Artificial Flowers

Artificial Flowers!! Forget what you’re thinking: Artificial flowers can be totally believable. The first step is to buy the good ones: preferably fabric (but some plastic ones can be done well!), and always get individual stems. Those premade faux arrangements in fake water will always let you down. The next step is to arrange them the same way you would real flowers, thereby adding to the lifelike quality of the whole arrangement. Put them in water, trim them to not all be the same height, and then get your fingers in there and fluff up the petals. (Bend the stems if you have to! If they have bendy metal stems, all the better.) The idea is to make them look a little less stiff. Even tuck in a real flower or stem of greenery if you have to. Dribble a bit of water on the petals. Then set them out just about anywhere. To help you get the hang of it, we’ve rounded up ten sources for excellent artificial flowers.

Benefit Of Having Artificial Flowers

• YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN SEASON

The one difficult thing about fresh flowers is that you may not always have access to your favorite flowers throughout the year. Faux flowers are in season all year round and can be spritzed with fragrances to keep your home smelling fresh from January to December.

• THEY’RE ALWAYS “GUEST-READY”

You like fresh cut flowers but you don’t always have them at home on the off chance you have an unexpected visitor. Artificial flowers will be a saving grace anytime you have friends show up without warning or family stay over at the last minutes.

Difference Between Artificial Or Fake Flowers Over Real Flowers

Artificial flowers offer a host of advantages over real flowers. Fake flowers aren’t as fragile as real flowers. They aren’t subject to the damage or wilting that real flowers will sustain. Many crafters and customers appreciate that they gain the beautify of flowers without the allergic effects of some flowers. Fake flowers may meet your schedule obligations better than some real-life varieties that may not be in season when they are requested. They require minimal maintenance. Many of today’s artificial flowers are so lifelike: they look perfect in wedding photographs. Many guests cannot spot the difference between artificial and real.

What To Look For In High Quality Silk Flowers

To ensure you are getting top-grade and realistic-looking silk flowers, consider checking for these items:

• High-quality silk flowers generally have a supportive wire running throughout stems, leaves, and flower petals. This allows each element to be arranged in the most lifelike way possible.
• Stems are typically longer and wrapped in floral tape. Designers can easily cut stems to fit specific arrangements.
• High-quality silk flowers will not have a high sheen finish. Rather, a matte or flat finish will look most natural.
• High-quality silk flowers should maintain their appearance and color for years to come.

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Types of Artificial Flower

1. Silk flowers

The tradition of making silk flowers is hundreds of years old and is believed to have began in china but it wasn’t until the 12th century that the knowledge found its way to Italy and developed into a business.

Silk flowers can look very realistic and are my preferred choice when designing and are always a very popular choice for the very reason they can look so real. although some good quality silk flowers can be expensive in relation to fresh blooms don’t let this put you off, they last a lot longer !

2. Latex flowers

Latex flowers are manufactured from moulds taken of living plants and flowers, the latex flowers are then made from these, this means they are very realistic. Because latex is a liquid it highlights the veins in petals and the uneven outlines of flowers. The idea as with all artificial flowers is to make them look as realistic as possible, flaws and all, they are normally described as real touch or fresh touch by suppliers but this is not a trade name for latex flowers and its down to individual manufacturers which flowers they label as real touch.

They usually have thickish petals and realistic stems so look most convincing when made to resemble a fresh flower which also has fleshy petals. A limited range is usually available , but you’ll find calla lilies, oriental lilies, orchids and roses and will have to look a little harder for other varieties although they are becoming more readily available.

3. Foam flowers

Foam flowers are available in a good range of colours, the majority of these you’ll find are usually roses although our supplier also stocks carnations peonies and calla lilies, roses range in size from dainty 2cm roses upto 10cm, they have wired and taped stems and no foliage, as with all artificial flowers and foliage quality can vary.

When foam flowers first arrived on the market they weren’t always colourfast whereas now the majority are. but worth checking when making a purchase especially if using in bridal designs as the last thing you want is a stain on your best outfit.

Buyers Guide To Buy Artificial Flower

• Setting

By far, the most important aspect of artificial flowers is that setting in which they will be set as this is what will ultimately determine what type of flowers you need and what they should be made out of. For instance, the materials used for artificial flowers that will be set outdoors will likely not be the same material that is used for a wedding bouquet, or any flowers meant to be used for a wedding for that matter. Ultimately, everything from the materials to the type of flower to the stems and possible arrangement are almost entirely dependent on the setting, unless you are confident in your florist skills.

• Centerpiece

This is the standard use for artificial flowers though the name these days is a bit of a misnomer as the artificial floral arrangement need not actually be centered, though it may still be. This type of artificial flower will be denoted for its long stems that are often flexible as well as durable being made of metal wire encased in plastic. This type of artificial flowers will generally come in a small bundle, maybe a dozen in total, and may even feature some form of additional arrangement of different artificial flowers or plants. Generally, this type of artificial flower is meant to serve a wide variety of uses and may very well be simpler to serve more ably.

• Home Decor

Outside of centerpieces, home decor is the next most common type of artificial flower and in fact is fairly similar to centerpieces in many respects. Essentially, an artificial flower that is classified for general home decor will usually be smaller than the large centerpieces. On top of that, they will be even simpler than the centerpieces, no small task, and will quite often be designed to serve as background more than anything else. That said, there are technically a wide assortment of home decor artificial flowers, but the thing that ties them together is minimalism. This type of artificial flower will also often be some of the less expensive models and will also be made out of poorer materials.

• Outdoor

This type of artificial flower, as the name suggests, is designed to be placed outdoors, likely in substitution of real flowers. This type of artificial flower is often fairly different than the rest due to the fact that it will need to withstand the elements. This means that outdoor artificial flowers are often made out of more durable materials which then may have been treated for additional protections. This allows outdoor artificial plants to withstand the elements, but it does often have the unintended consequence of making the plants look less real. That said, this type of artificial flower is no more or less expensive than the home decor type.

• Celebration

While this is often referred to as “wedding” flowers, you will find that you end up using the same type of artificial flowers regardless the celebration, if you use artificial flowers at all. The same artificial flowers that you would use at a wedding would serve just as well as some young lady’s quinceanera or a high school prom or any other number of celebrations. This type of artificial flower is noted for being a bit more expensive than the previous types, but it is also often made out of superior materials, at least for the bulbs. Silk, satin, and latex foam are all common materials for this type of artificial flower. It should be noted that this category will often also hold the least expensive product meant to be bought in bulk.

• Bouquet

A bouquet is essentially a specialized type of celebration artificial flower, though you are likely fairly familiar with it already. In the artificial flowers market, a bouquet is generally the most ornate and ostentatious type of artificial flower around. On top of that, this is also often the most expensive type of artificial flower, though you could argue the additional expense is worth it when you see it compared to other types of artificial flowers. As befits a higher-end type, the bouquet artificial flowers are generally made of finer materials like satin or silk and will generally include an entire arrangement with both “organic” and inorganic components.

Conclusion

With a wide range of settings and purposes, it was pretty much understood from the beginning that there is no “true” best artificial flowers as that will depend more on what you need the artificial flowers for in the first place. Instead, it is simply a better idea to figure out what qualities you need in your flowers to fit the setting in which they will be displayed. This piece will help you out to choose the best one.