Your Guide To The Best Faux Flowers
Take the guesswork out of buying faux flowers with this handy guide. Includes sources for the best faux flowers, and features tulips, hydrangeas, peonies, and daffodils. This guide also includes how to make faux flowers look like the real thing!
Faux flowers are tricky. Some look very close to the real thing, but they are super expensive. Others are affordable, but they are so obviously fake that it’s not even worth it. Today I’m sharing four types of faux flowers that I personally use in our home, and I’m also sharing pictures of everything, so you can see for yourself exactly what they look like.
Consider the Cost
There are a couple of things to look for when purchasing faux flowers. First, consider the cost. Make sure to factor in how many stems or bunches you need for an arrangement. Many times, multiple stems and bunches are necessary to make a full and pretty bouquet. Faux flowers come in all price ranges, so it pays to shop around. I firmly believe that you don’t have to break the bank to get beautiful faux flowers for your home!
Go With Neutrals
Second, I like to purchase mostly neutral colors. It’s very fun to splurge on those bright yellow tulips, or those hot pink peonies…but choosing more neutral shades will pay off in the long run. You will be able to mix and match everything, you won’t be limited by a specific color, and you will be able to combine them with any kind and color of fresh flowers. (We’ll get to that a bit later.) Of course, there are exceptions to every rule…so if you want those fuchsia peonies, by all means go for it!
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The Best Faux Tulips
Tulips are a very special flower. They are among the most treasured signs of spring, and they come in the most amazing range of colors. These faux tulips are the best I’ve ever found, and are a very reasonable price. (In the image above, the yellow tulips are real, and the white tulips are faux.)
They are packaged as individual stems, instead of a bunch that needs cut apart. The stems are bendable, so it’s super easy to make an arrangement droop if that’s a look you love. Because the stems bend so easily, there is no need to ever cut them to fit in a short vessel. Simply fold the stem to your desired height. In addition to the images in this post, you can see how these tulips look mixed with fresh flowers. (In the image below, I used 25 tulip stems. The urn opening is about 4 inches wide.)
Darling Faux Daffodils
These cute little daffodils are made by the same vendor that makes the tulips…so the stems are very bendable and a nice height. These faux daffodils resemble Jonquil daffodils, and have four little blooms per stem.
I paired the daffodils with fresh eucalyptus from the grocery store, and the two together make a lovely arrangement. A tall vessel works well, but if you have a shorter vessel you want to use, simply bend the stems to fit. These come twelve to a bunch, which means you get 48 little blooms, and it makes a very full arrangement.
Pretty Faux Peonies
I featured these peonies a few years ago, and at that time, I told you I would not insult your intelligence by claiming that these peonies look real. They do not…but peonies are one of those flowers that, in my opinion, just cannot be replicated. Plus, their bloom season is so short that sometimes going the faux route just makes sense.
These faux peonies are very pretty, and when I mixed them with fresh yellow tulips, I just fell in love. This bunch comes with blooms in a few different sizes, plus buds. The bunches are available in a wide range of colors, and the price literally can’t be beat.
If you want peonies that come by the stem, these are a good choice. Pictured below, these peonies are absolutely beautiful, and even though they were shipped in a plastic bag, they were perfectly shaped. They are a wonderful size, and have that romantic fringed look that is the hallmark of peonies.
Amazing Faux Hydrangeas
Like peonies, real-looking faux hydrangeas are hard to find. These faux hydrangeas are a very good choice because the blooms can be easily shaped, and the stems are thin, but sturdy. (The blooms arrive in a plastic bag, and the stems are not attached. I shaped each bloom and then inserted the stem.)
One other note…there are no leaves included on these hydrangea stems. In the past, I’ve ordered hydrangeas that arrive smashed from the packaging, and it’s nearly impossible to get the wrinkles out of the leaves. All of that can be avoided by going with a leaf-free stem.
For the arrangement pictured above, I used 5 hydrangea blooms, fresh eucalyptus, and fresh purple statice. This arrangement will last for a long time because the eucalyptus and statice will dry naturally. I love the way it looks on our coffee table, and it’s so nice to know that the hydrangeas won’t eventually wilt!
Sweet Cherry Blossoms
One of my favorite arrangements is to place a lantern or vase in my dough bowl, and then fill the bowl with faux flowers. In the image below, the pretty pink cherry blossoms are the perfect touch for spring.
How to Make Faux Flowers Look Real
As I mentioned above, my very best tip to make faux flowers look real is to mix them with fresh flowers and/or greenery. Obviously, this won’t work on a wreath, but it works beautifully in arrangements. By combining faux flowers with fresh flowers, you have the best of both worlds, plus it’s a way to save a little money. The one-time investment for the faux flowers will pay for itself over and over again.
Bonus Tip
Use a cool hair dryer to “fluff” faux blooms so they look full and fresh.
How to Store Faux Flowers
Over the years I have stored my faux flowers in a variety of ways. My favorite storage solution is medium-sized plastic bins. Large bins are great for some things, but smaller bins are much easier to move and lift. Plus they are the perfect way to divide the different kinds of flowers, and keep them all separated. This method is definitely not fancy, but it’s super functional.
Faux Flowers Shopping Guide
Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.
- tulips
- daffodils
- peonies
- hydrangeas
- cherry blossoms
- urns on fireplace mantel
- coffee table
- end table
- frame ledge over sofa
- knotted pillow on sofa
- similar lamp set
- navy blue throw blanket
- pitcher and bowl are from my personal collection
- similar stoneware pitcher #1
- similar stoneware pitcher #2
- similar stoneware pitcher #3
I hope this has helped you with the process of adding faux flowers to your decor. If this idea isn’t for you, I totally understand. Some people simply prefer fresh flowers. Either way, using floral elements in your home is a very good thing!
