Real Plants that Look Like AI

We've all heard of things that sound too good to be true, and AI, or artificial intelligence, is making it even harder to know what's real and what's not. Now there's a trend toward flowers and foliage with unconventional colors, fantastical forms and unusal traits. While these plants may look unbelievable, many are already in garden centers or on their way. Some are new hybrids and others have been around, but they're finding more fans thanks to Pinterest boards on topics like surreal pastel plants and dreamlike gardens, as well as news from plant influencers and marketing trendspotters like Garden Media Group.

Echinacea 'Sweet Sandia' is a new, swoon-worthy coneflower with watermelon-pink flower centers, brown cones and a halo of pale green petals. Plant it in full sun for late summer and fall blooms, and expect pollinators like bees and butterflies. Hardy in USDA Gardening Zones 4 to 9, it grows to 2 feet tall and 16 inches across. Deadhead the faded flowers to encourage reblooming or let them set seeds to feed goldfinches, cardinals and blue jays.

Enormous, heart-shaped leaves with spectacular golden-yellow veins and stems make Yellow Elephant Ear 'Lutea' almost too good to be true. Native to Southeast Asia, the plants prefer bright, indirect light in homes and offices and can adapt to partial shade in gardens. They're low maintenance and make a bold statement if you've got room for them; they can grow 6 to 8 feet tall and 4 feet across. Be aware that they're toxic to animals and people and need frequent misting and warm temperatures to mimic their tropical homelands. You may find them called Golden Giant Taro or Upright Golden Elephant Ear. Pictured here: yellow elephant ears in the conservatory at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Oceans are blue, skies are often blue and some insects are blue, like the Blue Morpho butterfly. But in gardens, blue is rare and hard to find. Researchers at the University of Adelaide say fewer than one in 10 plants have blue flowers or leaves. Pulmonaria NOVA 'Cobalt' is so stunning and unexpected, you'd think it was an AI creation. In spring, this nearly carefree perennial, hardy in Zones 4 to 9, forms mounds or clumps of dramatic, cobalt-blue flowers and pine-green leaves. Also known as lungworts, pulmonarias thrive in morning sun and afternoon shade or in full to partial shade. Give them moist, organically rich soil that drains easily. If they stay sufficiently moist, they can also tolerate full sun, but watch for scorched foliage.

Some plants look unreal because they mimic animals, other plants or even body parts; think Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis), which are perennials with dangling, heart-shaped blooms. One glance at Psychotria 'Hot Lips' (Psychotria poeppigiana), and you'd think this plant wears red lipstick and puckers up for kisses. The "puckers" are actually lip-shaped bracts around the inner flowers, which are small, white and fragrant. Psychotria isn't artificially generated; it's a real shrub that grows in the understory of tropical rainforests and blooms year-round. With acid soil, partial shade and modest amounts of fertilizer, it grows fast, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall. For best results, grow 'Hot Lips' in a solarium or heated greenhouse with high humidity. It demands soil that drains easily while retaining moisture, a bit of a tricky mix that you can duplicate with a good quality potting soil blended with vermiculite or peat moss. The plants are hardy to Zone 10.