Artificial flowers in gardens

I would say it depends on the size of garden: if say 5% of a large area is artificial then it leaves a good margin for pollinators, wildlife, bugs etc.
otherwise — no, it’s naff & damaging

Artificial flowers are quite usual on graves in French cemeteries.

I had an allergic reaction to Daz ,Tide and Omo and was glad that we didn't use them.
I recall those awful really fake looking flowers at a relative's garden.
These daffodils looked a bit naff in July and August.
There were red roses all year round.
And some strange blue flowers as well.

I've been researching fake flowers for a cafe
owner to put outside and found that you can buy them UV proof.

To be frank, my grandsons couldn't care less about plastic.
Perhaps it's just them.

Well plastic plants or plastic shoes, bags etc aka vegan leather - the impact from the latter will be greater than the former I'd imagine.

Garden sharing schemes sound great in theory but how easy are they to arrange. Are these people thoroughly vetted, many households needing this arrangement would contain vulnerable householders?

I don't get “ do whatever makes you happy” remarks. Lots of things make people happy that we wouldn't advise them to do. Hopefully future generations will be horrified at the amount of plastic in the oceans and ground which will clog up the earth for hundreds of years just because it made some people hundreds of years before a bit happy. If you can’t manage a garden there are schemes where people who haven’t got any outdoor space can use it to grow vegetables and flowers like an allotment. In return they give the householder some of the produce.

Some people have trouble with gardening due to health or physical problems. Me, actually.
But instead of artificial plants, a garden centre not far away does a wonderful selection of ready planted pots and hanging baskets. So I shall soon be buying some of those.

Yes I remember my mum collecting them, did they come in Daz or Tide maybe? That's a blast from the past, it still surprises me every time we're in Canada and see Tide detergent. No plastic flower giveaways now though 😀

This thread reminded me of the plastic roses that were given away with a brand of soap powder during the 60’s…….anyone else remember?

My DD won’t have flowers anywhere near the house because she is terrified of insects . This includes bees, wasps and even butterflies. She won’t have artificial grass or flowers either .
However, this morning on her way home from work she took a photo of 4 large ducks sitting on the apex of the roof of our house ! Two mallards and their wives. We only live about 250 metres away from our local park with its duck pond . We occasionally see them in our garden but never on the roof before!

I have a big garden with lots of grass and trees, but can't have bedding plants because the squirrels visit the garden all day and dig the plants up to bury their nuts! I have climbing roses that the squirrels run up and down. I have pots and long containers with a 2 ft. high goldcrest conifer in the middle, trailing ivy round the front and sides, and artificial flowers in between the ivy for all year round colour - orange in autumn and winter, yellow in spring and pink in the summer. I tie individual yellow and pink artificial roses throughout the green foliage of the climbing roses which looks really realistic. The real blooms still grow amongst them, but it's windy where I live and the petals blow off after a few days of being in bloom. We have squirrels, various birds (especially seagulls), muntjac deer, foxes, pheasants and butterflies visiting. My garden is totally private so I only have myself and family to please, and we all love it. Do whatever makes you happy 😀 🌺.

All those criticising people for having paved over gardens, or artificial plants, flowers or grass, do you refrain from criticising people with overgrown weedy gardens because they can't cope with the manual labour? I have none of the former but am heading towards the latter and I only have very small front and back gardens. The amount of water some people waste on gardens is horrifying, one neighbour has the sprinkler going daily during summer to maintain a 'nice lawn'.

MissAdventure I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.............you never got your watering can back? 😱

I’ve got ‘plastic’ door wreaths - seven in all, for the seasons, etc. I’ve had them years, so they’re well used and look quite tasteful. Tried a real wreath a few years ago (a friend of DD1 was making them) but it was ridiculous heavy, had to be laid flat to water it and half the plants died. It went in the bin.

We went to our local large garden centre yesterday .It’s had lots of work done to make it bigger and better.However in the new cafe there were plastic flowers on all the tables!Disappointing!

Probably most people prefer natural ones - if they didn't they wouldn't bother with fake ones - but not everyone has time or inclination to do their own gardening (or even a garden to do it in), or they may have objections to all the fertilisers, pesticides, water consumption and transport fuel involved in cut flower production. That doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy a floral display if they want to, though. Just my opinion.

I much prefer natural flowers and plants and would never use artificial ones indoors or outdoors. Just my opinion.

poppysmum

years ago artificial flowers were awful. I think though now they have lovely ones. if chosen carefully they could pass for real ones. A lot of people do not have time or other reasons for gardening

Agreed. I remember plastic flowers when I was a child - they looked terrible, but I have two bunches of silk tulips in my hallway, and have lost count of the number of people who have asked me how I managed to them in winter.

Fake grass is bad for wildlife, but I can't see the harm in flowers. I can't say I've noticed them in people's gardens, but those display 'photo-opportunity' arches you see at the entrance to various places can look very realistic. Generally speaking, cut flowers aren't great for the environment anyway, unless they are home grown or very locally sourced.

Ive been doing it for years, we are away 5 times a year and got no one to water them, even on a crisp autumn day my garden looks like summer, makes me feel better, take my mind of a looming cold winter ahead

Well, if everyone wants to remain in their own home as they age, somethings got to give.

Plastic grass does look ugly, however well done, but people haven't always tje time or energy to spend hours every week maintaining gardens.

Heaven help us if this is a taste of what gardens will be like in the future.
It’s bad enough now to see how many front gardens have been given over to concrete to enable owners to park their cars, although I do accept that those without drives and garages have a problem.

Plastic flowers in gardens though?
No, I hate the idea, just as I dislike artificial grass.

If it makes someone happy why not!

polomint I’m a very enthusiastic gardener and one of my pet hates is seeing artificial plants and flowers in people houses, gardens and I wouldn’t so far as to say that I wouldn’t go to a restaurant if they had non real plants and flowers on their tables, but that’s me. Olive in Small Prophets has a good point though 😂😂

I've got metal sunflowers, seed pods etc on stakes in my flower beds.

I wouldn't do it as I love gardening. What I really hate is seeing them in cemeteries. Often left to fade and get dusty and grotty looking. I think a memorial like that looks so much sadder than one with nothing on.

No, they're hideous, as is artificial grass