Willowdee, do not apologize for your original question. Often, broad, connect-the-dots responses--even the contradictory ones--are more interesting than narrow, to-the-point answers, anyway: Yes. No. Restrained Gold. Whatever.

Here's the thing: the math-quiz reminder to "Show your work"--that is, explain your thinking--that we got from the teacher in second grade works here, too because doing that not only demostrates that you truly understand the problem, but also your explanation of how you arrived at a particular answer helps those not yet clear on the concept. It's easy to copy your neighbor's answer, just as it's easy to copy your neighbor's room, but if you don't understand the thinking behind those things, when the next problem (or empty room) comes along, you're back at square one without a clue. So lots of answers from lots of people are good, and those answers don't come unless there are questions first. So no apology is needed. You spurred a good discussion.

Besides, as in your case, the mere act of asking a question sometimes makes the asnwer clear to the questioner. At any rate, you answered your own question with the only real answer that counts around here--whatever works for you, not whatever works for the neighbors. Congratulations. It takes some people a long time to realize that that's the only sensible way to decorate.

Regards,
Magnaverde.

PS: Ideefixe, is this plant fake enough for you?

One of the biggest problems with silk plants is the maintenance, as has been mentioned. They attract dust, and that's when they really start looking fake. I personally dust very rarely in my home, so fake plants would become a dust pile. I find it much more appealing to water a plant once a week than to dust a plant once a week. Plus I never seem to get all the dust off...they are kind of like window blinds...always some dust left after a frustrating experience. Not worth it. Plus, I think of the Golden Girls too.

Of course real house plants need dusting too.....

That's what housekeepers are for. There are some advantages to having lots of allergies. :-)

Jodi-

Click Like - krycek :)

Tina, like gardenias, they look good in a wide, shallow bowl--- short stems and a mound of flowers. Traditional rose bowls are meant to show off just those beautiful blossoms and heady scent. I'm hoping to get masses of flowers from mine. The scent is faint, but it's heavenly.

I don't understand the issue several here have with the maintenance of silk plants. Just as I used to drag my live plants out to the deck and wash them down with the hose, not to mention the small ones that were placed in the shower for a good bath, I also wash the dust off my silk plants. From the 8' palm to the small ivy, everything is easily washed with a gently spray, then given a good shake and air dried.

Whether live or silk, the maintenance is pretty much the same.....except you never have to repot silks!

MV, that plastic plant is so fake I almost like it.....in a groovy 70s kind of way.

kswl - good idea! I had not thought of a bowl. I'll have to try that. Mine are blooming their heads off!! I'm deadheading often (because it looks better), which I think must just make them bloom more!

Annz - I think there is something about the silk that just attracts dust. When I had a couple, it seemed they just acquired a coating of dust. Honestly, very few of my houseplants (live) require dusting. I do have some that I occasionally wipe with a damp cloth. Think Bromelaid or something with the long leaves (fronds?).

tina

Thanks again to everyone for your comments. Someone mentioned how a silk plant would fade on a sunporch. Because mine faces the west and that late afternoon sun is a KILLER, and because that is the room where we spend the most time, I have plantation blinds on every window (yeah, blinds too, lol...and they're fake wood!) that I open in the morning and close in the early afternoon. If you could have seen this room when my mom lived here, and all the many silk arrangement she had, you'd understand that I'm being downright minimalist with the plants. Bless her heart, my mama loved her knickknacks and flowers, real or fake...she was definitely not a purist! :-)

Tina, thanks for the link. A sunporch does beg for plants and I will keep an eye out for some of these easy care ones on your list...if they don't require repotting every year, that might be perfect for me. But I'm still getting the palm that Marita so kindly provided the link for. I love it, so I'm getting it! LOL!

I love real plants and don't care so much for fake ones. That being said, I've had to alter the way I use them because of an adopted cat. In our old house, I had nothing but beautiful large plants throughout. Now, it seems that everything I like is lethal to those of the feline persuasion.

Missing the green in our new house, I began searching for something that didn't look too fake and picked this up. It even has dying leaves. My DH said that it's so ugly it looks real. If anyone knows of houseplants that are safe around cats, please share.

See, that's where the old double standard comes in: capped teeth, a nose job, contacts, bleached hair, plucked brows, injected lips, lipo-suctioned hips & nips & tucks & a closet full of fake designer handbags-

If she's got the lipo, nose job and nips and tucks, they're probably Real designer handbags!

