The best kentia palms, compared.
Top pick: Leaf artificial kentia, 120 cm – Highest score in this comparison, 4.8 out of 10, from 1 amazon.co.uk reviews. Updated October 2026.
A kentia palm in a UK shop is forsteriana, a single-stemmed palm sold as a houseplant, not as a hardy garden tree. The Royal Horticultural Society rates it, meaning heated glass warmer than 15°C all year. amazon.co.uk also lists silk and plastic trees under the same search. Areca, parlour palm and sago turned up in the wider search and are not kentias. Species, height, pot and hardiness are set out in the [kentia palm buying guide](/hub/trees-and-palms/kentia-palm/sub/kentia-palm-buying-guide). Indoor-palm advice from the same source says tolerates fairly low light and wants a winter night nearer 16°C, and it allows a plunge outside from June to September, not a UK winter in the border.
A kentia palm in a UK shop is forsteriana, a single-stemmed palm sold as a houseplant, not as a hardy garden tree. The Royal Horticultural Society rates it, meaning heated glass warmer than 15°C all year.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you want a plant you water, or decor you dust?
This Leaf listing is a silk artificial palm the bullet calls a kentia, arranged at 120 cm high by 90 cm by 90 cm, at about £50.07. The branches are wired, so you can open them towards that spread, and the plastic pot is weighted, about 18 cm across and 14 cm high. At 1 kg it is light for that height, and the listing does not claim the weighted pot will stop a child or a pet knocking it over. Customer Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 1 rating, dated 9 August 2024: the buyer said visitors were surprised it was artificial and was happy with the price and the quality. That review states no fault, and one rating is not a pattern you can lean on. It is not a living Howea forsteriana, and a larger decorative planter is suggested and not included.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants a 120 cm silk tree the bullet calls a kentia, with wired branches.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a living plant or a review count above one.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this sold as a kentia, and what is it made of?
The bullet calls it an artificial kentia palm tree with silk leaves. The colour field says 120cm Kentia Palm. Material type is silk.
Can the branches be shaped, and how big is it?
The listing says the branches are wired and can be shaped. As arranged in the seller photos it is 120 cm high by 90 cm by 90 cm. The plastic pot is about 18 cm across and 14 cm high.
What does the review say?
The review line is 5.0 out of 5 from 1 rating. The only review says visitors are surprised it is artificial and that the buyer was happy with the price and the quality. It names no fault.
This is a living Howea forsteriana in a 19 cm pot, listed at about 80 cm including the pot and about £29.99. At 1.8 kg it is a plant one person can carry through a flat doorway, though the listing does not say how many young stems share the pot. It is marked indoor, partial sun, and moderate watering, which points to a houseplant rather than a border tree, and it does not name a compost mix. There is no Customer Reviews line, so you cannot read how the last buyers found the leaves or the delivery. The English-name line still says Kentia Palme and the origin line says Lowd-Howe Islands, so the botanical name is the line to trust. The special-feature field says Organic and names no certification. The pet-friendly question is asked on the listing and left unanswered.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants a living indoor Howea about 80 cm and will check the plant on arrival.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a star rating, a stated compost mix, or an artificial plant.
Specifications
Common questions
How tall is this plant, and what pot does the listing state?
The listing says a 19 cm pot and a total height of about 80 cm. It does not state a separate decorative cover.
What light and watering does the listing give?
The listing marks it indoor, partial sun, and moderate watering. It does not name a compost mix.
Does the listing say the plant is pet friendly?
The listing asks whether it is pet friendly and does not answer. Soil is asked and not answered in the same way.
This CREATIV green listing is a 70 cm artificial kentia in a black plastic pot at about £29.89, so it is a short decor piece rather than a plant you water. The material field says plastic and built-in light is no. The manufacturer field says DeMa Handel. There is no Customer Reviews line, so you have no buyer note on whether the leaves look sparse or the pot sits flat. Weight and pot diameter are missing, which matters if you need to know whether it will tip or fit a cover pot you already own. The title calls it a kentia, but Howea forsteriana is not on the listing, and this is not a living plant. There is no indoor or outdoor field either.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants a short artificial plant the title calls a kentia and can accept a thin spec sheet.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a living Howea forsteriana, a stated spread, or a review line.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a living kentia?
The title says it is an artificial kentia palm in a black plastic pot, 70 cm. The botanical name Howea forsteriana is not on the listing.
What is it made of, and does it have a light?
The material type field says plastic. Built-in light is no.
Is there a review score on the listing?
The listing has no Customer Reviews line and no review text. Weight and pot diameter are also absent.
