Well...this is most obviously a fake when a person stands up close to it. Any tree made of plastic will be. I bought it for my patio b/c in the extreme Texas temperatures I can't keep any potted tree alive (that gets expensive). I planted flowers around it and am also trying to train an ivy to grow up it to give it some natural flair. Bottom line: It will stay green all year & from inside the house (it sits right outside the dining window) it looks real. My fiance thought it was real for the first week. He wondered when I'd had time to go to the nursery & I finally told him it was a fake. I saw this exact tree at a nearby high end garden shop for 280. Thanks Overstock!!!!