The Best Fake Olive Trees in Australia — What to Look For Before You Buy

The Best Fake Olive Trees in Australia — What to Look For Before You Buy

The fake olive tree has become one of Australia’s most searched home decor items — and for good reason. A well-chosen faux olive tree in the right corner of a living room can completely transform the feel of a space. But a poorly made one can do the opposite, making an interior look obviously cheap in a way that’s hard to ignore.

If you’re shopping for a fake olive tree in Australia in 2026, here’s what actually separates a convincing piece from one you’ll regret buying.

The trunk is everything

Most people focus on the leaves when assessing a fake olive tree. Interior designers look at the trunk first. Real olive trees have characterful, gnarled trunks with natural texture — no two look the same. A quality faux olive tree replicates this with a dense moulded resin trunk or, in premium pieces, an actual real wood trunk. Budget trees use thin hollow plastic painted to look like bark. Up close, the difference is immediate.

If you’re buying online, look for these words in the product listing: PE foliage, real wood trunk, moulded bark. If the listing just says “realistic” without specifying materials, be cautious.

PE foliage vs PVC — this matters more than price

The foliage on most fake olive trees is made from one of two materials: polyethylene (PE) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride). PE foliage is moulded with colour variation built in — the silver-green variation across individual olive leaves is structural, not painted on, which means it doesn’t fade and looks convincing at close range. PVC is cheaper, shinier and the colour sits on the surface, which is why budget trees look obviously artificial within 12–18 months.

Most Australian fake olive trees in the $150–$300+ range use PE foliage. Anything under $80 is almost certainly PVC. The extra investment for PE foliage pays for itself many times over in how long the tree looks good.

Size — Australians almost always go too small

The most common mistake when buying a fake olive tree in Australia is choosing a size that feels bold in the product photo but looks underwhelming once it’s in the actual space. A 120cm tree in a living room with 2.4m ceilings reads as a large houseplant, not a statement tree. A 180cm tree in the same room reads as a design decision.

As a general guide:

• Studios and small bedrooms: 90–120cm
• Standard living rooms with 2.4m ceilings: 160–180cm
• Rooms with 2.7m+ ceilings or open-plan spaces: 180–210cm or larger

When in doubt, size up. You can always shape branches inward to slim the canopy — you can’t make a tree taller once it’s home.

What to look for in the listing before buying

Beyond materials and size, here are the signals that indicate a quality fake olive tree worth purchasing:

Multiple product photos showing the trunk up close — not just styled living room shots. A brand confident in its trunk quality will show it clearly.

Customer reviews that mention realism specifically — “looks real,” “fooled my guests,” “trunk is amazing” are the phrases that confirm quality at scale.

Clear returns policy — premium fake olive trees are a considered purchase. A brand that offers 14-day returns is confident in what they’re sending you.

Australian-owned or Australian-operated — for delivery times, customer service responsiveness and return logistics, buying from an Australian business is meaningfully easier than ordering from an overseas marketplace.

What The Plants Corner offers

The Plants Corner is an Australian-owned small business specialising in premium faux olive trees and artificial plants, shipped from Sydney across Australia. Every piece in the range uses PE foliage and either a real wood trunk or a dense moulded trunk on select pieces — and every tree is personally assessed before going live on the site.

The range runs from 90cm compact pieces through to 2.4m statement trees, with free styling advice and a 14-day returns policy on every order.

As featured in Queensland Homes magazine and Style Curator — two of Australia’s most respected interiors publications.

Browse the full fake olive tree range at theplantscorner.com.au/collections/fake-olive-tree-indoor-plants-bedroom

The honest summary

The best fake olive tree in Australia is one with PE foliage, a convincing trunk and a height that suits your actual ceiling — not the one that looked good in a product photo. Take ten minutes to assess the materials before you buy and you’ll end up with a piece that looks genuinely real for years. Rush the decision and you’ll be replacing it within two.

The Plants Corner is an Australian-owned online store specialising in premium faux olive trees and artificial plants. Shipped from Sydney Australia-wide. theplantscorner.com.au