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Buying seeds online has never been easier, but it’s also never been riskier. In recent years, a growing number of gardeners and growers have been caught out by fake plant seeds and fabricated plant images, particularly on large marketplaces like Amazon.
Amazon is increasingly allowing sellers to list plants that do not (and cannot) exist, using AI-generated images to mislead buyers.
This isn’t just annoying. It’s costing people real money and undermining trust in horticulture.
Historically, eBay was the platform most associated with fake seeds and plants. Many growers learned the hard way to avoid unverified sellers offering “too good to be true” varieties.
Now, that same problem has spread to Amazon.
In a drive to maximise marketplace volume and profits, Amazon has allowed third-party sellers to list products that would previously have been filtered out. This includes:
The result? Gardeners buying seeds that will never grow into what was advertised.
One of the most common scams currently circulating involves so-called bright blue hostas.
Hostas are popular ornamental foliage plants, particularly in the UK. Some varieties, such as Blue Mouse Ears, have a bluish-green waxy bloom, but they are not blue.
The listings now appearing on Amazon show hostas that are:
These images are completely fake.
There are:
They exist only as images.
In the past, fake listings relied on poor Photoshop work. Now, AI image generation has made it trivial for anyone to create:
All it takes is a text prompt—and suddenly a plant that has never existed is being sold worldwide.
A common red flag is the seller identity.
Many fake listings are operated by:
These sellers often disappear once complaints begin to accumulate.
While ornamental plants like hostas are an easy target, the problem extends to:
Any plant with novelty appeal is vulnerable to fakery.
It’s important to distinguish fraud from honest mistakes.
Even reputable nurseries can occasionally make errors, such as seed mix-ups during production. These are typically:
That is very different from deliberately selling plants that cannot exist.
If you want to protect yourself, follow these rules:
Bright blue leaves, rainbow foliage, or unnatural colours are almost always fake.
Look for:
Especially those with no horticultural credentials.
Purchasing directly from nurseries or breeders is still the safest option.
Fake seeds don’t just harm individual gardeners. They:
As AI imagery becomes more common, education and scepticism are becoming essential skills for modern gardeners.
If a plant looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Amazon is no longer immune to the fake seed problem, and growers need to be as cautious there as they once were on eBay. Until stronger verification systems are in place, the responsibility lies with buyers to spot the warning signs.
In horticulture, biology still has limits, no matter what an image claims.
Never mind the fake plants but if you need something to help grow your real plants then why not look at our Liquid Gold! This is an All-in-one fertiliser which will have your plants growing and flowering perfectly.
Article by Dr Russell Sharp
If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:
Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hydroponics-daily/id1788172771
Cereal Killers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cereal-killers/id1695783663