12+ “Must-Do” Fake Flower Decorating Tips

This time of year when we are eager for the departure of winter, adding colorful fresh flowers around our homes is one way to welcome spring into our lives. 

If you like the colorful look of flowers in your home, but hesitate when it comes to using silk flower arrangements, faux flowers or faux greenery when decorating your home for fear they will look cheap or not realistic, fear no more. This is old school thinking as the best fake florals and stems made and sold nowadays are made to look and feel like the real thing.

By learning my “must do” faux flowers decorating tips and tricks I have outlined in this post you will be creating realistic, flower arrangements to fit your decor style in no time.

Fake Flower Decorating Tips

I love fresh flowers and try to use them most of the time, but sometimes it is just not possible.

When I can’t find flowers or greenery in my yard or from the grocery store when desiring the visual joy of the color pops that flowers provide in my house, I don’t mind using fake flowers to create artificial floral arrangements.

Not just any fake flowers will do though, I am very picky about the faux flowers I buy and use in my home.

Learning these fake flower decorating tips and tricks will make a difference when it comes to making silk flowers or any faux floral arrangement look as realistic as possible.

Research Fresh Flowers

Yellow tulips on Kitchen decorating with wood bread boards.

Before you can buy good-looking fake flowers you need to know what real ones truly look like. Visit a florist or look at images of real flowers online. Pinterest will have many so that is a good place to start researching.

Be sure to check out the leaves and their colors. Each flower has its own leaf shape, veining and texture and sometimes with faux flowers the blooms may look right, but the leaves are too dark or not the correct shape.

The reason these tulips look realistic is that their stems are thick and really resembles that of a real tulip. Many fake flowers come on thin wire stems and have cookie cutter dark green foliage.

The petals on these tulips have texture to them and the leaves have realistic looking veins which helps give a more realistic feel.

Don’t Use Fake Flowers in the Same Way Year After Year

To make artificial flower arrangements, faux greenery stems and wreaths look realistic when decorating, change how and where you use them in your home.

To ensure faux florals look real, change up where you place them so they don’t become static. Real flowers fade and dry up so you change what is in vases every few weeks. When using faux flowers you don’t have to change them weekly, but try to arrange them differently every season.

I have owned and use the same faux forsythia branches every spring. I have had them over 15 years. One spring I may place them in a vase on a sofa table, the next spring I will place them into a basket to help brighten up the firebox in my living room.

Fake flower decorating tips using craft store flowers

A few years ago I painted a vase with craft paint to place behind my sofa. In it I put the fake forsythia. I loved the way it came out, the vase and the flowers looked fresh and vibrant in my living room. When summer came the forsythia went into a bag and into storage.

Fake flower decorating tips showing fake forsythia in fireplace box

The following spring, I placed the forsythia stems in a large basket. By moving faux florals from room to room you get lots of mileage out of your purchase.

Here is another way to change up the look of faux flowers. See the hydrangeas in the glass bottles on the mantel in the photo above? When I first decorated the mantel for spring, I placed real flowers in the bottles. They eventually died…

Fake purple hydrangea flowers on top of a glass fronted cabinet

…so I went to my fake flower storage stash and plucked out a few faux purple hydrangea stems that I use to display on top of a cabinet in the kitchen of my previous house.

Presto-chango by doing this I added a totally new look and color pop for my living room at no cost.

Bend the Stems

Spring flowers in a wicker vase displayed on open shelves in a white kitchen.

A real flower does not stand perfectly straight on it’s stem, they droop to the sides of a vase. Using your hands, bend the wire stems slightly so they will stand more like a real flower.

Cut Your Flower Stems Apart

Tips and tricks on how to make fake flowers look real.

Just because fake flowers are sometimes sold in a bunch doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. Separate the bouquet/bunch into individual stems. If the stems are too long for the vase you want to use, cut the stems shorter.

All it takes is a few snips using an inexpensive pair of wire cutters and you’ve got a bunch of individual flower stems to arrange in no time. Don’t use scissors as you will ruin the blades.

