FAQs

Why should I choose permanent botanicals?

When we think of special days in our lives, we often remember the beauty of the flowers that were associated with that day. And often these flowers are front and centre in the photos we cherish for years to come. While fresh flowers are certainly beautiful, they are perishable, often not lasting more than a day. With permanent botanicals, your flowers can last indefinitely, just like your memories.

Permanent botanicals have made significant advancements over the past decade with the introduction of real-touch, latex and PU botanicals. I select only the best real-touch, latex and high-quality botanicals, combined with dried and preserved items, to create floral elements that look unbelievably realistic.

Why should I choose fresh botanicals?

Fresh florals offer irreplaceable sensory and emotional benefits: natural fragrance, delicate textures, vibrant light-reactive colours, and the living, dynamic beauty that changes throughout the day. They also provide far more bloom and colour variations. For example, there are over 150 rose species and more than 30,000 cultivated varieties. Compare that to only about 50 permanent rose options. Many believe fresh florals deliver a richer, more authentic experience, and because they last only a few days, they feel more precious.

What is the difference between polyester/silk flowers and "real-touch" botanicals?

Standard Silk/Polyester flowers are made from woven fabrics (polyester, silk, or rayon) and stretched over a wire or plastic stem. They feel like fabric or stiff paper. They are often shiny or visibly textured.

Real-Touch botanicals are made from latex, polyurethane, or soft foam rubber. They are molded and painted, not sewn, or even 3D-printed. They feel waxy, soft, and pliable, closely mimicking the cellular structure and moisture of a living petal. At Magnolia Floral Artistry, we always choose real-touch blooms whenever possible, for the most realistic look.

What are other benefits of using faux florals?

What are some tips & tricks to make my faux florals look their best?

Don't mistake them for real flowers & water them!
Keep them out of direct sunlight so that they don't fade. A few days in direct sunlight is fine, but try to avoid months of direct sunlight.
Dust them off once in a while. Try a hair dryer on low/cool to blow the dust away.
For more stubborn dust use a q-tip or soft cloth to gently wipe it away
If dust persists, the arrangement is too old - ditch it and get something new!
Don't keep faux arrangements for too long. If everyone sees it on your coffee table for a year then it's obviously faux.
Move arrangements around to new locations or repurpose the botanicals into something new to extend their life. I like making wreaths from old botanicals.
Don't bend the stems to make them fit in a vase. Instead, cut them to the correct length with wire cutters. Cutting the stems to various lengths helps them to look as realistic as possible and bend the stems slightly - nothing is perfectly straight in nature.
When using a clear vase, add water to make them look more real. When placing stems in water, you can seal the ends of the stems with clear nail polish or clear spray paint. This will prevent rust marks from forming in the vase from the metal wire in the stem. If the stems will only be in water for one or two days, don't worry about sealing them.
When placing stems in the vase, curve the stems a little - nothing in the wild grows perfectly straight. Curing some stems so they look droopy is great too!

Always in Season

Would you like peonies or lilacs in the middle of winter? No problem. All faux flowers are always in season.

Sustainability

We are becoming more and more concerned with the impact our purchases have on the environment. Fresh floral design results in a tremendous amount of waste product that goes into the landfill. As a fresh florist, I disposed of several bags of waste each day, not to mention the pesticides that are sprayed on fresh flowers to keep them looking as good as possible (unless they are organically grown, which is rare). Those pesticides end up in the soil and possibly the water system when they are disposed of. When working with faux flowers, there is very little waste. All unused stems and leaves are saved for other projects, the arrangements last for months or even years, and some products are even recyclable.

Low Maintenance

Faux flowers are pretty much maintenance free. They don't require sunlight, watering, stem trimming, etc. The only thing you may want to do to maintain their gorgeous look is to dust them once in a while. Dust your permanent botanicals using a hair dryer on low heat/low power. Individual petals and leaves can also be gently wiped using a Q-tip.

Minimal Allergy Issues

If you or someone you know has allergies, you know how problematic fresh flowers can be. With permanent botanicals you get all the beauty of flowers without the sneezing, itchy eyes, or runny nose. Preserved eucalyptus is used in most of my work, which can cause an allergy for a few people.

Heat/Cold Tolerant

Fresh flowers are very difficult to use for any length of time in extreme heat or cold. Too hot and they wilt. Too cold and they freeze. Permanent botanicals will always look fantastic, no matter the weather.