Plants have always been in style, but in the past few years, houseplants have grown in popularity. Gone are the days when only the greenest of thumbs tended to plants in their spaces—since adding plants is one of the easiest ways to brighten up a room and make it feel more cozy and alive, houseplants have become an essential part of home decor. But even with plants more in demand than ever, fake plants—even the most realistic looking ones (and yes, they do exist!)—can sometimes still feel a little bit forbidden, and they shouldn’t! I’m just going to say it: there is zero shame in buying fake plants.

As someone who used to be incapable of keeping plants alive and has since become a knowledgeable plant parent with many happy plants at home, I get the desire to have real, live, growing plants at home. I also firmly believe that anyone can become a houseplant pro, so long as you find the right plants that work both in your environment and with your care tendencies, like how much light your space gets and whether or not you tend to overwater (or neglect) your plants. But just as much as I believe anyone can have a green thumb, I also believe anyone can make fake plants look great in their space.

Besides, regardless of your personal houseplant history, there are some spaces that would benefit from some lush greenery but just aren’t ideal for keeping real plants alive. And beyond that, sometimes you have a full plate and you just don’t want to have to worry about caring for live plants even though you like the look in your home, and that’s perfectly OK—plants can be a lot of work, after all! No matter the reason, if you want deck out your home in fake plants but feel like there’s something holding you back, consider this permission to go for it.

When I moved from a well-lit apartment to one that, despite having huge windows, had many a dimly lit corner (not to mention, baseboard heaters that would likely do quite the number on real plants if placed too close) and some of my precious plants started to suffer, I realized that mixing in fake plants was the key to making my apartment feel just right. I’d always been on team “fake plants are great,” but I hadn’t invested much in them before then.