Faux Flowers - What Are The Advantages?
Rather than a poor relation of fresh flowers, artificial blooms are a robust alternative and definitely have a place within floristry and floral design. Explore the advantages of using them in your floral work.
10 Reasons To Use Faux Flowers
- Low-maintenance
- Long-lasting
- Hypoallergenic
- Non-toxic
- Always in season
- Re-usable
- Realistic
- Cost-effective
- Versatile
- Beautiful!
Low Maintenance
At home, the maintenance of a flower arrangement or pot plant may not be something that concerns us that much. With fresh flowers, we expect them to last up to two weeks, and then they're either replaced, or we wait for another birthday or occasion before we have to deal with them again. A drop of water, an occasional feed, or a swift wipe of dusty leaves is probably all that's required to look after a pot plant. There are situations where even this level of maintenance can be too much, however, such as in busy public spaces, office blocks, hotels, or conference centres. In these places, the floral décor needs to be hardy and require very little care.
In this setting, faux can be the perfect option. The methods of manufacturing artificial flowers, foliage, plants, and trees have changed since the Chinese invented the silk flower, centuries ago. Since the dawning of synthetic fabrics, dyes, and plastics, the artificial bloom has evolved to be a worthy alternative to fresh, or even dried, and preserved products. The plants are also great if you don't have green fingers. There's nothing worse than spending a small fortune on house plants just to find them fading away to nothing because no matter what you try, they seem determined not to survive. Create a totally luscious environment without the fear of over or under-watering, aphids, or diseases overcoming your beautiful plants - you can make your friends jealous of your horticultural skills via your aspirational Instagram posts!
Long Lasting
There are many reasons why we may require a long-lasting flower arrangement or installation. As mentioned above, low-maintenance floral displays are useful to save time for businesses, and similarly, a long-lasting display saves time and money. Depending on how long a faux floral display is in situ, it may require dusting or a quick wipe every so often, but that is all. If, after a few months, the design is looking tired and due for a refresh, faux stems can be reused, reworked, and reinstalled. They really can last for years if well looked after.
Another thing worth remembering is the way artificial flowers can help you and your business reduce its overall environmental impact. Although plastics and synthetic materials may not be considered good for the environment, these products are not taking up swathes of land or using energy demanding glasshouses to grow them, using up precious water supplies from vulnerable environments, or being flown daily to countries thousands of miles away to feed the public's desire for fresh flowers. Yes, there is certainly environmental impact, but if looked after well, there's no reason why the life of these products cannot extend to years and still retain their beauty. With continued advances in recycling technologies, more and more materials that were once destined for landfill after their useful life can now be repurposed many times. As time passes, we can expect this progress to continue, along with the development of new materials that will biodegrade safely.
Image by Silk-ka
Hypoallergenic
People who suffer from allergies brought on by flowers and plants are often able to cope with dried or preserved flowers, but these may not have the flexibility required to create the desired design or style. The vast array of faux options available means that a large and wide-ranging display is possible. Colour and texture do not have to be compromised, and designs can be bold and beautiful. Just look at the magnificent tulips in the photo below. They have real feel petals and leaves, and the detailed construction makes them a joy to behold. Perfect for spring, they will not fade and flag, rather giving eternal beauty for as long as you want them to.
Image by Silk-ka
Non-Toxic
Where there are children and animals, plant toxicity can be a worry. Faux flowers are not toxic, but they can contain small, removable parts, so caution should be exercised as to who or what can access them to avoid choking.
If you wish to display flowers that in their real, live form would be toxic to animals or people, faux stems by Silk-ka are a real contender for looks and quality.
Always In Season
Some people have preconceived ideas about faux flowers, and they sometimes get bad press. Nowadays, artificial blooms are often statement pieces in their own right. Faux flowers have so much going for them, not least, their beauty. Embrace high-quality blooms, and revel in how well they are made, and their realistic looks! Get creative - and show us your work!
Being able to reuse faux flowers over and over again makes them a great investment. Whether it's a commercial display that is reworked into a new design or bunches of wedding flowers that are repurposed as keepsakes, good quality faux stems will last a long while when looked after. The quality of the product is key here, as inferior blooms will not stand up to being bent and worked as much as a better-made item. Premium blooms will not fade or deteriorate as quickly either, so it's worth paying for a good brand, such as SILK-KA.
