Scott

Regardless of the season, a beautiful way to brighten a room and revive your mood is by decorating with flowers. Bring spring moods into autumn and winter with a plant option that will never wither away.

Coming in a wide array of colours and styles, artificial flowers brighten the home and last a lifetime with a fraction of the effort their live counterparts require. Feature beautiful flowers in your home year-round with these tips.

Plan

Choosing the right flower depends on your tastes—co-ordinate your flowers to make them work according to your style. Flower colours can symbolise moods and meanings. Choose the flower that corresponds to your status in life and make a thoughtful and meaningful arrangement.

Choose white flowers to symbolise purity and sympathy, as they often feature at weddings and funerals.

Redand pink flowers display romance and love, particularly when given as gifts. While red flowers feature heavily for Valentines Day celebrations, pink flowers often symbolise maternal love.

Yellowand orange flowers display friendship, happiness and excitement.

Blueflowers display peace, and purple symbolise elegance.

Feature greenery in your flower arrangement to harmonise colours and provide depth to dull displays.

Choose the Correct Vase

Whether you plan to use a vase or another container, choose the shape that will work for you.

Tall vases provide dramatic and classy statements without over-dressing with flora. Deep, wide vases decorate large rooms and tables and can be arranged to suit any style. Use multiple plant textures to create a diverse and elegant centrepiece in these large vases.

While a dinner party can benefit from a large display, a single rose in a glass is an essential item for a romantic night in.

Tip: for an interesting arrangement, use an unconventional pot to house your flowers. Water jugs, teapots, and toys can all be filled with foam!

Foam

While wet foam is important for real flowers, artificial flowers require no water. Use dry foam to “plant” your arrangement and keep them standing in your desired formation.

Cut your dry foam with a knife to easily fit the bottom of your vase. Secure your flowers into the foam—you may need to create a hole with a small knife beforehand to avoid damaging the flowers. Cut your flowers with a sharp or serrated knife, wire cutters, or scissors, at an angle. Remove the leaves from the bottom of the stalk. Pin any loose flowers to the majority of your arrangement, and secure the piece to the inside of the vase while sitting in dry foam.

If you require a realistic appearance to your artificial flowers, you may place them in water. Cut the stems of your flowers and remove any leaves close to the bottom of the stalk. Make sure not to submerge any leaves in the water—real flowers would not have their leaves submerged.

Art resin can be used as a longer-lasting alternative to water. Resin is non-toxic and plant based, and will provide a more stable hold for your plants than water, while keeping the same transparent appearance. Unlike real plants, artificial flowers require no plant food added to the water.

Arrange

When organising your flowers, start with the largest style in quantity. Use these flowers to create the bones of your arrangement. Place evenly around the edge of the vase, creating layers of plants around the edge.

Continue your arrangement by descending in size, filling in any gaps with the smaller flowers. Check your arrangement from every side, making sure they are evenly dispersed.

Use different flower species and colours for an interesting arrangement. If you lack any greenery, use the remaining flower stalks cut earlier.

Maintenance

Although they don’t require nearly as much care as real flowers, artificial plants warrant specific strategies to be kept pristine.

Keep your flowers clean with a blow dryer or wet towel, taking care not to injure the plant. Silk flowers require a soft touch, and can be kept stiff with household hairspray.

Place

Now that you have a beautiful arrangement, decide on the position of your flowers. Place your floral display away from direct sunlight to avoid fading. Artificial flowers can be placed in any room to immediately brighten any dark corners or create bold statements for coffee and dining tables. Be sure to check your arrangement still holds its style from every angle if more than one is on show. Adorn the surrounding area of your flower arrangement with photos, knick-knacks and candles.

Not into Flowers?

For anyone without a flair for flowers, fear not. 1825 Interiors provides pre-potted succulents like their Succulent in Vase Eggplant/Green ($30.00). Succulents are fresh and modern options for indoor plants without the colour or attention that flowers usually attract.

Complete your home and refresh your environment with an artificial plant. Requiring no sunlight, water, or food, flowers and succulents provide realistic décor for your home and pull the outdoors in.