For this reason, there might be the temptation to turn to a shockingly popular alternative: the plastic plant. Over time, plastic plants took on sillier features, with polyester used for fake petals throughout the 1970s. Radiohead were on the mark with their 1995 single ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, which was written, in part, to condemn the newly built and nauseatingly synthetic landscape of Canary Wharf. Spying a plastic plant in the corner of a room is a surefire way to suck the life out of your surroundings. And even if you think all that is a load of wellness woo-woo, there’s still no getting around the fact that a plastic plant is just ugly.