Hey there, flower friends! Let’s talk about something we all secretly love but sometimes feel guilty about: faux flowers and greenery.

Over the past several years, artificial florals have improved dramatically in quality and realism. Those tacky plastic blooms of yesteryear? Gone!

Today’s high-quality faux flowers can be so convincing that guests will literally reach out to touch them.

While the most realistic options can be quite an investment, think of them as decor that keeps giving season after season—when you use them wisely, that initial cost easily pays for itself over time.

So grab your coffee (or wine, no judgment here!), and let’s chat about how to make those fake blooms look so good your guests will be sneaking a touch!

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Listen, not all faux flowers are created equal!

When you’re shopping, get up close and personal with those stems! Compare them to pictures of the real deal. Particularly the leaves and stems. Are they the right shape and size for the blooms?

PRO TIP: Remember you have a whole photo library right there in your pocket or bag.

The secret to natural-looking florals? Look for imperfections, irregularities, and subtle color variations.

Is every petal identical? Obviously fake!

I love how the flower above has a few leaves that the tips are turning brown and one petal in the center that is turning sooner than all the rest.

Mother Nature isn’t perfect, and your fake flowers shouldn’t be either!

Pay attention to the texture and feel of the petals and leaves. Do they have the appropriate, ribbing and spine? Look at all the gorgeous texture on the one above. And I actually think those little star pods might be real!

The leaves on the Real Touch tulips mimic the thick and waxy feel of real tulip leaves. And they curl around the stems just like in nature.

If you are after realism, which can be challenging to determine when purchasing online, I have to say I have never been disappointed by Real Touch florals. They are specifically known for their tulips. The set of 20 shown above are currently just $4.99 for the set (that’s plain crazy!)

And for accessible, but really high quality florals, I have three suggestions (plus one more if you live in or are visiting KC).

First, the faux floral stems and branches at Pottery Barn are sublime!

Second, and typically less pricey, is HouseFloral (House By JSD Online). And don’t skip Jeremy’s great tutorials!!! Scroll down the home page until you get to the videos.

Third, check out AFloral for more exquisite artistry and unique stems.

Yes, they carry a bit of a price tag compared to Michaels and Hobby Lobby, (and they are having a great sale on many Spring florals at the time of this writing) but they will last for years and such high quality. Plus they are full and lush so you’ll get the look you’re after with less stems.

And in Kansas City, do not miss the florals and greenery at Nell Hill’s — absolutely fabulous!

Sure, in today’s world of global shipping and greenhouse magic, you can technically get peonies in December. But there’s something jarring about cherry blossoms in autumn or poinsettias in July!

Your faux arrangements will look infinitely more believable when they reflect the natural growing season. Think budding branches and tulips in spring, hydrangeas and garden roses in summer, sunflowers and mums with colored leaves in fall, and holly berries and evergreens come winter.

This little trick not only makes your arrangements more convincing but also gives you the perfect excuse to rotate your collection throughout the year. Hello, freshness!

Get Artsy: Custom Colors–

Feel like your arrangement needs a little something extra? Break out the watercolors! Adding subtle accent colors to white or pale blooms can create a custom look that’s all yours. It’s like flower contouring – yes, that’s a thing now, I just decided.

So if you can’t find a faux flower in colors you want, go for light (or white colored ones) and add a blush of the color you are wanting — with simple, humble watercolors! Here are the How-To details.

I know! I just warned against using flowers outside their “normal” color range. But in this case, I wanted to add a whisper of blue to some white poinsettias I was adding to our blue & white Christmas tree.

I wasn’t too concerned about reality here. I mean we all know poinsettias cannot live on a tree! And they were just going to be peeking out of the fir branches, so I even went with Dollar Tree poinsettias.

The Water Trick: Because Duh!

Okay, this one makes me laugh every time I see it in someone’s otherwise gorgeous home photos – beautiful “flowers” in a clear vase with… nothing.

No water!

Hello, dead giveaway!

If you’re using a clear vessel, please, for the love of design, add some water.

Your secret is safe with me, but those empty vases are fooling exactly no one.

Before you stick those stems in water (which you’re definitely doing now, right?), coat the bottom with clear nail polish or Gorilla Glue.

This little hack prevents the water from seeping up and potentially damaging your faux friends, plus it will keep the stems from rusting and infecting the water for potential real flowers.

Yes, arrange fresh and fake botanicals together! Can you tell which is which above?

Did you infer this from the “rust in the water being bad for potential real flowers” comment above?

This is one of my absolute favorite flower tricks! Mixing faux with real!

Seriously, adding just a few real flowers or some fresh greenery to your arrangement instantly elevates the whole thing.

The real stuff brings fragrance and that perfectly imperfect quality that’s hard to replicate.

The answer: Only the alstroemeria (the white with pink and green markings) are real.

Here’s an entire post dedicated to details and styling tips for artificial flowers and greenery. And you might want to check out this post from my friend Wendy, WM Design House, and her adorable Easter centerpiece that mixes fresh in with faux flowers.

Similarly, mixing faux with dried flowers creates gorgeous texture and dimension.

