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Live or artificial exotic flowers

Updated: 22 October 2026

You read garden on a faux stem title, or you wonder whether the Carbeth pot is easier than six wire bird-of-paradise stems that never wilt. This page compares live or artificial exotic flowers on this amazon.co.uk shelf, where only one of twelve listings is actually a plant. Everything else is décor that needs no watering schedule. Prices and specs sit on the [exotic flowers comparison](/hub/ornamental-plants/exotic-flowers). Unpacking steps sit on [how to display exotic flowers](/hub/ornamental-plants/exotic-flowers/sub/exotic-flowers-how-to-display). Peter F. checked the listings and RHS guidance. We did not grow these in a trial room. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You read garden on a faux stem title, or you wonder whether the Carbeth pot is easier than six wire bird-of-paradise stems that never wilt.

Our top picks

Mikasol Mikasol gold-plated rose

Best overall

Mikasol Mikasol gold-plated rose
9.4/10about £39.99
View offer
Carbeth Plants Carbeth anthurium

Rank 2

Carbeth Plants Carbeth anthurium
7.2/10about £19.99
View offer
Rikyo Rikyo orange bird of paradise

Rank 3

Rikyo Rikyo orange bird of paradise
7.9/10about £13.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.One live listing on this shelf
  2. 2.What the RHS asks of an anthurium
  3. 3.Faux stems that borrow plant names
  4. 4.When décor is the point

One live listing on this shelf

Carbeth’s Anthurium Diamond Red at about £19.99 arrives as one plant in a 9 cm plastic growing pot. The listing asks for bright indirect light, with leaves out of direct sun, and water when the top inch of soil is dry, little and often. A bullet suggests about 0.3–0.5 m, while a separate field prints 9 centimetres, which is the pot, not a mature plant. Treat the bullet as the ambition and the pot as what ships today. Amazon shows 4.2 from 21 reviews, and one stored review describes ivy rather than this anthurium. Do not treat that text as anthurium feedback. If the plant arrives rotten, contact the seller. If you are still choosing the form, use the exotic flowers buying guide.

What the RHS asks of an anthurium

RHS guidance for indoor anthuriums stresses warmth, bright indirect light, humid air, acidic free-draining compost, and rainwater or filtered water if your tap is hard. One RHS page says keep the plant above about 18°C indoors. Broader guidance mentions about 16–30°C and damage at 10°C or below. Do not merge those into one invented number. A cold spare bedroom below the high teens is a poor match, even if the listing says the plant can take lower light. All parts are harmful if eaten and can irritate skin and eyes. Wear gloves if you are sensitive, and keep the pot away from pets and children who chew. A bathroom can help humidity. One review mentions a north-facing bathroom sill, but a bathroom is not required if you mist or group plants. A stem that needs no water also avoids a plant a cat might chew.
Mikasol Mikasol gold-plated rose

Testsieger

Mikasol Mikasol gold-plated rose
9.4/10about £39.99
View offer

Faux stems that borrow plant names

Rikyo orange and yellow bird-of-paradise listings are plastic and iron wire, not Strelitzia reginae. A real strelitzia is tender: RHS advice is never below about 10–12°C, and flowering may take years. UV-resistant lines are seller claims. They do not make a bundle at about £13.99 a hardy border plant. Pots in the photos are reference only. Qingriver’s red stems mimic Lycoris radiata, but the pack is silk and plastic, not a bulb. RHS lists that plant as H3, harmful if eaten, for a mild or coastal garden only. Yarn, dried minis, head kits, and the plated rose are not plants for planting, so they are outside the Defra passport case for plants moved for planting.

When décor is the point

Artificial, yarn, dried, and plated forms need no watering and no repotting. They also have no living gloss and no scent. Choose Carbeth when the room is warm and bright and you accept care and toxicity limits. Choose faux or yarn when travel, a dark hall, or hospital rules make a plant unrealistic. Ward limits sit on exotic flower gifts. Faux is not automatically welcome on every ward. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes the description part of the contract. When a title says silk and the material line says plastic, or garden appears on a faux stem, compare what arrived with what was stated.

Common questions

Which product on this page is actually alive?
Only Carbeth, ASIN B0CVH4CPWM, the Anthurium Diamond Red in a 9 cm plastic growing pot at about £19.99. The other eleven listings on this shelf are décor: faux stems, yarn, dried bundles, loose heads, or a plated rose. They are not plants for planting.
What temperature and light does an anthurium need in a UK home?
Bright indirect light, with leaves out of direct sun, and a warm room. RHS sources cite a preference around 16–30°C, indoor guidance often above about 18°C, and a damage risk at 10°C or below. A cold spare bedroom below the high teens is a poor match. Do not collapse those figures into one invented setpoint.
Are anthuriums safe around pets and children?
No. RHS guidance lists anthuriums as harmful if eaten, and as a skin and eye irritant. Keep the Carbeth pot out of reach of pets and children who chew plants. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive. Faux stems avoid that plant risk. They are still not food.
Can the Rikyo bird of paradise stay outside all year?
No. Those listings are artificial stems, not a hardy Strelitzia. A real strelitzia needs frost-free conditions, and RHS advice keeps it above about 10–12°C. UV-resistant wording on the faux packs is a seller claim. Outdoor use of the stems is at your own risk.
Is the Qingriver spider lily a bulb you can plant?
No. It is artificial silk-style stems on plastic, not Lycoris radiata bulbs. RHS lists the real plant as H3 and harmful if eaten, for a mild or coastal garden only. Weather resistant on the listing is not a planting instruction.
Do artificial flowers need water or a plant passport?
They need no watering. They are not plants for planting, so they are not the operator passport case that applies when potted plants are sold at a distance. The live anthurium is a plant, with the usual consumer expectation that it arrives alive. Contact the seller if it does not.
What should you do if the live plant arrives rotten?
Contact the seller promptly and include photos of the plant and the pot. Do not repot a collapsed anthurium and hope it revives. A rotten arrival is a problem with that delivery, not a reason to change the watering line on a healthy plant.

Related pages

Best exotic flowers

Exotic flowers

Exotic flowers buying guide: form before the price

Exotic flower gifts: pack, gold claim and the ward

How to display exotic flowers by form after delivery

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. Non-toxic and UV resistant lines are seller claims.

  1. RHS: how to grow anthuriums (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Anthurium andraeanum (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. RHS: how to grow strelitzia (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. RHS: Lycoris radiata (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. RHS: hardiness ratings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. HSE: flowers on wards (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Plant passport FAQ (retrieved 21 October 2026)