I have no firm comment on silks, I love nice silk arrangements but they must look real and be used in context.

Unfortunately bad ones poorly situated are the norm.

Most people don't think a silk basket of flowers should cost as much a piece of furniture but good ones do.

KS, good luck with the yellow knockouts! They are THE slowest growing Knockouts made. They're only a few years old. While my red and pinks are thriving, my yellow's are slow growers. Still pretty but their blooming aren't as abundant as the other ones.

Again, all one has to do to clean the silks is to use a can of air. Presto!

I could only see 2 of the plants without having to pay on the BHG site, and those two do need at least some good indirect sunlight or they will just stay green without forming color in the veins. They definitely will just sit there in dark corners. They may not die, but they won't grow either.

Pothos actually like some direct sun.

Since my Hydrangea flowers have already spent their blooms, I think I'll stick in Wally World faux Hydrangea stems. ;)

Which reminds me. There's a house in town where an elderly couple live, and they have the prettiest hedges around their house. I always admired them. Come to find out they're fake! lol

Oakleyok, we have neighbors who do the same thing...although I don't know where you'd get fake hedges! I always knew my neighbor's were fake because new ones in full bloom would spring up from one day to the next. But my daughter mentioned to me just yesterday how pretty she thought their yard was, and opined that the lady there must be a fantastic gardener. She was a bit crushed when I told her the truth. lol

Okley - there's nothing to pay. It's free to sign up, but at the top of that screen, it says "skip to next page" or something like that.

I have them inside and I've grown to like them. Even though I hated the idea of fake plants originally I ended up with little choice. DH was absolutely against real ones because he said we wouldn't remember to water them, they would die, and we would have ugly dried twigs all over the house. I laughed and bought some anyway... they all died. And he was way more smug than I appreciated.

Outside is another story. Our neighbor, a very sweet older lady, has decorated all over her front yard with fake flowers from Michaels. In various shades of bright colors (orange, red, yellow, blue, green, purple... you name it) and she "planted" them in pots to make them look real. Awful.

Yes, also silk tree's have 3/4 of them, got enough real plants and flowers outside, luv the silk for inside.

In reference to live house plant and mold - yes they are a breeding ground for mold - ask your allergist.

I suffer from mold allergies and still have one live vining plant that I have had for years. I can't bring myself to get rid of it.

I like a a few silks but they need to "look" real. I saved a picture for several years of a large basket sitting in the floor filled with hydrangeas. I have a pretty basket - now I need to find some nice hydrangeas that I like.

Francy - That one looks good to me.

Here's a list from the ASPCA of non-toxic plants to cats.
Off the top of my head I know the boston fern is safe.

Here is a link that might be useful: ASPCA list

Although I have a few large real plants 25 to 30 years old, I make absolutely *NO* apologies for my fake ones. The bedroom vine fools everyone - that room is kept dark in summer when I'm not home to keep it cool - and it thrives in the dark spilling over the top of an antique cabinet that I never have to worry about getting wet. My vase of kitchen poppies are anchored in acrylic water; they provide that pop of color I want to see everyday. Other fakes are single stems that like Kim's are much better quality than Michaels. Bought at an area nursery from $7 to $20 a stem, a large bouquet becomes expensive, but they are breathtakingly realistic. My faux arrangements are of flowers that are currently blooming and are replaced when that bloom time is over. I no longer enjoy bringing cut flowers indoors, and prefer enjoying them outside, with no more worries about bringing in spiders, as I frequently get spider bites and have allergic reactions... The main thing is I enjoy handling and arranging these faux stems, and kind of like christmas ornaments, get to enjoy them all over again the next year, however briefly. Oh, and in my living room I have a big giant orange orchidy-type potted plant from Home Goods, just for fun and again, for that pop of color. Someone else may use a bright orange vase, or basket or whatever for that effect. So I use a fake plant. How is that different? Or bad? And why should it matter?

Oh yes, peegee, your post reflects exactly how I feel about how artificial stems perk up a room like nothing else...except I never use the word *fake*...artificial just has a better ring to it (grin) .. also, if quality is important, don't buy from Hobby Lobby or Michaels..just sayin'

Thanks Sheesharee!

They are not fakes or artificial....they are everlasting flowers!

