Florals for Spring

Florals for spring can be groundbreaking when they bring with them the vibrancy, colour and celebration of newness we all crave at this time of year. This week’s Style Note shows how to choose faux flowers, the key to beautiful arrangements and top tips for finding the right vase for your blooms. 

What are the benefits of faux flowers ? 

Offering year round colour, beauty and minimal maintenance, decorating our homes with faux flowers and plants is an instant win.

With faux you can cancel out all the irksome aspects of fresh flowers -  no more sticky residue and pollen stains on mirrors or water marks on table tops. No more stagnant water and dropped petals. With artificial flowers there is nothing to aggravate your hayfever and you won’t need to worry about faux plants being toxic for your pets, unlike some houseplants. 

The most authentic looking faux flowers might come at a price, but unlike a weekly splurge on fresh flowers which will be in the bin by Friday, your faux flowers will look good for years.

What makes a good quality faux flower?

A carefully chosen faux flower can seduce even the keenest eye. The petals on a real flower are rarely a single flat colour, so focus on blooms where the petals show subtle variations in tone from heart to tip and a delicacy of fabric which mimics the ethereal quality and texture of the real thing. The petals on our faux dahlias taper and curl divinely in a myriad of pink tones in the daintiest of fabrics. Look beyond the flower heads to the stems and leaves for additional signs of quality. Our faux roses are more convincing because the leaves are pinnate and have serated edges, just like the real thing.

Are there any rules for mixing  flower types and foliage when building a faux bouquet?

Designing and styling your own faux bouquet is the very best way of creating a unique and convincing flower arrangement. Treat it as you would a posy of real flowers, by choosing colours that complement or clash, to suit the mood or your room scheme. Bring in different heights, textures and volumes of bloom and work with odd numbers of stems, to fox the eye, just as you would when planting outdoors. Foliage is a key ingredient for bulking our displays and we feature a number of leaf sprays including eucalyptus and gingko leaf which are great for filling in gaps.

How to choose the right vase for your faux flowers

Picking the right vase is crucial in presenting an impressive arrangement of faux flowers. Think about proportions – a heavy based vase with a tall slender neck is better for taller stems such as pampas grasses. Our Fluted Petal Vase in soft blue, provides a pretty pastel base and the folds at the edge are perfect for holding heavy headed blooms like roses or peonies securely in place. This one is also the perfect size for a small posy of flowers to place on your bedside table. The Speckled Blue and Mela Aged Stone Effect vases offer neutral earthy tones that complement dried flowers and tall pampas grass stems and the heavier wide bases offer stable support. The Fluted Recycled Glass Bottle Vase – is great for bathrooms as it has that antique pharmacy vibe – team it with zingy green faux hydrangea stems for a little zest. 

How to clean faux flowers and keeping artificial flowers and foliage looking their best

Left on display, it’s inevitable things will get a little dusty – so how do you clean faux flowers? A gentle blow on a cold setting with a hairdryer is the most effective way to disperse any dust that gathers. Paler blooms should be cleaned more regularly as dust might leave a mark if it smudges. A light dab with a wet wipe also works wonders on artificial flowers and plants. Keep your vase sparkling clean too, especially if it’s glass, as this will instantly make a faux flower arrangement look fresher.