As you can see from the other articles on this site there is a place in our lives for artificial flowers. A very big space at that, they really have a some great and practical uses at home, work, weddings or else where in your life. So far I’ve looks at mainly the plus points for these and not gave a lot of attention to the negative side. So now I am point out the potential negatives.

One of the main problems I have personally with imitation flowers is that they don’t smell anything like the real thing. Florists, manufacturers and retailers try their hardest to scent the flowers with something close to what a fresh flower smells like. But there are so many factors and subtle nuances involved in the natural smell that they just cant get it right. How do you capture summer days and nature in a spray bottle? Its just not possible. And until it becomes possible then fresh plants and flowers are going to be top the class.

Next in line is looks, silk flowers have come a long way in the looks department from a few years ago when you didn’t even need a second to consider whether or not the plant in front of you was real or not. These days it really does take a closer look to determine the authenticity of the flowers before us. Though they still don’t have it perfect, fresh flowers still have the edge. There’s all those little details that nature has perfected over the years that man cant quite re-create.

We also have to consider the effect artificial flowers have in our home. Could we, as home owners, be looked at as being lazy for having fake flowers in our home? We can’t be bothered to look after real flowers so opt for the easy option and take the flowers that once you have sat them where you want them, have to do no more. Or could we be seen as being cheap, not being willing to spend money on a fresh bouquet of flowers every now and then and just buy the one off and save our money.

Continuing with the lazy point, if we are too lazy and we don’t do the little caring that fake flowers need, that being dusting and cleaning down, then they end up looking terrible and bring down the rest of your home with them. With real flowers, while they might not last long, this is a bonus as they aren’t alive long enough to gather dust. They die and we replace them with another bunch that fresh and looking beautiful.

There are quite a lot of disadvantages to having or using artificial flowers. To me, real flowers are always going to be first choice, the natural choice, the freshness they add to any room they are added to is impossible to replace. I’m not saying there are no advantages to artificial flowers, there are many, have a look at the other articles on the site, or anywhere else online. They might be just what are are after, or maybe they wont be.

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When considering how to decorate your office or work place you will no doubt come to the subject of flowers. You have many choices to make, like what type of flower you want, are they in season or not? Do you have the time to care for fresh plants? If not then maybe you would be better with artificial flowers. This is going to be an overview of both varieties, fresh and fake.

Firstly I am going to consider artificial flowers and how they effect your work place and your or your clients moods.

First of all, are you type of person who has the time or the dedication to look after real live plants? Most of the time we just don’t have the time at work to go around checking all the plants are OK, have a good supply of water, light and air etc. This is where artificial or silk flowers come in. They require no really care what so ever. Since they are not living objects they don’t need light, they don’t need to be watered at the correct intervals, they don’t need watered at all and they don’t need fresh air to keep them alive. Silk flowers just keep going and going. The only maintenance you need to do is to keep them clean. You don’t want a build up for dust and dirt to effect you or your work performance.

If you get tired of looking at the same flowers all the time and decide you want a change then its not a problem. If you buy a new plant you can store the silk flowers away until you fancy using them again. Or even using them in a different place, take them home, give them to a work colleague.

Also if you have a favourite variety of flower you want and cant get them fresh because they are not in season then you can opt of  silk flowers instead, they are not effected by season and you can have any flower you want, when ever you want. A summer bouquet with Carnations and Gladioli in the dead of winter? Then that’s not a problem with silk flowers.

The downsides to artificial flowers is that they don’t have that scent that fresh flowers have. Of course they come scented but it just isn’t the same. They also don’t give off that same feeling in the air around them.

This is where fresh flowers excel, as soon as you walk into a room with a lovely fresh bouquet or new potted plant you know its there. There is that wonderful smell that you just cant recreate, no matter how hard we try. And there’s they feel and atmosphere that fresh plants create. There is no way you are going to get that from artificial plants or flowers.

While silk flower have really moved forward regarding how they look, they just don’t have that same class and finesse that real plants do.

Sadly you have got to look after fresh potted plants, making sure they have enough water, light and air for them to survive. If you have time and have an interest in keeping your plants looking good then this isn’t a problem. If you cant be bothered with the hassle then you might be better taking artificial flowers. For me silk flowers have their place, but there really is no substitute for the real thing.

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