Faux gingko stems in vase on water on kitchen table

Once cut, you can arrange and place the flowers just as you would fresh flowers.  If using a glass vase this in even more important since you don’t want to see the stems being held together as a bush through the glass.

Handy Tip:

Bnd the stems to to the height you need to fit the height of the vase. This way if you want to use the stems in another size vase you can simply unbend them to their original height.

Use Only the Petals

Faux blooming branches in large planter behind a sofa

Create faux blooming branches by removing the petals from artificial flowers and hot glue them to cut branches from your yard.

Add Filler Into Vases, Planters and Containers

Stuffing a large basket with balled up plastic bags to fill it before placing faux flowers in.

To help space faux flowers when arranging them in a container or to make a small amount look like they are filling up a large container place a few bunched-up plastic grocery bags into the basket and around the stems so they would fall evenly around the basket.

A large white and natural color basket in empty fireplace filled with pink peonies.

I also bent the stems so they would be at a better visual height for the basket. If I didn’t add do these two things, the stems would not have filled the basket.

Don’t Aim for Perfection

Tall glass vase on deck by lake changed to be a colorful glass vase to hold flowers.

Real flowers, their stems and leaves are not perfect. Fake flowers look better when they are not perfectly arranged or placed perfectly symmetrical.

Pink flowers surrounding a large candle that is placed in a large bowl on a wood table.

Here is another way to use the same flowers in different ways as I mentioned earlier in this post. These are the same flowers that I used in the vase shown above, but for a table, I removed the flowers heads from the stems and placed them in a wood bowl around the candle. When the summer ends, I will put the flower heads back on their stems.

Add Water Into a Clear Glass Vase

Decorating ideas using fake flowers. Pink Peonies from Crate and Barrel

When using glass vases to display fake flowers, make sure to add water to the vase. This tip alone will make fake florals look more realistic. If metal ends of stems are visible, cut them off with wire cutters and then place in water.

Handy Tip:

To prevent the wire in faux stems from reacting with water, apply clear nail polish to the bottom of the stem and let dry. Then place in the water. Doing this will keep rust marks from forming on the glass.

Go Monochromatic

fake-flowers-pink-peonies-from-Crate-and-Barrel


One thing I don’t like about grocery store flowers is that many are sold in mixed bouquets. I prefer to decorate enmasse or with flowers that are all one color and type. Find one fake flower in the color you like and fill the vase or container with them.

Allow a Few Buds or Petals to Drop

Natural things are always changing, real flowers have petals that drop. Cut a few petals from the blossoms and place on the table right under where the flowers hang over the vase.

Use Odd Numbers of Stems

When arranging flowers real or fake, use odd numbers of stems or branches. Odd numbers just look better. Buy enough to fill the vase. Buy more than you think you will need. If I get too many, I can always return them. You can’t do this with real flowers.

Use Flowers That Are in Season

An old-school rule about decorating with fake flowers was that you should only use fake flowers that are in season so they seem more realistic.

I agree with this, but don’t let it influence my decision if I see pretty pink tulips in the middle of winter for sale at the grocery store.  Nowadays you can buy any season of flower any time of year at the grocery store or florist.

How to Store Faux Flowers and Faux Greenery

Fake or silk flowers will last a long time when you take care of them and store them so they don’t get damaged. Here are a few tips:

  • Select Proper Storage Space: To keep faux flowers looking their best, choose a cool, dry storage area away from direct sunlight and humidity.
  • Store in plastic bags. Store faux flowers in vases with plastic bags over them. This will keep them from dust, dirt, and pests. Choose a container that provides enough space for the flowers without compressing them too tightly. To do this I place the flowers upright in a container that is not in use. Depending on the size I cover with a dry cleaner or grocery bag.

How to Clean Faux Flowers

Just like any other home decor item, faux flowers require cleaning every once in awhile. To keep them looking their best, give them a dusting with a feather duster or cloth to wipe away accumulated dust.

