Are you wanting to find a great looking Cherry Blossom tree, but you don’t want to have to deal with the upkeep? Not to worry, an artificial, or faux option might be the best option for you.

In this article, we explore everything you need to know about artificial cherry blossom trees, and we’ve even picked out some of our favourites. Keep reading to find out more.

What is an artificial flower?

Artificial flowers are imitations of natural flowering plants used for commercial or residential decoration. They are sometimes made for scientific purposes (the collection of glass flowers at Harvard University, for example, illustrates the flora of the United States).

Silk flowers were named over one hundred years ago when these fake florals were sewn with silk. While we still sometimes label them as “silk” flowers, the current manufacturing methods use synthetic fibres and high-tech processes to create botanically accurate and supple to the touch artificial flowers.

Artificial flowers and plants are a great way to spruce up your home! You’ll never need to remember to take care of them, and some even look better than real flowers if they’re well-made. However, it can be quite difficult to choose the best artificial flowers – from choosing the actual material and look, to matching the plants to your existing décor, there’s a lot to consider.

Are artificial flowers toxic? What are they made of?

Artificial flowers are made of paper, cotton, parchment, latex, rubber, sateen (for large, bold-coloured flowers and arrangements), and dried materials, including flowers and plant parts, berries, feathers and fruits. For more upscale silk flowers, silk, rayon, and cotton are the fibres of choice

Not to mention they can be expensive for instance, a silk flower, silk will cost you more than the one made of clay. Another reason why fake flowers can be more costly is that they last longer. Unlike fresh flowers which require refrigeration, Fake flowers are made from materials that can last more than one event.

In fact, made with dyes in large factories they only contribute to our growing pollution problems. When you toss out those faded flowers where do you think they go… ding, ding, ding, landfills!

How to pick the best faux flower for your decors

Knowing the exact materials and how you’re going to arrange your artificial plants is great, but you need to make sure that whatever you choose will work with your home’s existing colour scheme.

If you have a generally muted and monochromatic colour scheme and want your artificial flowers to bring some life into the room, definitely go for bold flower colours. Try to choose colours that will work well together – for example, having different shades of pink and red together works way better than trying to combine purple and orange flowers. Above all, make sure the flowers are different enough to your general colour scheme, avoiding whites and pale pinks in cream rooms, and blues and purples in darker rooms.

If you’d rather stick to your muted colour scheme, we recommend either white flowers or lots of green foliage with no flowers at all. Both of these colours are very natural and won’t stand out too much from monochromatic colour schemes, making them perfect for modern homes. This also makes them very universal, so if you ever change your décor, you won’t have to get rid of your artificial plants.

A great way to make your artificial flower decorations more exciting is to allocate a specific flower colour to each different room. For instance, have predominantly pink flowers in your living room, blue flowers in your bathroom, yellow flowers in your kitchen, and so on. Of course, you can choose different colours to the ones we suggested to fit in with your specific décor. This decorating style will give each room a different character and feel, which is great for individuals who prefer more eclectic décor styles.

Alternatively, if you want a more cohesive look throughout your home, stick to just one colour or shade set in every single room in the house. This won’t work too well if every room in your house is decorated differently though – the colours and styles may end up clashing

Is Sakura and Cherry Blossom the same?

A cherry blossom is a flower found on many Prunus trees. They are sometimes referred to as Japanese cherry and Sakura (桜 or 櫻; さくら or サクラ). They typically refer to ornamental cherry trees, not cherry trees that bear edible fruit. It is regarded as Japan’s national flower.  

The Cherry Blossom Tree comes in many varieties, but the most widely used cultivar is the Japanese Flowering Cherry, also known as the Yoshino Cherry Tree. And since the ornamental varieties typically don’t bear fruit, this means no more scrubbing up of overripe cherries. 

These trees often grow huge when cared for properly in their native environment, and can grow up to 75 feet tall. Cherry Blossoms can also survive in colder climates that experience deep freezes during the winter.

What is the significance of the cherry blossom tree?

Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. People enjoy eating, drinking, and barbecuing underneath the cherry blossoms.

How many Sakura varieties exist?

There are over one hundred cherry tree varieties in Japan. A few of them are wild varieties native to Japan’s forests, such as the Yamazakura, but the large majority of them have been cultivated by humans over the centuries for decorative use in gardens and parks. By far the most popular cherry tree variety today is the particularly pretty, cultivated Somei Yoshino.

Here are the most common ones

Somei Yoshino (Yoshino Cherry)

Average blooming period in Tokyo: early April

Cultivated during the Edo Period in Tokyo, the Somei Yoshino is by far the most numerous cherry tree in Japan. Somei Yoshino trees come with slightly pink, almost white, 5-petaled blossoms. Their appearance is particularly intense thanks in part to the fact that their fresh leaves do not emerge until after the peak of the flowering season.

