Every year there are millions of artificial flowers sold all over the world. The UK being no exception to this trend. They have become a major part in places such as decorations for major events, interior design, or as gifts to our friends and family.
There can be no doubt that these artificial flowers have made their impact on the market. Even though there may be some who do not like artificial flowers, seeing them as fake or cheap imitations of the real thing, these numbers speak for themselves.
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Of course, people should not go by statistics and numbers alone. It is also important to understand just why these fake flowers are so popular these days. What is their appeal? What are they made of? What can they be used for?
Luckily, we hope to answer some of these questions here in this article in order to provide some information regarding these faux flowers. This is in order for you to have all the knowledge you need, when making a decision and form your own opinion about them.
What are Artificial Flowers Made of?
Flowers come in all manner of appearances, with variations ranging in their size, color, shape, smell, and texture. In that regard, artificial flowers are not much different as they have an incredible number of variations. In fact, they can be considered even more diverse as they come in different materials as well.
Some materials can vary considerably and we would like to list a few of them down here.
Soap Flowers
Soap flowers are the ones I have the most experience dealing with. My dad used to collect little soaps when he was younger. He had dozens of soaps in the shapes of shells, stars, and yes, even flowers. He would keep these in a jar in the bathroom as decoration.
What made these flowers so fascinating was there smell. They always had a nice scent with them which helped make them seem more believable.
These soap flowers are made from normal soap which is placed on top and mounted on a layer of a lathe. From there, these flowers are then shaped using a chisel, which first creates a groove and then is molded into the shape of a normal glower. These types are handcrafted and tend to be very unique as they often have personal touches for originality.
Clay Flowers
With the use of modeling paste, a flower can be created. This is done through drying and grinding the clay into powder and mixing it with water. They are then shaped into flowers by the artisans.
Plastic Flowers
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A more mass-produced version is plastic flowers which can be made through heavy machinery that is found in factories. These plastic molds are injected with metal dies and dyes that give them its color. These can be easily produced and thus are readily available to anyone who wants them. They can typically be found in supermarkets and groceries.
Silk Flowers
Cloth flowers, in particular, are considered some of the best. Silk flowers especially because it can look incredibly life-like which makes it popular for public events where you can show it off. It is beautiful and feels nice to touch. However, this also makes it expensive and a bit on the rare side. They can also be a bit fragile, getting damaged easily if you are not careful.
During my prom, my mom actually brought me to a flower shop near our house that sells silk flowers. These ones are custom made, each one created by hand and would at times take more than a day to make one. But it was well worth the cost because they would look so lifelike. Some people mistook it for the real thing.
The Advantages of Fake Flowers
Now that we have discussed the kinds of artificial flowers you can find, it is time to think about some of the benefits that come from using them. Artificial flowers offer a unique way of working with a flower that cannot normally be found with regular blooming flowers. With that in mind, we wish to show some of the best ones.
Low Maintenance
This is the most well-known benefit of artificial flowers. With regular flowers, you need to really take care of them. They require constant maintenance whether it is to add fertilizer, watering them, or making sure they get enough sunlight. And even if you do all this, there is no guarantee that your flowers will thrive. Flowers like Orchids and Azaleas are known to be very difficult to take care of and keep alive.
In contrast, artificial flowers can largely be left to their own devices once purchased. While they do require the occasional cleaning and dusting, it is far less easy to do compared to raising a real-life plant.
Longer Lasting
As pretty as flowers are, they cannot last forever. In fact, they do not last anywhere close to that. As soon as flowers are severed from their roots, they only have a few weeks at most before they begin to wilt away. Afterward, you would either need to get some new ones or forgo flowers.
With artificial flowers though, they do not wilt and last much longer before they begin to wear out. Though even then a bit of maintenance and cleaning can go a long way to keeping it looking nice. This means that you can keep them around for longer and are much more sustainable.
Cost-Effective
We’ve already touched on how some artificial flowers, such as those made of plastic are very cheap and easy to make. If you want one, you can just drop by the store and pick them up. These stems from the fact that you need to get artificial flowers less frequently.
In contrast, regular flowers especially some of the nicer ones like roses can cost quite the pretty penny. But aside from the cost of each flower, there is also the need to get flowers multiple times since real flowers tend to not last as long.
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are a lot of interesting things you can learn about artificial flowers. Some of these things can be quite important to consider when you are looking to buy. So the next time you are looking for some nice flowers, why not consider some artificial ones.