Some faux flowers can be gently washed. Test a small leaf or petal with a mixture of cool water and a little bit of dish detergent before attempting to wash the entire bunch. After washing, air-dry them in a large vase where they are standing up with lots of room for airflow.

Regularly cleaning your faux flowers will help them stay beautiful and realistic for years.

Use Craft Store Coupons to Save Money

When buying artificial flowers from the craft store, I always wait until they are on sale or I have a 40% – 50% off coupon. I can get double the amount of flowers.

Make Your Own Faux Flowers

How to make your own fake flowers using tissue paper and dollar store items.

Did you know you can make your own DIY fake flowers. I made these with tissue paper.

Mix Faux Flowers With Other Natural Blooms

Fake flowers for fall in a basket on a mantel

In the fall, I use a mass of fake fall flowers in a basket mixed with dried grass stalks on my mantel.

How to Add a Floral Scent

Fake purple tulips from Pottery Barn

The only thing fake flowers will never have is that fresh flower smell. If you really want them to have fragrance, here are two ways I add fragrance to the blooms, but I test first

  • Spritz Perfume – You hold the faux flower stem at a distance and lightly spray it all over.
  • Use Essential Oils – Add one drop of essential oil directly to the center of a flower. Just be careful as the oil may stain the blooms.

In Conclusion

The next time you buy a bunch of fake flowers home, order stems online from Amazon or buy at a craft store keep an eye out for the best colors and most realistic looking flowers.

If you shop around and are choosey you will be surprised at just how nice faux flowers found at stores like Hobby Lobby, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel.

Know that no matter where you find faux flowers they are all always going to require a little tweaking to have them looking realistic. And best of all, unlike real flowers, the best artificial flowers will last for a long time so your purchase will be well worth it.

Pink peonies in a crate and barrel box. Text overlay says How to make faux flowers look. real.

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36 Comments

  1. Connie Linguanti says:

    Love your wonderful tips & hints in regards to fake flowers. NOW I have a
    a Question Did you ever put together a wall of artificial greenery & a few fake flowers ??? I’m asking as I’m thinking of trying it–any help???
    Connie Linguanti

  2. I just made my own flowering branches by hot gluing tissue paper blossoms to branches collected on walks. I have a hit of spring color that will last all season. The branches were free, and the tissue paper came from my gift wrap stash.
    Win win in my book.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Patricia – Great idea using tissue paper to make the flower blooms and way less expensive than using faux flower blooms.

  3. Great article
    I learnt floral arrangements with real flowers so am adapting to faux floral arrangements

  4. I have several orchid plants. It’s almost impossible to get them to rebloom (have been lucky exactly once!). So I use the real plant and just add faux orchid stems. I even clip them to the supports, just like the real ones. No one has ever spotted the fakes!

    I’ve also used faux hydrangea blooms to decorate a thrift store wreath. It’s hanging on our front door and looks fabulous.

  5. I enjoyed your article about faux flowers. Having had many gardens and windows and houses, I am now in an apartment which doesn’t afford me any great light until 10:30-11:00am so I am down to one little real jade plant. I must say that it has given me a whole new perspective on displaying flowers…..all faux!!! I don’t put water in my vases because I’m just too prone to spilling. I think I’m a believer in quantity over quality, lol, but I shop at the thrift stores and have been able to find some stunning bouquets, a recent find was a Huge basket of mixed flowers for $4.99!!!! I have a tiny studio in my garage and I placed vintage gym baskets all around the top shelves and sorted by color. I mix and match and love every minute. So they are really on display whether in my home or in the garage. So easy to give a quick rinse and ready to arrange!! Such a pleasure!!!

  6. Tony Brown says:

    This is a mind blowing Idea. I Love It!

