Fake Flowers for Outdoors

Fake flowers can fill your outdoor gardens with color even in the middle of winter, bringing a dose of cheer to an otherwise bleak season. They are also useful for those who want to have brilliant flowers outside but lack the flair for gardening with real flowers. Fake flowers are usually made with a combination of silk and plastic. Some fake flowers are so realistic that even gardening experts have a hard time telling at a glance whether they are fake.

The most commonly available artificial flowers can be found in any discount or craft store, but they're not actually intended for outdoor use. The weather and ultraviolet rays from the sun can tatter and fade them over time. The level of exposure to these elements obviously determines how often they need to be replaced. You can protect the fake flowers by spraying them with a clear enamel spray paint. Artificial flower manufacturers now produce silk flowers with a protective coating specifically designed to stand up to the elements for outdoor use. These can be difficult to find and sometimes must be ordered directly from the manufacturer. Whichever type you choose to use, you can find all types of flowers and plants, from simple garden-variety flowers such as roses to exotic flowers and ornamental grasses.

A few fake flower blooms amid your real flowers can provide a little extra color to an existing flowerbed. Using this method will ensure that your beds always have color if you have a gap between the growing seasons of different types of flowers. Bunch a group of fake flowers together for a large clump or space out several small clumps of flowers, depending on the desired effect. From a distance, the fake flowers will blend in with the rest of the foliage, so no one will know they are fake. To plant the fake flowers, push a pencil or small rod into the soil to create a hole, and then push the stems of the fake flowers into the ground.

Fake flowers provide the suggestion of life to outdoor areas that have poor or rocky soil. No matter how skilled the gardener, there are simply some plots that will not produce beautiful flowers. You can have beautiful blooms rising among a rock bed or in an area that doesn't get enough sun. Choose from several types and sizes of fake flowers and push them into the ground in the desired area. You can arrange the artificial flowers exactly the same as you would arrange a live-growth flowerbed. Import garden structures such as fountains or statuary to fill some of the space as well.

A container garden is a flowerpot or other container with flowers or other plants. You could use anything from a large urn to a hanging basket to make a container garden. They are ideal for bringing color to decks and patios. If you have a pool, you can arrange fake tropical flowers in large pots to create a backyard oasis. A mixture of fake flowers with fake vines pouring over the edge creates a dramatic effect for porches or patios. You can skip the soil in the container, but you will need to weigh down the container with some rocks in the bottom. Place a large foam block on top of the rocks and push the fake stems into the foam to hold the flowers in place. Using three or more types of flowers with different heights adds visual interest to the garden. Once you have arranged the flowers, you can fill in the empty spaces with decorative stones or moss.