To be honest I’d not use the faux bushes at all. I’ve never seen fake box that didn’t look fake. Real box can take quite a lot of shade. Just how dark is it on your porch? If it’s really too dark for box it’s unlikely that annuals will be happy either.

Check out Balsam Hill and yes what you are thinking is not unheard of.

Very difficult to get much support for using faux plants in any gardening based forums :-) Gardeners tend not to use their gardens/plants strictly as deco objects....that's more of an interior decor issue for those unable to care for real growing things :-) As floral noted, depending on the shade intensity, there is typically always something live that can be grown. My lower level entry is always in full shade and I stage a number of containers filled with live plants in that location to provide interest and color.

i suppose.. from the curb.. a plastic plant will make some visual statement ... hot sure what.. but it would ... lol ..

and it depends on who you invite over ... gardeners or not ...

other than that.. its your castle.. do whatever you want. ..worse thing that might happen is peeps might talk behind your back ... and really.. would you care .. lol ... a pox on them .. if youre happy ...

after that.. what does it matter if you mix in some real plants ...

ken

Joseph, the majority of people put faux topiaries next to the front door. They look real up close and from the street. Now if you have a gardener/yard person, or the time and know-how, you can try growing one yourself. I've had them for years up until this year and they never looked fake to me. Nobody can tell from the street.

What shocked me is how many people use faux flowers outside in planters. About a month ago I came across a blog where faux UV protected flowers were used in a planter. I did a bit of googling and was surprised at just how common it is to use a faux flower here and there. From the street no one can tell. After I read the blog I kind of bought some. :)

The best kept secret

Why do you want fake?

I think mixing fake and real is fine and doable... but I think it will make the fake plant look more fake, if that makes sense.

Personally, I would not want a fake plant by my front door. People ring the bell and are waiting and first impression is a fake plant to look at as they wait.... My neighbor has one. It does look real from the street. But if you touch it (to see if it is real the first time you go over...), pieces fall off! Then your poor guest is left wondering if he/she should pick up the pieces or just leave them and pretend nothing happened!! It must be old....

That said annuals that work on my shady porch - impatiens, caladium, coleus.

You know your porch and gardening interest/skills better than we do. If a plastic boxwood pyramid in a pretty planter works for you, go for it. For seasonal interest I'd buy plastic flowers or whatnot. I think there are good quality and poor quality plastics, buy the nicest you can afford and enjoy your no-care decoration. Nothing wrong with that (but I hope you have room for an real-plant garden too)!

Topiaries requires sun which is why many people use faux on the front porch. Have you seen the beautiful topiaries they sell now?

I have a ton of real plants, a large yard, a very large greenhouse, and my house sits back from the road. My porch is large and 100% shaded and I'm sick of the usual flowers for shade.

But when I saw those pictures I realized adding yellow flowers in the planter on my porch really makes the area pop.

And who visits right now during Covid? We're in the country and no one pops over. But we do get a tiny bit of traffic and I like having the yellow stand out.

Remember, we're not talking about a porch or flowerbed full of plastic flowers either. Just one or two here and there.

Mine haven't fallen off the stems either. :)

I think it’s a matter of personal taste and also how one views plants. I totally agree with GG. ”Gardeners tend not to use their gardens/plants strictly as deco objects....” For me saying a faux box is indistinguishable from a real one would be like an ardent dog lover being told that a stuffed dog is every bit as good as a real one. And, just like a dog lover, I can tell always tell the difference. Faux plants, however good, just have no life in them. If the porch is too shady for plants I’d skip them altogether and decorate some other way.

Hide your eyes, floral.

https://www.grandinroad.com/faux-boxwood-garden-dog-2c-moxie/1020146?SourceCode=ZZ51121&intlShippingCtx=US%7CUSD&listIndex=0&offers_sku=155593%20MOX&CATARGETID=120245400000410298&CADevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw47eFBhA9EiwAy8kzNBA2-aNFySy_q60M4pTzrbgBq0lPRw5j30NUs-qO_AOIbC9BbKUcnRoCX6oQAvD_BwE

😆

OP, I‘ve seen some really nice-looking faux boxwoods, but I wouldn’t mix them with real plants. You could do the boxwoods in pots alone, and then plant real plants in other pots. Have groupings.

"Joseph, the majority of people put faux topiaries next to the front door."

That's a pretty broad statement and one that I'd have to say has little to support it!! I don't know of anyone that puts faux topiaries by their front door! And if they did, there are natural, living ones that could work well, even in almost complete shade.

It is going to come down to a personal choice.....you can either tolerate fake plants or you can't. If you care nothing about nature and gardening and do not want to be bothered tending to living plants and just want them to provide a decoration, go for it. But not my cup of tea and also not the cup of tea for many others.

In all honesty, I'd have to say I don't care for topiaries even if alive. An unnatural and torturous way to treat plants.

Oakley, I remember your thread a while back about them ... I had decided to do the most realistic faux plants I could find in my window planter. I ended up just planting portulaca (they‘re doing great), but I might still add something faux for height. :)

I won’t show you my box spheres and cones, then GG. I raised them from cuttings and I think they suit my urban mini garden.

jinx, do you think they do faux box with faux brown patches where the faux dog has faux peed?

“jinx, do you think they do faux box with faux brown patches where the faux dog has faux peed?”

😂

As I said floral, a personal choice :-) Both with the faux versus real plants and the topiary versus the natural form.

ps. I don't like bonsai either. Another example of unnecessary plant manipulation. But I DO admire the skill and patience it takes to create these sorts of living plant sculptures.

I’ve seen the faux boxwood dogs in the catalog before.... I’ve wondered who actually buys this?!?! But I guess people do or they Wouldn’t sell them...

and yes, I agree-it’s personal taste and what matters to you. The neighbor with the faux boxwood is actually an interior designer. The interior of her home is lovely. But by her own words, she just doesn’t care about the outside And doesn’t worry about plants etc. everyone Is different. Meanwhile I’m sure she comes to my house and thinks why I spend Time on the outside of my house when the inside looks like this! Lol.

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) how do you feel about tree roses and tree hydrangeas? Do they fall into the “tortured“ classification For you? I only ask because I’m not sure how I feel about them. Yes beautiful but not their natural form.