apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

NOTHING!

NOTHING!

Nothing is better than fake plants or fake flowers. Heck, hanging pretty photos of plants and flowers is better than silk or plastic plants.

Ugh! I HATE fake flowers and plants. Nothing is infinitely preferable.

If flowers are too expensive I like a big bowl of lemons on the table.

fake plants are worse than nothing! the thought makes me cringe.

I like eucalyptus branches. It's a dash of green and it smells so nice, but you don't have to do a thing to it.

NOTHING!!

Big bowl of lemons or other citrus--lovely.

Don't be so quick to judge,It's all about the quality. I have artificial orchids that I am continually asked how I manage to keep them blooming all the time.

I've made a arrangements of dried flowers mixed with decorative twigs, or eucalyptus (gagabrielle mentioned) mixed with small branches/twigs. You can add things like dried grasses and use spanish moss inside the container. For me, it's a decent compromise.

And anyone can keep a bamboo shoot in a glass of water :)

Even dried leaves placed in a bowl or platter adds a nice outdoor feel.

I have to agree...fake plants/flowers aren't worth having. I have a few plants around the house that seem to bounce back no matter how badly I neglect them: pothos, philodendrons and aloe.

Nothing! Fake flowers are disgusting.

no fake flowers! i have a very black thumb so i try to keep fresh cut flowers around when i can. i am trying again this spring to grow things in my yard, but the jury is out on whether or not i will kill them all.

The only things I keep indoors are seasonal fresh flowers and fresh cut herbs. Big bunches of parsley standing in vases of water - cheap, pretty, green and you can snip some off when you're cooking = doesn't require green thumbs, just an occasional change of water and when it gets yucky looking, toss it and get a new one.

If you mean fake plants from Michael's, then NOTHING. But if you get quality fake plants, I'm all for them.

Is there anyone reading here---like me---who is allergic to things with pollen in them? Like REAL flowers? I'd rather have a "fake" orchid on my desk than no orchids at all. I'd rather have something colorful and pretty in my antique crystal and china vases than "nothing."

Nothing is better than fake? A show of hands please: Who has a "print" of a famous art work in the home? Anyone wearing faux pearls or carrying a designer purse with a suspect label?

I have a black thumb and tend toward the eucalyptus branches, like gagabrielle, or bowls of lemons or limes like avianmission. I'm currently trying a few Ikea plants, but one of them already died :(

I like fake flowers if it's kitchy. purposefully tacky. i've seen Yaffa Cafe on St. Marks in NY work wonders with fake bright flowers. and here's some kitch. http://www.flickr.com/photos/seesawmarjoriedaw/3428656057/

maybe paired with something ridiculous like: http://blogwaybaby.com/Bobby%20Darin%20Swings.jpg

or

http://www.thegiftofmusic.com/acatalog/CDG1191-Music-Music-Music.jpg

I prefer real flowers over fake. But origami flowers are beautiful and fun to make.

If they look so fake that Andy Warhol would be jealous do it; Otherwise, stick to fresh cut flowers, bowls of fruit or Still life paintings and photos. Pop Art is good. Grandma's Panties are bad.

there is no excuse for fake flowers

I have a "greenhouse" window with shelves above my kitchen sink, which sounds wonderful on paper...however, every plant I have ever put in that window gets fried in the summer and freezer burned in the winter. I have had three fake plants (not flowers) in there for several years now, and all my neighbors think they are real. For this particular window...fake is better than nothing.

I kill every plant I bring in and I have to watch out for anything that my cat might try to lunch on...but I won't go the fake flowers route. I'm realizing now how many good alternatives there are.

I have to say, I was pretty negative about fake flowers until I saw high class, really expensive (way more expensive than fresh flowers, any day) fake flowers.

If all you've ever seen are the fake flowers you buy from the craft store, yeah, go with nothing. And yes, avoid the dried flowers or "Granny" flower arrangements.

Frankly, I doubt I'll ever care enough about flowers inside either way to invest in a set of great silks, but if flowers are important and you don't want to take care of live ones, no one will be able to tell the difference.

fake flowers are like fake breasts. I've never seen a good set. If I did, I'd purchase and display. But until then, ain' t nothing like the real thing baby.

I much prefer real flowers and natural elements over fake. Most people do, in my opinion. I'm willing to spend the money to get real most any day. It took me a long a$$ time to consider fake. I slowly incorporated fake and real in arrangements but only after I saw it used effectively by a talented local florist. Buy good quality fake, don't over do it and take care of it. If you mix in natural elements like curly willow, ivy, rocks, moss, you can pull it off but use the critical eye of an editor. I hate fake moss and plastic grass. I have used all fake flowers in arrangements, too, but typically in the winter months to change up a look when the days are short and the night is long. No fakes in the summer when farmers markets abound with seasonal varieties.

Ahhh, phooey!

I have some fake flowers, I don't give a hoot what fresh flower snobs think of them *I* LIKE them! I am good at floral arrangements, mine look very convincing, and they amuse me. Especially the branches of cherry blossoms.