Yamazakura

Average blooming period in Tokyo: early April

The yamazakura is the most common cherry tree variety of Japan that actually grows wildly in nature as opposed to cultivars such as the Somei Yoshino. Its blossoms are slightly pink and have five, relatively small petals. The Yamazakura’s fresh leaves develop at the same time as the blossoms, giving the tree a somewhat less intense look than the Somei Yoshino.

Shidarezakura (Weeping Cherry)

Average blooming period in Tokyo: early April

Weeping cherry trees have drooping branches and are among the most common and beloved cherry trees in Japan. There are two types: trees with blossoms of five petals and trees with blossoms of more than five petals. The latter are called Yaeshidarezakura and bloom about a week later than the 5-petaled ones.

What characteristics help you differentiate the different Sakura varieties?

There are several characteristics differentiating the many cherry tree varieties. Some of the obvious ones, that can also be easily recognized by beginners, are listed below:

Number of petals

Most wild trees, but also a lot of cultivated tree varieties, have blossoms with five petals. However, some species have blossoms which consist of ten, twenty or more petals. Trees with blossoms of more than five petals are called yaezakura.

Colour of the blossoms

Most varieties produce light pink to white blossoms, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink, yellow or green blossoms. Furthermore, the colour of some varieties’ cherry blossoms may change while they are in bloom. For example, a blossom may open as a white flower and change colour to pink over the course of a few days.

The fresh leaves

In the case of early blooming trees, the fresh leaves usually do not appear until after full bloom, which gives the trees an attractive, homogeneous look while they are in full bloom. In case of later blooming trees, the leaves usually appear before the blossoms, giving the trees a more heterogeneous look. Furthermore, the colour of the fresh leaves differs between the varieties. In most cases, the fresh leaves are green, coppery brown, or something in between.

Form of the tree

Cherry trees display various growing habits and come in different shapes and forms: triangular, columnar, V-shape, weeping, flat-topped, etc. Weeping cherry trees are called shidarezakura.

Time of blooming

Most cherry tree varieties carry blossoms in spring. Yaezakura, i.e., cherry trees with blossoms of more than five petals, are typically the last ones to open their blossoms, with blooming periods about two to four weeks after most five-petaled species. Some extreme varieties bloom in late autumn and during the winter months

How can you plant cherry blossom trees?

Plant your cherry blossom tree in rich, fertile soil that is acidic rather than alkaline. Space your trees 10-20 feet away from each other or other structures or plants. Dig a hole that’s roughly two feet around by one foot deep, and dig some compost in the hole before planting.

Plant cherries in the late fall or early spring (when the ground is soft and has a higher moisture content). For sweet cherries, make sure the different varieties will pollinate each other. Plant in a sunny site with good air circulation; avoid planting near trees or buildings that shade. An ornamental cherry may start to blossom at any time between its first and third years, and will reach its full, lavish display in five to seven years.

Many flowering cherry trees are a good bet in smaller plots, and these selections in particular are perfect for small gardens. They cast only light shade, don’t get hugely tall, and many have lovely autumn colour too and the cherry blossom is no exception.

To prune them, select three or four branches to be the main branches. Prune away any other stems / branches as close to the trunk as possible. Prune back the main branches to a length of about 40cm / 16in. Prune back any side shoots off the main branches to a length of 15cm / 6in.

But do be wary as cherry tree roots can be invasive, but when growers choose the right planting location and the right rootstocks, they can avoid many potential problems. When cherries are planted away from existing structures, planned construction, and other trees, their root systems are unlikely to be cause for concern.

How long do real cherry blossoms last? 

The average peak bloom date, which is when 70% of the flowers of the cherry blossom trees are open, is around April 4. In the past, peak bloom has occurred as early as March 15 and as late as April 18. The entire blooming period can last up to 14 days, which includes the days leading up to peak bloom.

How long do artificial flowers last?

But once flowers are made from the moulds, they are strong and sturdy, stand up in vases just like real flowers, and with the proper care they can last for a lifetime.

What alternatives are to planting them?

You can always resort to buying artificial cherry blossom trees which can look quite convincing and require zero effort. These fake trees are made from high-quality silk that’ll trick any biophilia into thinking they’re real.

You can’t kill Amazon’s line up of trees even if you tried. They look so realistic it’s crazy.

Best Artificial Cherry Blossom Trees

Fake cherry blossoms are the perfect spring accent and can easily be purchased the line. If you don’t have the time to plant an entire tree in your yard (and maintain it), a realistic faux can be the way to go. We’ve compiled a list of the best five we could find.