Three amazon.co.uk listings were scored on 16 October 2026 from the captured pages, not from a nursery trial. The working bands are stars up to 20, review volume up to 10, listing facts up to 40, practical fit up to 22 and price up to 10, then deductions. A living plant and a silk or plastic tree are not scored as the same job. The weights below are those bands with one point taken off listing and one off fit so they sum to 100. Deductions sit outside the weights. No review line scores 0 for stars and volume. One review is not a pattern.
Listing facts
39%Botanical name or an explicit artificial kentia, a height, and a pot you can measure. A full silk spec scores in the mid-20s of the working band. A title with almost no measurements scores lower.
Practical fit
21%The listing says whether the object is a living indoor plant or decor. Light or material, where stated, adds points. A living Howea and a fake are not the same job.
Amazon stars
20%Amazon stars divided by 5, then times 20, when a Customer Reviews line exists. No review line scores 0. The star line on the product stays the UK listing figure.
Review volume
10%One rating scores 4 on the working band. No review line scores 0. A single review on 9 August 2024 is not treated as a pattern.
Price
10%Shelf price in the captured file, not a live check. About £30 scores 8 on the working 0–10 band. About £50 for the larger silk tree scores 4.
Start with the botanical name, then with living or artificial, then with height and pot, then with the winter temperature you actually have. Price comes after those. The notes below follow that order for these three amazon.co.uk listings. None of the scores is a nursery trial.
A kentia palm on a UK listing is Howea forsteriana, a single-stemmed Lord Howe Island palm sold as a houseplant. It is not a hardy garden tree. The Royal Horticultural Society plant record rates it H1A, which means a heated glasshouse, warmer than 15°C, all year. Indoor-palm advice from the same source says Howea tolerates fairly low light and wants a winter night nearer 16°C, and it allows a plunge outside from June to September, not a UK winter in the border.
Dypsis, Chamaedorea and Cycas are not Howea forsteriana. A sago is the one that is toxic to pets. Read the botanical name before the title.
The compost wants drainage holes and no standing water. Let the top dry slightly, and use less water from autumn into winter. A much larger pot is a common mistake.
H1A means warmer than 15°C all year. A plunge outside is June to September only. A kentia is not a Chusan palm.
The first line to read is the botanical name. Howea forsteriana is the kentia. An explicit artificial kentia is the other honest label. Dypsis lutescens, Chamaedorea elegans and Cycas revoluta fail a kentia search even when the title says palm. Living or artificial is the next split, and it comes before price. In this set about £29.99 is the living plant and about £29.89 is the 70 cm plastic tree. They are not substitutes.
A living kentia wants bright light that is not direct sun through glass. RHS advice puts a winter night nearer 16°C and rates the plant H1A, warmer than 15°C. BBC Gardeners' World prints 12°C. Both stay on the page because they disagree. A cold porch and a radiator are poor places. Compost, when stated, is a peat-free loam-based mix with bark or grit. Let the surface dry slightly, water less from autumn into winter, and feed only in the growing season.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one indoor Howea forsteriana and you will check the plant on arrival. The exotenherz listing names the species, a 19 cm pot and about 80 cm, at about £29.99 and 1.8 kg. There is no Customer Reviews line, and the pet and soil lines are blank.
You want a 70 cm artificial plant the title calls a kentia, and you can accept a thin spec sheet. The CREATIV green listing is plastic, in a black plastic pot, at about £29.89. Weight, pot diameter and a review line are all missing.
A dim room that will not keep a living palm is a decor job. The Leaf listing is silk, about 120 cm by 90 cm, with wired branches, at about £50.07. The only review is 5.0 from 1 rating on 9 August 2024.
There is no top pick and no best value in this set. The score method withholds both awards because a living plant and a fake are different jobs, and because two listings have no Customer Reviews line while the third has one review. The exotenherz Howea forsteriana is the living indoor plant, about 80 cm in a 19 cm pot at about £29.99. The CREATIV green tree is a 70 cm plastic kentia at about £29.89. The Leaf tree is silk, about 120 cm by 90 cm, at about £50.07. Prices are the figures captured on 15 October 2026, not a live shelf check, and none of these scores is a nursery trial.
Leaf artificial kentia, 120 cm
Highest score in this comparison, 4.8 out of 10, from 1 amazon.co.uk reviews.
No award. The plastic tree is 10p cheaper than the living plant and states far less. That is not a best-value case.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and the single review line are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file, captured on 15 October 2026. Hardiness and care lines are quoted from the RHS and BBC Gardeners' World, which disagree on the winter minimum.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the UK listings captured on 15 October 2026. We did not run a nursery trial.
