There is nothing more indulging than walking into a room adorned with beautiful blooms. Nature can be rather emotive—easily arousing feelings of happiness and leaving our homes with sweet fragrances. 

But while we associate natural flowers with bringing life to our living spaces, this effect can also be achieved with a range of life-like, artificial flower displays. 

Also called fake, plastic, or faux flowers, artificial flowers, by definition, are simply imitations of the natural blooms. They are produced from various materials and fabrics such as papers, silk, clothes, plastic, and foam—moulded to replicate real flowers.

However, whereas some of us are yet to embrace them fully, we can’t deny the charm that artificial blooms bring in our lives; from lighting up our living rooms to making beautiful decorations and gifts.  

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about artificial flowers. We shall also reveal our best artificial poppies in the U.K. to help guide you through your buying journey. 

Why Choose Artificial Flowers Over Fresh Bouquet? Here Are 5 Reasons

Over the years, artificial flowers have evolved to imitate the real ones. From quality to colour and design, it’s hard now to distinguish them from a fresh bouquet. Yet, when given an idea of what artificial flowers are, most people imagine some kind of cheap, plastic, or leafy deceptions of the real thing. 

Of course, it goes without saying: nothing compares with freshly cut flowers. They are authentic and ooze pleasant fragrances.  

So, why should someone choose faux flowers over fresh ones? Here are 5 reasons why: 

#1. Artificial flowers are always in season

Despite your love for them, those colourful poppies; the hard-to-get peonies; or your favourite orchids, might not always be available all year round. This is one of the biggest disappointments that flower lovers face. 

On the other hand, artificial flowers are seasonless. Therefore, opting for them means you can enjoy their glamour without having to worry about what season it is.

In the end, you get to keep your household, or any special occasions looking stunning and exciting, all the time.

#2. Have a long lifespan

This is a no-brainer.

Since artificial flowers are made from materials such as papers, latex, or fabrics, it means they can last a lifetime. By extension, you don’t have to repurchase a new bunch every other week. 

With garden flowers, this is so not the case. Due to their perishable nature, fresh flowers require being replaced now and then, if you want to keep enjoying their fragrance. With that, comes high maintenance costs which are unlikely when you purchase faux flowers. 

Nothing is more economical than something with a superpower to last long. 

#3. Faux flowers are hypoallergenic

For allergic people, artificial flowers are lifesavers. This is because, unlike their counterparts, materials used to make them are allergy-friendly. Thus, they don’t have pollen—a fine powder found in the stamen of a flowering plant that is known to cause allergic reactions. 

You no longer have to admire the beauty of your favourite flowers from afar or leave your guests unhappy after they catch allergies. 

#4. Fake flowers are affordable and easy to maintain

Though beautiful and elegant, fresh flowers come with high price tags. A simple birthday party, for example, would involve a high budget for fresh flower displays, which might not be as fresh the next day. The sad thing is that you can’t even re-purpose them. 

Most faux flowers are budget-friendly, can be repurposed, and will leave an occasion or your home looking just as glorious as you intended. 

Additionally, they are easy to care for. Once you arrange them in a room, you no longer need to water, trim, or weed them—unlike live flowers in a pot. The only maintenance you do is occasional dusting. 

#5. They are good centrepieces that double as favours

Last but not least, artificial flower arrangements can serve double duties: As centrepieces to your event/occasion and as a wedding or party favours. Combining these two-party needs will save you both time and money. 

Also, this allows your guests to enjoy the occasion as well as relish the memories of taking something with them.  

Cleaning up after the party will also be easy since there will be very few things left to clean after the giveaways. 

What Are the Cons of Artificial Flowers?

As the saying goes, everything has its pros and cons. Now that we know the pros of artificial flowers, let’s look at some of the drawbacks associated with them:

• They lack authenticity –  Since fake flowers are man-made, they don’t produce natural scents like their counterparts. Thus, they may not feel real.
• Cleaning artificial flowers may be a lot of work, especially when you have a whole bunch of them.
• Although their lifespan is long, fake blooms are prone to fading over time – Such a washed-out look will leave them unattractive, forcing you to get rid of them or replace them.
• Unlike live flowers that actively clean the air, making fake flowers isn’t exactly eco-friendly. They also won’t improve the quality of air around you. 

Decorating with Artificial Flowers—The Dos and Don’ts

Before taking a step with artificial floral decorations, it’s essential to learn the best way to arrange them to make the most of your selections. The last thing you want is to leave a bad impression just because you overplayed your hand or mixed colours that don’t match.

