Man's sweet gesture to girlfriend ends with laughs

A man thought he was doing something thoughtful for his girlfriend, only to discover his mistake months later.

A plant can really make a big difference to the way a room looks.

But it's fair to say that not everyone is cut out to look after one and more often than not, they end up shriveled and sad-looking.

Determined not to let his girlfriend's new plant suffer this fate, one man decided to take action and water the potted number in her home when he visited.

However he got a shock when he eventually discovered the big mistake he'd made.

Writing in a post on the Facebook group Kmart Home Decor & Hacks , an Australian woman named Yolanda Garbers revealed that the plant was actually fake.

She shared a photo of her leafy green plant, saying: "How good is Kmart faux foliage?

"My boyfriend has been watering this for months and only found out it's fake yesterday."

Thankfully the plastic plant hasn't been damaged by his sweet but silly gesture.

And while the mishap was hilarious, many fellow members of the group found themselves relating to the situation.

One person commented: "I did that for months with a small succulent in a glass bowl, until my daughter and myself wondered why it wasn't growing. We felt it and it was fake."

Another said: "OMG girl mine did the exact same thing too! He was so proud he kept something alive!"

A third replied: "My dad was watering my Ikea fake succulent for two weeks when I was away.

After I came back he was very proud of himself and said he was really careful with watering as he knew succulents do not need much water.

"He was very careful indeed. The water level inside of the pot just reached the edge, so it didn't spill on the table."

A fourth person added: "My husband watered ours for a year. Even added fertilizer and told me how great a gardener he is. He was devastated when I told him it was fake."