Plus, dried flowers are basically the middle ground between real and fake anyway – they’re like the cool cousins who get along with everyone.

Above, I used faux magnolia leaves with my fresh hydrangea blooms and loads of dried grass

And here, above is a tablescape of all foraged materials, fresh hydrangea blooms and canna pods with dried grasses and gourds.

Those pre-made bouquets and bushes are great, but don’t be afraid to break them up! Sometimes individual stems work better for what you need.

It’s often the stems that are the giveaway on branches.

Here’s a genius move: Pluck the faux blooms, petal and leaves off those awful plastic branches and hot glue them onto real branches from your yard or a foraging-friendly spot.

Talk about a custom look without the custom price tag!

Embrace Imperfection: The Natural Bend-

Listen up, my friends —nature is gloriously messy, and your faux botanicals should be too!

Professional floral designer Mary dropped the most brilliant truth bomb: real plants don’t grow with ruler-straight precision.

So go ahead and give those stems a gentle bend. Straighten up a suspiciously perfect rose stem, curve a faux vine ever so slightly, or add a subtle lean to a flower that looks too rigid. This tiny adjustment instantly makes your arrangement look more natural.

And don’t stop at stems—leaves need love too!

Take a fern, for instance. Run your thumb and middle finger gently along each side of the spine, creating a soft, natural curve. It takes two seconds and makes a world of difference.

Think of it like styling hair—those perfect, untouched strands never look as good as a slightly tousled look. Same goes for your faux flowers.

A little imperfection is the secret sauce that transforms “obviously fake” into “wow, is that real?”

PRO TIP: Be gentle! You’re sculpting, not wrestling. A light touch is all you need to bring your artificial botanicals to life.

Here’s one of those secret tips, you may not have thought of: don’t cut those stems!

Even if they’re too long for your current project, just bend them to the length you need.

Next year, you might want them longer, and you’ll thank yourself for this bit of restraint.

Of course, there are times when you must. So be it! Just think about it before you snip and clip.

Sure, in today’s world of global shipping and greenhouse magic, you can technically get peonies in December. But there’s something jarring about cherry blossoms in autumn or poinsettias in July!

Your faux arrangements will look infinitely more believable when they reflect the natural growing season. Think budding branches and tulips in spring, hydrangeas and garden roses in summer, sunflowers and mums with colored leaves in fall, and holly berries and evergreens come winter.

This little trick not only makes your arrangements more convincing but also gives you the perfect excuse to rotate your collection throughout the year. Hello, freshness!

Your faux flowers may not wilt, but they’re absolute dust magnets! And nothing says “fake” faster than a layer of dust on those otherwise lovely petals.

A quick maintenance shake outdoors works wonders for light dustings. For deeper cleans, grab your hairdryer (cool setting only, people!) and give those beauties a gentle blast.

Stubborn dust? A soft paintbrush or makeup brush can get into those delicate crevices without damaging your flowers.

When the situation calls for the big guns—hello, flowers that have been stored in the basement for a year—it’s bath time!

Fill your sink with lukewarm water (hot water is a no-no!) and a squirt of baby wash (Johnson’s is my go-to for its gentleness).

Give each stem a swirl in the sudsy water, then rinse in clear water and lay flat on absorbent towels. A gentle patting will help absorb most of the water. Leave them be to air dry.

For delicate blooms, hang them upside down to dry using skirt hangers or clothespins.

The filthy water afterward is both disgusting and oddly satisfying—who knew your “clean” flowers were hiding that much dirt?

Today’s faux botanicals look amazing, but they still have one archnemesis: sunlight.

No matter how much you spent, extended exposure to bright sun will eventually fade your beautiful blooms into sad, washed-out shadows of their former selves.

The frustrating part? The fading happens so gradually you won’t notice until it’s too late. And it’s usually the greenery that goes first, turning that unmistakable vintage Polaroid green that immediately broadcasts “FAKE!” to everyone who walks in.

So rotate those arrangements away from direct sunlight, or accept that your window-loving arrangements may need replacing sooner. Consider it a perfect excuse to go flower shopping!

We’ve all been there—digging through plastic bins trying to find that one perfect stem while crushing everything else in the process. There’s a better way!

While seasonal-specific flowers (like Christmas poinsettias) can live in labeled bins during their off-season, your everyday go-to fillers deserve better treatment.

Think vertical! That awkward corner with exposed ductwork or that weird niche in your storage area? Perfect for organizing stems by type and height.

My game-changer has been using cardboard tubes and magnets on the big old HVAC and ductwork in our storage/hobby room. I’ve since added some cello bags over the blooms to keep dust at bay while still letting me see exactly what I have. The details of this awesome storage hack can be seen here.

This makes styling so much faster—no more dumping out five bins to find what you need!

So there you have it, friends – my fifteen seventeen tried-and-true tips for faking it in the flower world.

Remember, it’s not about fooling everyone (though that’s a fun bonus); it’s about creating beautiful, long-lasting arrangements that bring you joy without the maintenance or expense of fresh flowers every week.

What are your favorite faux flower tricks? Drop them in the comments – I’m always looking to add to my artificial flower arsenal!