Realistic
The quality and realism of faux blooms has improved a lot over the decades since the development of synthetic materials. Gone are the tacky, washed-out, flimsy plastic stems of yesteryear, replaced with robust, high-quality moulding, detailed petals and foliage, and flexible, malleable parts. Many of these new products look so real that it is hard to tell them from the real thing, especially those with 'real-feel' petals, that are created using advanced materials technology. Stems can be manipulated into natural forms, and petals and leaves are frequently made up of different colours and highlights so they don't have a flat, monotone appearance. It can often take a very close inspection of these products to reveal their truth. At Atlas, we all come from horticultural backgrounds, so attention to detail is of paramount importance. We take care to check all items to qualify them as being as close as possible to their natural selves - and that level of detail will extend all the way to the stems.
Image by Silk-ka
Cost-Effective
As mentioned above, good-quality faux products can last a very long time and can be reused and reworked. All this adds up to them being a highly cost-effective item to use for decor in the home and commercial settings. Many businesses operate on tight budgets and therefore investing in a range of premium faux blooms, foliage, or plants can equate to a saving over the long term, as the budget isn't being eaten up on weekly flower arrangements, or time looking after plants (not everyone has green fingers either!).
Image by Silk-ka
The Versatility of Faux Flowers
Another fantastic thing about faux blooms is that you don't have to limit yourself to using them as a stand-alone product. They work very well as part of a fresh, dried, or preserved display - in fact, a blend of all these elements blends beautifully with the right design.
At Atlas Flowers, we find that many of our faux customers use a mixture of products for effect and/or economy. Fresh flowers are so expensive and can struggle to look their best after a while in certain conditions, such as very hot, bright summer days. By blending some faux blooms for fill and structure, it's possible to create the illusion of depth, structure, and quality, without the worry that all the petals will fall and the stems wilt during a big event and then they can be reused!
Dressing architectural features with swathes of plush greenery can add a sense of tranquility, and bring nature closer to the home, blending indoor and outdoor spaces. Many good-quality faux products are UV safe, meaning they will not lose their colour easily if exposed to sunlight. If such products are to be used outside, caution should be exercised to reduce contact with harsh weather, heat or cold, as this will reduce their lifespan.
Focus: Silk-ka Premium Quality Artificial Flowers
You may or may not have heard of Silk-ka flowers. For many florists who work with 'silk' flowers, they are considered to be the industry gold standard faux range, renowned for their superlative quality and realism.
It may be that you've been put off using artificial flowers as you associate them with poorly made products that do not have a very good likeness to the real thing. They may be made of inferior materials, and have harsh, flat colours. Silk-ka are nothing like these products, rather they have been developed by florists to look and in many cases feel like real flowers and foliage. See the videos below for a behind-the-scenes look at how these gorgeous flowers are created - they really are a labour of love!
Silk-ka | The making of... from Silk-ka on Vimeo.
Silk-ka | The making of... from Silk-ka on Vimeo.
Silk-ka | The making of... from Silk-ka on Vimeo.
Buy What You Need, When You Need It
We are proud to partner Silk-ka as a UK supplier. By purchasing your Silk-ka flowers and foliage from Atlas Flowers, you get the flexibility of purchasing just a single stem if you desire, rather than committing to whole cartons of one product. There is no minimum order quantity, and these products can be purchased alongside our other dried and preserved florals, as well as our sundries, vases, and vessels. We will be adding to the range as the seasons progress, so you will always have on trend, seasonal products at your fingertips!
Large order quantities can be catered for, so please get in touch if you need more stock than we are showing on our website.
Exotic Statement Pieces to Realistic Cottage-core Charm!
Whether you're decking out a palatial country house or just creating a cosy country cottage look, there's something to suit all tastes within this range. Take a look at our gallery of Silk-ka products to get a feel for the wonder that they are to behold!
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Are you ready to start your faux journey? Head over to our Faux - Artificial section to see what's on offer!