To think, I used to make fun of people who used fake flowers....

13 years ago

I thought I'd share what i've been up to in the last month for my front porch. Since I'm a new mom and it's very difficult to find time to plant NEW real plants, I thought I'd try fake ones for color. (I am so ashamed that I ever picked on my neighbor for her fake hanging basket!!!) It started with two wall planters that I had a hard time growing much in, so I got a couple stalks from the dollar store and really liked the results.

So then I grabbed a ficus I couldn't find a home for and stuck it in a cracked pot I bought from lowes ages ago. Then I found these super bright pots on clearance at hobby lobby and used the rest of the dollar store flowers. I also grabbed a small column that had been sitting in the garage and sprayed it yellow for a plant stand. (I put dirt in the bottom of the pots instead of floral foam, because it's free and for weight)

Maybe it's cheesy...but it looks pretty from the road! :)

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Comments (13)

jeannespines
13 years ago
It looks bright & cheery! I like your pots especially...using bright colors & the mosaiced one! That big one from Lowe's is pretty cool...great for your lit-up fiscus tree! Afraid I'm still into the RL flowers at my home...but it's what pleases oneself, right? TFS your pics...looking forward to more of your creations! and, yes, I would love coming up to your doorway! Cheerful! Jeanne S.
grandma_cindy
13 years ago
It's not cheesey at all! Very bright and colorful. And from the road, who's to know? LOL
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sprout_wi
13 years ago
Lots of color and you have still added some crafty elements with the brightly painted pillar and the mosaic pot. Love your landscaping, too.

And congratulations on the new baby!!
-Sprout
sunnyca_gw
13 years ago
Looks very inviting!! Mosaic pot is beautiful & birdhouse sign with address numbers is so cute too. Think of all the work you are saving yourself not having to water. Congrats on the new baby!! Enjoy!! Jan
laurastheme
13 years ago
It looks cheerful and inviting. I have a friend who plans to be gone quite a bit off and on this summer, so she put fake geraniums in her front porch pots. They look great. Sometimes that's better than half dead flowers because they can't be taken care of in a timely manner.
nonacook
13 years ago
Do what is right for you!
All the bright colors look fine.
Love the welcome sign!
Crafty Gardener
13 years ago
Fake flowers are okay as long as they are used in season. I used some fake trailing vines for some wall planters one year when we went on an extended vacation otherwise the real plants would of died off very quickly.
hostarhodo
13 years ago
Beautiful colors and like everyone says, do it your own way. But, would you try something for me? Take some of the ivy in your big pot and put it around the top of your pots on the other side of your doors (which is beautiful, by the way) and add stryofoam or something and make the flowers taller. Also add another shorter pot in front of the pillar. Then add some ivy to your window box flowers. See what a difference it would make.

Those pots, to me, are calling for taller things, and your large doors make them look smaller. Then they would compliment your taller grass on the other side. If you like the results, go to the dollar store and get more ivy or ferns/grasses that drape and post pictures.

Hope you don't mind my saying the above, just wondering what it would look like changed a little. Had a boss who would call it constructive criticism.

There's always one in the crowd. That's me.

Betty
Marlene Kindred
13 years ago
If you were to type in artificial flowers in the GJ search bar, you would most likely find several postings where we've all had this same discussion. Personally, for me, I use artificial flowers on my front porch for a variety of reasons...I mix them with the real ones to add more colors since annuals tend to like full sun and my porch is shady. I also use them because my four cats and two very large possums rule my front porch, so the fake ones can take more of a beating than the real ones and because I can move them and bend them at will. They add a pop of color and since I have so many real gardens to tend, it allows me to spend more time there and still make sure my front porch looks inviting.

Your porch looks great! And with a new little one to take care of, it's an even better idea. Love your color choices and all of your pots, etc.

And....we've all made comments of other people's stuff and later had to eat those words, so don't feel too bad about that! Great job and very creative too!
excessfroufrou
13 years ago
I'm guilty of making fun of fake flower users in another life too. However yours are cute as a button, love the bright colors and the glass and pottery touches. I use them too, sometimes they just work better and sure are easier than all this watering I've been doing lately.
Frou
concretenprimroses
13 years ago
Very cheery and inviting.
I love "silk" tropical leaves. The cheap ones from the dollar store. I haven't figured out what to do with them (except as leaves on my halloween plate flowers), but I've got some just waiting.
My sil that we just visited in CA uses them in hard to reach window boxes, look like real bougainvillea.
How quickly do they fade? I think she said she got commercial grade on ebay cuz her original ones faded.
Kathy
joannpalmyra
13 years ago
It's so bright and pretty! I especially like the long wire planters on the wall. :)
I too use artificial flowers sometimes. After I potted a bunch of annuals for my front steps this spring I found a little bunch of plastic hydrangea in the garage, so I stuck it in a small tin watering can. And in the big antique dipper I tried (and failed) to grow annuals in last year, I stuck a few pieces from a Dollar Tree bouquet. It has butterflies on it. :D
Works for me.
luna_llena_feliz
13 years ago
The only beef I have with people with fake flowers is when they leave them out during the winter months. lol! Although you are in a warmer area so it might actually work for you. I love all the bright colors and pretty planters. I think the yellow column is awesome and works well with the pink pot and mosaic pot. And that little welcome sign is so adorable! Oprah would be totally upset with you but I think it looks very pretty. Congratulations on the new edition to the family too!

To think, I used to make fun of people who used fake flowers....

Comments (13)

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