23.12.2019 • Products

How To Arrange Artificial Flowers And Plants

Flowers and foliage are a marvellous way to bring nature’s beauty into your home, but not everyone has the resources to create a fresh arrangement every few days. For this reason, people are increasingly turning towards artificial flowers and plants as a cost-effective and very realistic alternative. Fake flowers and foliage are long-lasting and durable, they look good in any part of the home, and TreeLocate has an extensive range of options for both indoor and outdoor use. Better still, if you can’t find exactly what you need, we’ll design it to order.

You’ll probably find that arranging artificial flowers and plants is far easier than dealing with the live versions, as they are more resistant to breakage and responsive to manipulation into a desired shape. They’re also safe to use and last longer through modern advances in technology, such as Fire Retardant options and UV Resistant designs. This means that you don’t have to worry about putting an arrangement in a sunny window or near a fireplace.

Your first decision concerns location and materials. Is this to be an interior arrangement or something you’d like outside on a patio or business frontage? For exteriors we recommend planters, hanging baskets or replica plants, or you may want to go really big with fake trees or a green wall. For indoors the style choices include silk or artificial fake flowers, seasonal or exotic plants or even natural foliage. You can vary the height and size of your arrangements to enhance particular features, and choose colours to match or contrast with your interior decor.

Size matters

Your faux flowers need to complement their environment rather than detract from it, so you don’t want to overwhelm a small room with a huge floral bouquet. If you have high ceilings and big picture windows, then you can make a big splash with a large vase or table centrepiece. In a smaller space, choose brighter and more compact arrangements such as small posies or a single stem vase with a rose or orchid to make a subtle statement. At TreeLocate we have an impressive range of sizes, so you can assess your space and then choose a fake plant or flower to fit. In any arrangement, varying heights and outlines are always going to be more interesting than a uniform size and shape.

Texture

An additional factor to consider is texture. With today’s technology, using the highest grade silks and plastics, TreeLocate can imitate the softness of a rose petal or the roughness of tree bark. Choose delicate petals for a boudoir, exotically plump orchids for an office or study, or interesting ferns and grasses for bathrooms. Ferns can add a great degree of fascination in the way they curl and droop their fronds, so they make for a very relaxing ambience. Equally, you could choose some replica desert cacti or succulents to provide interest in both shape and texture, or add a forest atmosphere with some trailing ivy and branches.

Shaping

Try and make the shape of your faux flower arrangement match the shape of its placement, so that in an arched embrasure, for example, you have flowers that are taller in the centre. Shaping the fake flowers or plants is best done before they go into the vase, so you can get a general idea of how they’ll look and how to size them properly. Real flowers usually don’t stand up perfectly straight, so you’ll need to bend the stems into a gentle droop for a realistic touch. Place sturdier, straighter stems in the middle and droopier ones on the sides so they will frame their container. Clear glass vases look good with two or three leafy plant stems arranged in a minimalist design, and you can put water in the vase for added realism. Alternatively, you can make a tiny landscape in the bottom with a few interesting pebbles and some soil. This type of arrangement makes a great impact against a plain wall or window, as it creates a striking silhouette.

Colours

Today’s technology allows for the perfect imitation of nature by artificial materials, from the boldest blue delphiniums to the gentle blush of a giant magnolia. Whether you love the bright fuchsias or pale yellows, faux flowers are available in a huge range of colours, so you can match any tint or shade in your home. The replica plants are almost as adventurous, with a myriad shades to mix and match, representing the most exact duplication of natural plants you could hope to find. Foliage is very soothing, and these days it’s possible to find beautiful leaves in every shape and colour, with tree types from across the globe. Eucalyptus, oak, olive, maple and hornbeam all range alongside ficus and palm trees, not to mention the blossoming trees such as cherry, peach, lilac and bougainvillea.

Containers

Be adventurous in your choice of container. Knowing how to arrange artificial flowers and plants includes knowing what to put them in, and these days the choice is limitless. Painted watering cans used to be popular for gardens, but how about putting a small plain one on your desk? Metal containers in the shape of milk churns, urns, ice buckets and upturned bells are all available from TreeLocate, together with birch barrel stem pots, a wide range of brick and stone style pots, bowls and planters. For interiors you can choose glass to highlight an unusual stem shape or glazed ceramics to set off the delicacy of tinted blooms, while for outdoors there are all sorts of tubs, troughs and urns that give solidity to a larger space.

Safety first

Our impressive range of artificial flowers and plants includes UV Resistant materials for long-lasting colour retention, and the Firesilx FR range for ultimate protection against fire hazards. Firesilx products are very popular with commercial decorators and designers all over the world: they have been fully certified by multiple worldwide authorities and carry a lifetime guarantee. At TreeLocate we can supply a wide variety of fire-retardant options, available in a full range of colours and styles. Visit our online store for more information and purchasing.

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