If you do a search, you will find one (or several, LOL) discussions about faux versus real plants and arrangements.

As I am a silk floral designer, I think you know what my answer would be! I think quality silks, arranged well and tastefully used, can be a wonderful addition to a home.

I am a fan of real flowers and plants, to be sure. But most people don't have the time or $$ to replace fresh floral arrangements throughout their homes on a weekly basis.

I never was a fan of fake plants or flowers until I saw Squirrel add silk flowers to my bedroom. I decided to bid on a floral arrangement on EBay that I loved the way it looked. It is better than real to me since it never wilts or dies and looks so real. Then another floral arrangement on an online site caught my eye for months until I finally bought it. This one is so beautiful also with the look of real water. Everyone that sees both of my floral arrangements in my bedroom feel they enhance my serene look and really are gorgeous.

Hence, tasteful beautiful arranged real looking silk flowers and plants are a beautiful addition to decor designs in homes to me.

Les, I am sure your floral arrangements are beautiful since you have great taste from the advice I have seen you have given others.

The decorators who say that it's just as inexpensive to purchase live flowers, on a weekly basis, as it is to buy good silk, have obviously not spent much time in floral shops.

I spent a fortune buying live when we had our last house up for sale.

Well -- the designers usually buy their florals wholesale -- or florists "donate" arrangements so that their name/shop will be used and mentioned in a national publication. Some florists do the same thing for certain restaurants, hotels or showhomes.

However -- when I do buy real florals -- I buy at Sam's (for those in Dallas -- the Sams Club on the Beltline supplies the florals for the restaurants along the Beltline!)

Or at Costco ..... OR in a pinch .... I buy the day-olds at Kroger.

So -- I have silk arrangements everywhere here. Usually add bits of seasonals (real or faux) and TRY to keep them dusted etc. (but not always successful in this house!)

I do get real flowers/greenery for parties or guests etc. Or simply as a treat for me! BUT the vase of flowers must live up on the mantel during the day ---- and in the garage at night.

Four cats live here so faux florals/greenery are the way to go here! Of course -- if anyone would like to buy me some real plants and florals -- and water them (trim the ends and switch the water) -- and clean up after the cats when they nibble or attack them -- go right ahead! LOL!

Check out the NDI site -- and their various catalogs for ideas! VERY expensive silk florals -- and IF nobody buys them (according to HGTV LOL) then -- how do companies like that stay in business?????????

BTW -- I highly recommend "Charles Faudree Country French Florals & Interiors" featuring Tulsa florist Toni Garner -- gorgeous book with incredible arrangements!

Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: NDI florals -- catalogues

Yep, everywhere, no real plants here inside, too much trouble, for retired people who travel often, have silk tree's in some rooms also, and green plants on my numerous plant shelves etc. All my real plants, flowers are in tropical landscape outside, can view from all windows..

I hate those "decorating mistakes" shows! I've got a few silks here and there -- not many, because I don't like the way they tend to gather dust and they're always a pain to clean. My cats refuse to leave fresh arrangements alone too, so ... silk/faux just works for some of us!

This one has been done to death I think. I like attractive, expensive silk plants that look real. They cost a lot and they are worth it.

Personally, I think they're hideous, but I also think HGTV is hardly the judge of high style. If you like them, use 'em.

LOL @ ideefixe!

I find them to be easy to clean, I spray them clean in laundry room sink, set on lrg. towel to dry and they look great, big tree's I use a hose outside, shake them, and set on old blanket in garage to dry, near a fan, no big deal at all, been cleaning them like this for years.

I'm with dee...I think they're horrible and would never have them in my house. I have seen some gorgeous freeze dried ferns though (which are real plants that are "frozen in time" and don't need water). But it's just as easy to buy a new fern if we have one die.

When someone comes to my house and walks into the dining room, I am always complimented on my silk flowers on the DR table, always. I have a red spackled graniteware pitcher full of large sunflowers.

Those cheap ones that are obviously fake are awful, I have seen good silk plants used sparsely that are okay. Any fake tree that collects dust has got to go, if you have fake plants you have to dust them every few days or they look terrible.

I watched that episode on HGTV, I agreed with everything but I do have a rug in front of my toilet that gets washed every few days.

lol, I have just the opposite problem. I have REAL plants in my bay window and most everyone who comes in asks where I bought the lovely silk plants. Goes to show most people can't tell the difference unless they test them. When these die, and they will, lol then I'll just buy duplicates in silk and who's to know?? I travel too much to keep them alive. I was given a huge arrangement for my anniversary last month. So far three of them are dead but two lovely survivors.

Yes I do . . . for many reasons.
(1) I've ruined too many pieces of furniture over the years, from leaky pots.
(2) I had some real ivy up above by kitchen cabs for a while, but almost killed myself climbing up and down to water them! No more, they're all silk now.
(3) My DS chewed on various plant leaves one too many times when he was a toddler. I diligently called Poison Control each time just to make sure each was ok, although I'd always checked when I bought each plant. Anyhoo, that last time Poison Control actually called my husband at work to talk to him about getting rid of all the plants. We did. DS is now 24 y/o and made it through his youth with all his facilities intact!
(3) Both my dobies have been plant eaters. Even if the plants aren't poisonous to them, it can give them diarrhea and, believe me, that is NOT a good thing with a big dobie who spends most of his time in the house! Turk's ruined enough plants to make me very hesitant to buy more. He once ate a dozen freshly cut, long-stemmed roses from DH (just the heads, not the stems)! I've just learned to keep the real ones far away from him and to a minimum around here.
(4) I'm frugal. Fresh flowers are expensive from a florist. When I do buy any, I get them from Costco or Trader Joes.
(5) When I need a plant, I like it to last and fit the room I want it for. I don't like to worry about light and moisture conditions . . . or Turk.