Here are some suggestions to help you with your decorations. 

Dos:

• Be bold and play with colours – Try some greenery decorations in the bathroom, some orchids in a reception area, or think red poppies in the dining room to bring out a little drama.
• When buying artificial flowers, always go for quality – High-quality flowers are more likely to bring out realism, therefore impressive.
• If your flowers get dusty, do a quick clean-up with a hairdryer in a cool setting, or you can use a feather duster to get them looking all fresh again. 
• Be creative – Some flowers work well when placed in certain areas of the house. For instance, a large display of white lilies would do well when placed in your hallway to make an impact at the entrance. Also, the size of the display is important. For smaller tables, smaller arrangements would make for a perfect display while large centrepieces are more useful while placed on large tables. 
• Ask for help when decorating – Talk to a florist or someone with an eye for design to help you with your flower arrangements. 

Don’ts:

• Don’t overdo it – While you might be tempted to crowd your room with artificial flowers, try not mixing them up so much. Otherwise, you might end up achieving the opposite effect with your display. 
• Although faux flowers might not be alive, don’t place them near heat or facing direct sunlight for too long. Heat can cause them to deform or fade quickly.
• Don’t wash your flowers too frequently.
• If you are moving, or you have to transport them, don’t squeeze them with other stuff. Rather, handle them with care to avoid deformity. 

A Buyer’s Guide for Artificial Flowers: What You Should Consider Before Making an Order

With so many varieties in the market to choose from, buying artificial flowers can be unnerving. After all, you wouldn’t want to decorate your wedding with flowers that symbolize death.

So, how do you determine the right floral arrangement to go for before you make a purchase? Consider the following tips:

Type of flowers

The first consideration is to determine the types of faux flowers that you want. Are you going for traditional flowers like roses, one type arrangements, or do you want exotic kinds like orchids? 

Knowing what kind of flowers you want will help you narrow down on what to order. 

Size of arrangement

When buying artificial blooms, spare a thought to the size of flower stems that come with different flowers. Some flower designs only include just a single stem, which means if you want to get a fuller bouquet you would have to buy several. This might in turn become costly, exclusively if you need a large bunch.

Also, look for flowers with several flower heads, pistils, or foliage as this will make the flowers look more realistic.

Occasion

Another deciding factor is why you are buying them. Or rather, the occasion that you want to decorate with the flowers. This will guide you towards knowing exactly what you should go for. Some common reasons why people purchase artificial flowers include:

• Weddings
• Special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or big milestones in life
• Sympathy, funerals, or Remembrance Days
• For office or home decorations
• Holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Valentines

Colour

Often, the type of colour(s) you choose is dependent on the occasion—but when you want to send a specific message, then here is what each flower pigment means:

• Pink – Kindness, new or growing romance, femininity
• Red – Passion, desire, love, respect, courage
• White – Purity, sympathy, innocence, simplicity
• Green – Renewal, health, youth, vitality
• Yellow – Happiness, friendship, positivity
• Purple – Empowerment, leadership, admiration
• Blue – Healing, relaxation, calming effect
• Orange – Motivation, congratulations, enthusiasm

Delivery

Today, most of the customer complaints related to flowers are about disappointing delivery services. Therefore, before you decide to make an order make sure you confirm the following: 

• Does the vendor say they deliver to the intended addresses? 
• How fast are they and can they deliver the flowers on the day or the time you want? 
• Do they also deliver on holidays?

Checking the above information before making a purchase will give you a rough idea of what to expect from a seller and help you avoid any inconveniences as far as deliveries are concerned. 

Best Artificial Poppies: Our Top 5 Picks

Poppy flowers come in multiple forms—both cultivated and wild, often have a red pigment, and have delicately crumpled petals. The blooms naturally have a diameter of between 2 and 20 cm. 

When it comes to artificial poppies, such are the qualities you should probably focus on. This way, in as much as you have virtual flowers, they still can give you a touch of realism.

These blooms have long been used to symbolize sleep and death, and they are most famous on Remembrance Day. However, you can use them for other purposes such as decorating your living space or as a gift to someone. 

With the above information in mind, we scoured the internet and read hundreds of customer reviews, after which we came up with a list of our top 5 most popular artificial poppies in the U.K.

Our picks were based on the following criteria:

• Pricing
• Popularity
• Rapid delivery times
• Style and design
• Good packaging

To go straight to a specific review, simply click on the link above that corresponds to the item you’d like to read about.