Top Four Advantages of Artificial Plants over Natural Plants

Gone are the days when artificial plants used to look so… well… artificial! Today’s artificial plants and flowers are designed, moulded and painted in such a way that they look and feel real. Some artificials even have a withered leaf or two and insect holes. On closer inspection, you may certainly mistake it for real, such is the quality of our artificial plants, trees and flowers. The resources used in creating them are of advanced quality and are longer lasting. Most plants are rain resistant due to the coating applied to the polymer leaves. They have many advantages in comparison to natural plants; some of them are listed below:

- No seasonal changes

Most important advantage is that artificial plants don’t change according to seasons. Live plants or trees seasonally shed their leaves and therefore the appearance changes and will not give the desired impact to your indoor or outdoor decoration. Artificial plants stay as they are always with very little care, although occasional care is needed to keep them looking in tiptop condition for many years to come.

- Less care and more realistic appearance

It’s true that artificials require less care and attention when compared to natural plants. You don’t need to water them. Since they are dead they don’t grow and hence don’t need constant trimming. They stay in the shape you first purchased them. Even then they look beautiful and enhance the home/office environment all year round.

- Don’t need natural factors

All living things need air, water and sunlight. Our artificial plants need none of these requirements so when you are on vacation you need not worry about who will water your plants and you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest. As artificial plants don’t need sunlight you can place them anywhere you like irrespective of whether that place gets enough sunlight or not, giving you the freedom of using them as a design aspect. No need to worry about the attack of pests or insects that will spoil the growth and perfection of your plant, or the rotting of trunks due to waterlogged planters.

- Not restricted to one place

Another advantage of artificial plants is that they are not restricted to one place; you can move them wherever and whenever you want. You are free to place them where you think they will look the best while also giving a new appearance to you room or garden. They are also easier to re-pot should you fancy a new look, new shape, or new colour planter.
These are just some of the advantages of owning artificial plants when compared to natural ones. They give you all the benefits of a natural plant but without making any compromises.

New Generation Artificial Plants and Flowers

In the last 4-5 years, the development of artificial plants and flowers has leaped to new levels of creativity. Much improved and innovative manufacturing processes have added new dimensions to what consumers can now buy. In fact the term ‘silk-flower’ is used a lot less today because of the different types of materials used in the construction of a plant or flower. Attention to detail is seriously employed so that stems, leaves and flowers boast ‘botanically-correct’ design.

The design process now involves the study of living plants and flowers, their structure, colour and handfeel and noting the many intricate details of the stems, leaves, stamens and calyx. Some faux plant designs for example, the orchid, have ‘hairy stems’, and cacti have a matted, chalky surface, some PU trunks on artificial trees have deliberate holes and ‘aged’ markings.

Although it is the manufacturer that ultimately creates these new designs through trial and error, it is mostly the importers worldwide that conceive the original designs and work closely with the manufacturer to visualize and create the final development.

Screen printing methods have become ever more challenging in the manufacture of high quality artificials. This technique adds not only base colour, but very subtle colour variations, leaf and petal detail, ‘mature’ and ‘new growth’ pattern and even natural faults (insect holes, withered petal/leaf parts). The new screen printing process allows a far more realistic design and is almost impossible to differentiate from the real thing.

With the exciting new developments and complicated manufacturing techniques now used in the creation of new millennium faux plants, they are now more complex and delicately constructed. This means they need to be maintained in a proper manner so that they will continue to look fresh and beautiful. Whereby 20 years ago, artificial flowers and plants could be washed in warm soapy water to rid them of dust, today’s high end artificials will need regular care and attention precisely because they comprise different materials and parts using glue, florist tape, inner wiring, moss attachments etc.

To make the most of your artificial plants longevity, have a read of our section on the upkeep and maintenance of new generation artificial plants and flowers.