After I came back he was very proud of himself and said he was really careful with watering as he knew succulents do not need much water."
A third person added, "My husband watered ours for a year. Even added fertilizer and told me how great a gardener he is. He was devastated when I told him it was fake."