Everyone can have in their decor what makes them happy. NOT having to water plants or protect them from my pets, yet still having the little pop of color where I want it (sometimes where no real plant would get enough light to grow) works for me. If not for you, fine. But all this judgementalism is really hilarious. They are just faux flowers, not crimes against humanity, or even design!

cookandtell- the trick is, fake flowers, and fake breasts are only obviously fake when they are bad ;) When you see a good set you probably won't know right away.
A local store carries amazing fake flowers that have made me wonder at why their flowers held up for so long until I went in and touched them.
A big trick to this is that their fake flowers are seasonal. Right now they have incredible looking parrot tulips which look amazing in a large bunch in a ceramic vase.

For the black thumbed, just try buying really cheap potted plants and replace them when they die. A $3 pot of narcissus lasts pretty long and you can toss the bulbs outside when they die.
Also for the pet-less, try Monstera plants (also known as mexican breadfruit) I bought a big one for about $6 and it is flourishing in my lightless basement. Lightly water once a week. It is poisonous to most animals so it is best avoided if you have these. I paid so little for it that I don't feel bad about the idea of giving it away when I someday get a cat.

Fake flowers so often appear tacky. It's fresh all the way!

Even so, one doesn't need a huge, expensive arrangement to convey the fresh outdoors. Something zen, like one large, opulent blossom floating in a glass bowl is simple and beautiful. And on the occasions that I need to go cheap, I'll pick up some palm fronds and put them in a vase; beautiful, sculptural and *green*.

yes, it's all about the quality. I worked in a showroom that sold very high quality, specimen real plants. we regularly mixed faux material in with our displays. nobody noticed.

faux plants and flowers are great for filling out an arrangement, for combining plants that have different soil/water/light requirements, for very dark rooms, for plants that don't cut well, etc.

there are a few tricks to use them well. first, of course, buy high quality. learn which types work well as fakes (especially flowers). orchids, anthuriums, and bromeliads work well (people often think that the real things are fake), whereas roses are much more difficult to pull off. put faux plants and flowers in places where people aren't too close to them, like a plant in a corner of a room or up on a shelf instead of on the coffee table. try to mix faux material with real plants throughout your house. sorry, but I firmly believe that *anyone* can learn to take care of some kind of plant if they really want to-- it comes down to whether or not you make it a priority or if you're passive in your attempts. it might take some trial and error, but if you do your homework and make it part of your routine, you really can do it!

from Nolann: For the black thumbed, just try buying really cheap potted plants and replace them when they die.

That's what I do! I was killing fresh flowers like there's no tomorrow and that was getting rather expensive to keep replacing. The potted plants seem to die slower, so I don't feel they are a complete waste of money when I throw them out (or give them to my grandmother to attempt to salvage).

That said, I wouldn't be adverse to good fake flowers either.

Nothing. Fake flowers are gross.

There are so many other options. There are a few houseplants (pothos, Chinese evergreen, aloe, air plants, ivy, even plain grass) that are either easy to grow or hard to kill. Dried arrangements are another option.

If you go for fake flowers, then make 'em look really fake, a la these tissue paper ones.

I don't get why fake flowers are so repulsive?

Besides, aren't cut flowers that are dying
bad feng shui? I think they are.

We have a small vase of wooden roses (no joke) in our living room and a small vase of fake flowers in or bedroom. Beyond that, besides in some art, our apartment is void of plants. I never got how forcing nature to be inside is good feng shui - plants were meant to live OUTSIDE.

I don't get why fake flowers are so repulsive?

Only because certain people are black and white on the issue instead of thinking that fake flowers have a purpose for some of us.

Sunan -- Lots of good excuses for fake flowers. I have one good one I just saw above - BEING ALLERGIC TO POLLEN OR ALLERGIC TO CERTAIN FLOWERS. I doubt people who fit either category are going to put plants in their home to please you. Another good reason - maybe where you want the flowers doesn't get a lot of light and you just don't feel like replacing the flowers every few days. And third, I like my fake flowers - so hah.

I have seen some really nice faux plants that looked real until I got curious enough to touch. As for me, I go with ones that are so obviously fake they are pretty. I don't like big loopy silk ones.

I can relate to the whole being allergic to pollen thing, so I grow plants that don't or rarely flower. Jade plants are "kill proof." It was the first plant I was able to keep alive--after an uncle told me to neglect it until the leaves become "soft", then water generously. It's still alive and beautiful after 4 years! And it's not flowered once, but I'm told they put out tiny little flowers, so no pollen!

I've seen some fake flowers that actually look very good realistic, even up close. Still, I prefer real or nothing over even the best fakes. Fakes can be interesting if they're unconventional - flowers made from origami, recycled magazines or other random materials.

so i take back what i said earlier. i have some fake flowers- giant cherry blossom branches that light up. now THAT is a fake flower i can get behind!

I've seen crappy fake flowers and really great ones. It just depends on if the material and style of flowers look believable and some actually do. I think the greenery used makes a big difference also.

As for the great REAL flower pic, I would love to get a look like that. The problem is, it costs so much to pull together a whole look like that.

Anyone can take care of snake plants, AKA cast iron plants. They thrive on neglect. No excuse for not having at least one plant when this is such an easily available option! :)

SOMETHING! Yes that something has finally arrived...they are called 'wild greens'! They are the best...these are REAL greens that can be bought in a bunch, arrangement, or in a tree form! They are the coolest thing ever, a real plant that needs no soil, no water, no sun...no kidding!

Go to www.finishingtouchesstudio.com to see what I'm talking about. Good prices to...and they do custom work!