;)

The knockouts do well as cut flowers. I have quite a few shrubs that are on their fourth season and this year they grew so big I had to cut off big sections of them. I was FORCED to bring in one rose covered stem after another and scatter them around the house in vases, lol. They were gorgeous and if you were sitting near a vase you could definitely smell the roses.

I decided to start some extra shrubs in an area that can't be seen when you are in the yard. I will be able to cut ALL of the roses off of those, which means I'll have them from April through November in the house. Love the Knockouts!

Great idea to plant a few knockouts just for cutting,, cindyloo!

Warning about Knockouts! On our local news the other night, many Roses, especially Knockouts are dying from Rose Rosette disease. At least here in OK. If the disease hits, the plant has to be dug up & no future Roses can be planted in their place. I'd wait a year to plant any. I pray mine won't get effected.

Peegee, I want some of those artificial branches with little lights on them. lol. I may get some at Christmas.

Well, I couldn't let them go to waste in the closet!

Oakley, I have to ask. Is that set of pitcher and glasses on your mantel Frankoma?

I don't like them, but I use them. The only thing I've ever been able to keep alive for any length of time was a yucca, and it nearly bit it a few times. I've tried most of the "easy" varieties (pothos, MIL tongue, etc.) and even cactii, and no luck. Yes, I've killed air plants. I "get" that some people can water it one a week and forget it. My mother is one of those people. That just doesn't work for everyone. Maybe it's a difference in household humidity or something, but my house is void of green thumb mojo. I have no idea how my DD is still around.

I do justify my hypocrisy with a few key points...

1. I have pets, and a young daughter. Silks (or fakes of whatever make-up) are not edible, nor lethal. Like someone else mentioned, a ot of the things I like the looks of are not pet (nor kid) friendly in that regard.

2. I have to disagree (for me personally) with a sentiment I saw above: that a half dead plant is more appealing than a fakie. Totally disagree. Half dead plants look junky to me. Fakies look like "At least I can admit I don't keep it alive." :)

3. DH's family is in Europe, and we try to go there for a minimum of 2 weeks, usually 3, as our work comittments allow. There is no one near us we'd trust in our house to water plants.

4. Silks can be pricey, but at least you're only buying it once. Can't count how many $$$ plants I've bought for two or three weeks of eye candy. I saw some gorgeous potted ivies once, with 6 ft "branches" (I have no idea what you actually call them), $$$ and both were gone in less than 3 weeks.

5. Sometimes I'm not looking for a plant so much as I'm looking for something with height and texture and about a certain width, and a plant foots the bill. I have three fake floorplants (in real pots) for this reason. They're on 2 y/o wood floors and I'm not about to trust that I wouldn't overwater/flood them on the wood floor.

Etc etc etc.

I don't care what people have. I'm not going to judge someone's decor sense because they like fake plants and I don't (or vice versa) any more than I'm going to judge because they like red or pink and I don't.

I have two rules. I will NOT do a faux fica. Those are too much for me. And I will NOT put clear minilights in a fake tree for "ambience". But it doesn't mean I won't be your friend if you do. :)

Faux fica? Make that ficus, please. I didn't catch it before I hit submit. Guess I have taxes on the brain?!?

Late to the discussion but I read most of the posts it seems that one of the objections to silk it maintenance. I have both silk and real in my home so no preference silks are up high so I don't have to climb and the dust doesn't show so much up there. But I cheat when it comes to cleaning them I plop them onto the top rack of the dishwasher and Voila clean. I have only ever lost one or two leaves but then fit them right back on. No Problem :D

Thanks for that warning, Oakley. The Missouri Botannical Garden has a good webpage about this (linked below). Although the disease is mainly prevalent in wild roses, it is attacking some cultivars now. I remember seeing this several years ago and hearing it called Witches Broom, which it is still called in some areas because of how the plant changes. It's caused by a mite!

Here is a link that might be useful: Information about Rose Rosette, or Witches Broom disease

I use a combination of both. Too much estrogen here for me to illustrate my approach, but it works for me. Water or dust...hmmmm

seagrass

Yes, I do, I kill any real plants indoors. I like them in moderation and some of them look more real than others.

Yes, that's Frankoma. The factory, before it burnt down, was in the next town where I grew up. I've never been fond of Frankhoma but I've inherited a few pieces, and my DS gave me the ones on the mantel as a gift.

KS, I'm constantly looking at my Roses every day. I guess here in OK. it's REALLY bad.