I do like to use only the quality ones that look real, though . . . no pink and blue daisies for me.
Lynn
BTW, here's a pic I took of DS when he was little. He was just sampling the dirt that time. I dropped off the plant at the neighbors 5 minutes later!
{{!gwi}}

I am not a fan of fake or silk flowers. I prefer real ferns and real roses. You can buy orchids for a song. But really who gives a crap? Those people on HGTV are not the designing police.

I don't care for silk much, mainly due to the dust problems. While I tell anyone that, I have them patiently explain to me how to dust a silk plant (I've heard all the the methods and no, I never really got it clean using them). The only advantage I see is during the holidays when I use some silk for centerpieces and accents.

I do think life is too short to spend it without having real flowers sometimes. As someone mentioned, we get ours from Sam's Club. :)

Susan

Love the new SIA Flowers!

I agree with the above posters, you can get huge bouquets from Sams or Costco for about $10, we have had them last up to a month.

Trader Joe's has some beautiful flowers too, their orchids are really nice.

No, they are too much trouble to dust for someone with allergies and asthma.

I use to own a flower & gift shop so doing the fake thing goes against my grain.
That being said, if you don't mind them , use them. It really isn't about what HGTV says. I have seen some pretty awful stuff come from HGTV. They have some amazing looking silk flowers I do admit, but for this flower girl , I have to have fresh or have nothing.

My fave faux are the succulents that were around a couple of years ago. (I bought some at Pottery Barn and Target.) Live succulents have a "fake" look to them, not to mention their dusty colors and surface fuzziness. (That is the technical botanical term, btw, fuzziness.) Yeah, I do dust them, but they look okay even if I slack off!

I also have some faux green apples (yes, trite, I know) and a big bowlful of artichokes. And certain fake orchids look amazingly real, even to me, a person who grows orchids (or did.) I think a lot depends on the nature of the real plant and how its characteristics lend themselves to being copied.

amysrq and I are on the same page! Actually, anyone with cats who feel it is their duty to destroy any live plant and I are on the same page ....

I love plants / flowers but our (indoor) cats have all decided that we don't deserve to have them. You know, even an inexpensive $17 orchid needing to be replaced every week adds up ... and pisses me off. As I wrote boopadaboo in a different thread, I decided to stop yelling at and squirting (with water) the cats and find some artificial plants which look good.

Artificial Plants and Trees has wonderful succulents / tropicals (I am in love with echeveria and protea and ginger, so that's what I have from them) and I'll be damned if they don't look just like the real thing. Amazing. (They are currently offering 15% off, but you'll have to call them to activate the discount -- their website isn't able to do it.)

And from Silk Plants Plus I have the most realistic orchids I have ever seen. You seriously have to touch them to know if they're real or fake. The golden Vanda in particular is breathtaking.

We have birds of paradise from Save-on-Crafts and again, they are incredible.

I have also kissed a lot of frogs, and there are some real duds out there. I'd say for every winner I've had at least two duds -- hello Salvation Army / Goodwill! (where they go when they leave our house)

And they don't have to be expensive. Last year I got suckered into Diane James' silk flowers by Town & Country and boy have I been disappointed. They look fine, but they are exorbitant! I have nearly identical peony arrangements, one from Diane James (and which was ~$300) and another from Fiori Belli for about $50 and, you'll have to take my word for it, they are absolutely comparable in appearance. But to me, that's a significant price difference!

Would I rather have live plants? You better believe it! Like someone wearing a fake diamond, I know the plants are fake and that "hurts" me a bit (allow me the hyperbole). But you know what hurt me more? Not having any semblance of flowers / greenery in the house OR having them and being frustrated-angry with my cats. Now those hurt me.

I think my life will have to be with artificial plants / flowers because I cannot imagine a life without pets. Luckily, I can and do garden like crazy and both my little children enjoy working in the garden as well. So I get to scratch my itch that way and have a good time with the kiddos a la meme fois! (although the wild bunnies like to eat some of the flowers -- there's always some animal eating my plants!)

(lynninnewmexico -- I love that photo!)

I'll continue to use silks no natter *what* the 'experts' say! I love making them myself, and *I* just happen to think i'm pretty good at it. LOL When I take all the silks out of a room, it looks like it's missing something as lamps and other decorating items don't necessarily fill in a space horizontally AND vertically.

In a larger room i'll usually have two, one with a variety of all green-shaded silks, and one floral. Sometimes a tree or other large plant also.

Never having been to a decorators buying market, it's possible they have to buy silks from an outside source, pre-made or special order. This could be their reason for dis-approval. ;o)

Thank you so much for the links rmkitchen. I got a great idea from them. There are hooks all around my house from the PO where they had real plants hanging in front of windows (which I have not taken down yet). I am going to order some hanging plants to go on those hooks. I can't wait. Hopefully the kitties won't try to jump on them :)

In the past I would have nothing but high quality silks, for all the reasons mentioned above -- trees, topiaries, wreaths, ivy on top of the china cabinet and kitchen cabinets... Over the past year I've had a change of thought on this, as well as on other accessories that were a bit, er, faux. So I got rid of them and get fresh flowers in the house. As others have said, they are not expensive at the grocery store.

There is a beautiful, fresh mental attitude and quality in having something real and living vs. something that is only a representation of the real and living. Not exactly, but somewhat like having a real dog vs. a polyester stuffed dog. Now I only like to have fresh flowers, real plants, and things that once were alive and preserve well, like bittersweet.

But I also agree that HGTV is not the last word and if you like the silks and they make you happy, then by all means get them and don't worry about what others think. It's your house.

LOL, Lynne! That little dirt-eater is positively adorable!