My daughter asked once if she could move the fake plant I have sitting on a chair in my kitchen so she could sit on the chair. I had to laugh. I have a a couple silk plants in my house, but this one was actually real. Do people who would only have real plants in their homes ever wonder if other people think they are fake?

Would you agree to draw the line at fake florals "planted in the ground" :) LOL!

I've seen a fair amount of disgusting looking fake flowers in window boxes around here! I guess I'd say that's really tacky. . .

Hmm. Fake outdoor plants. I could have the hosta I'd like but don't plant because the deer would devour them. A banana tree in the front yard would be nice. Sure would be a traffic stopper when there's four feet of snow on the ground. Think everyone would know they're fake? ;-)

Guess I'll stick with the plants that suit my climate and growing conditions. Both inside and out.

Here's a shot of our neighbor's lineup of fake, potted flowers (the 5 pots dividing our lawns). It's from when we first moved in but they're still there. In fact, they now are in a pattern of red, white, and blue for the upcoming 4th of July. *sigh*

LOL lara!! Poor you! At least they don't have a yard full of cheap plastic figurines (trolls are really big around here) and their Christmas lights up in June.

Lol marita, I guess I should be thankful then! Is that your neighbors you are referring to?? On related note, my MIL has a holiday tree in her foyer that stays up all year long. It's a fake 4' tall Christmas tree that she decorates for the holidays. So she makes it a Easter tree, a Valentine's Day tree, St. Patrick's Day, etc. Maybe I'm just not festive enough...?

Oy, Lara--- I feel your pain. And see it, too... poor you :-(

What is your least favorite fake item from this list?
- Fake indoor greenery
- Fake indoor flowers
- Fake outdoor flowers
- Fake grass
- Fake Christmas tree
- Fake fruit (on kitchen countertop or dining table)
- Fake plants in aquarium
- Fake leather furniture
- Faux finished walls
- what else am i missing...

oops
- What am i missing (no else)..

Here's my silk flower story. It happened to me today. I'm going to be watering someone's outdoor plants for the week. After surveying the plants in front, I was lead through the house to the backyard deck to be introduced to further plants I would need to attend to.

En route, the woman called my attention to a newly reupholstered chair: "Stinky, have you ever heard of Robert Allen?" "Oh, yes." "Well this fabric is Robert Allen." "It's beautiful, I love it." "Well, the dog jumps up in this chair so he can look out the window...can you believe it? Goes straight to the Robert Allen chair." "Gosh!" I proclaim in disbelief. "The plumber here this morning asks if he can keep his shoes on, but the dog goes right to the Robert Allen chair."

Next to the chair stood a white wrought iron plant stand with an enormous white wicker basket containing a huge array of silk flowers in every color of the rainbow. I felt dizzy at the sight of the cacophony of crayola box hues, so I rested my gaze on the the newly covered chair fabric. It depicted a subtle dance of cherry blossom branches, rendered in soft aqua and delicate pink, a wisp of brown.

Ahh...Robert Allen to the rescue.

"What is your least favorite fake item - what else am i missing?"

Phony people with fake smiles, fake sincerity, and fake concern.

All the rest is just a matter of personal choice.

Les, I absolutely LOVE your answer re:fake items!!! And you're 100% right, everything *is* a personal choice. Why leave important decisions up to anyone else? Geez! ;o)

I do both fake and real. I love having cut flowers in the house but I don't want to purchase them every week because they don't last long. My green plants are real but for flowers I go good quality silks and am very happy and pleased with the way they look. I get to have beautiful cut flowers in the house on a regular basis without having to shell out the high price for them weekly. For me its a win win.

There is a grower of gerbera daisies one town over who will let people stop at the greenhouse one day a week and buy culls. I often do this for summer parties or just to brighten up the house. You get what you get--- no choosing--- but it only costs $45 for a huge bucket of about 7dozen stems. Yesterday I got culls for our luncheon today (for DS2s college, a party for incoming freshmen in our state). I have vibrant yellows, reds, pinks, oranges, and every shade of those all throughout the house and it is lovely. I did move one "old reliable" silk (it's actually latex) out of the way to make room for these Gerbers. The big tin bucket out on the porch filled with yellow and orange flowers is my favorite! Because I get them from the grower, they will last almost two weeks if I trim the stems and change the water every day.... And put a few drops of Clorox in the water as recommended by the greenhouse. Although available year round, these flowers look gaudy in winter, and my ndi amaryllis and others look more at home.