  7. It has never occurred to me to put water in the vase……mind blown!

  8. What type of water do you use for fake flowers in a clear glass vase that won’t rings around the vase?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Emily –

      Good question.:-) I will add my answer to the post. I have a whole house water softener so my water is very soft and rarely leaves rings or cloudiness that hard water can on surfaces. The easiest way to keep rings away is to add some white vinegar to the water. Just a little so you can’t smell it. Another way is to clean the inside glass of the vase with RainX Glass cleaner before adding water. This will help repel any build up of calcium on the glass. If you are not familiar with RainX, here is a link to the product that would work: https://amzn.to/3azhvk6

  9. I’ve added fresh water as the stems are plastic and it looks fabulous – much more realistic. I tried to add a photo but can’t seem to do it,. Thanks for the advice

  10. Thank you for this. I think I’ll try the natural water as it’s a huge vase so wouldn’t fancy trying to remove the still water. I’ll let you know how it goes,

  11. I have a lovely artificial flower arrangement set in about 3 ins. of still water. It’s in a clear glass vase and always looks as if the flowers need water.
    Can I add more still,water to the arrangement without forming a join line, or could I add normal water.?

    I wonder how often would I need to change the normal,water – doesn’t it discolour? I hope you can advise me,
    THanks
    Yvonne

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Yvonne –

      It can’t hurt to try to add more of the acrylic still water to your arrangement and see what happens. It may be a slightly different color and like you mentioned – you may see a line where the old and new meet. I have never done it, so I am not sure. If you don’t like it, you can always remove all of it using nail polish remover and then just use real water and refill the vase when needed.

      You will be surprised at how long and clear the water will last – 2 months is what I have found before it starts to look darker and will need a refresh. The only thing to note if you do this is to make sure the stems on your fake flowers are plastic and not wrapped silk. Wrapped silk will come undone if placed in water.

      How to Remove Acrylic Still Water From a Vase – Fill the vase with acetone (nail polish remover). Add enough acetone to completely cover the still water and fill the vase. Allow the vase to sit for a few days. Spill out the acetone along with the acrylic water that has been dissolved. Repeat the process if some of the acrylic still water remains are still in the vase.

      I hope this helps. Let me know what you end up doing as other readers may benefit and want to do the same thing with their arrangements that have the acrylic water in them.

  12. This is an insightful Post. Thanks for sharing!!!

  13. Aquafresh RO says:

    I am a regular follower to your post and I like your idea.

  14. I have to ask—where did you get that blue throw blanket?! I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a throw that color and texture, but haven’t been able to find anything close to that color blue ?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sarah – My mom bought the blue throw back in the late 1980’s at IKEA. She lived near the very first IKEA when the store came to the US. It is 30 years old and still looks like new. It is made very well. Sorry that I couldn’t give you good news and tell you it is still available today. :-(

  15. Anne Meyer says:

    Afloral.com has great faux flowers. You can buy them in bouquets on clearance and split them up. They have some really cheap ones that are not so great, but they are clear in that case about what they are.

  16. Valarie Evans says:

    I love all your hints and have added water to a couple of vases. Thanks for the tip. As for me, love the peonies from Pier 1 but only buy when on sale bc they are expensive. When the petals get too droopy, l hit them with aerosol hair spray from Dollar Tree and hang them upside down till dry. Works great!

  17. I never thought of putting these fake flowers in water. Makes them look so real. Out to look for some fake tulips.
    Thank you Diane!

  18. Well have to say that yours look beautiful but I am one that is not a fan of fake flowers. Somehow just knowing they’re fake takes the enjoyment away for me. Also they collect dust quickly and need rinsed or vacuumed a lot

  19. I love all these! The white and green ones look wonderful! I can’t wait to try out all your tips, thank you so much for sharing!

  20. Wonderful tips all, I would like to add just one more…use your hair dryer! LOL. Seriously, I have found that the heat can fix issues from storage, or even when purchasing some of the faux imperfect blooms/foliage. In addition, I try to store them in under bed containers so that I won’t have too much weight on top of each other. When purchasing or storing I pop a hole in the corner of the plastic bag and slide the stems through in order to keep just the pretty parts from dust and crush. Hope some of this is helpful?

  21. I do use fake flowers but I only use white flowers and green foliage or a variety of green foliage. For some reason to me its a richer look and never looks fake. I love a fake white orchid or real orchid with ferns and moss in a stone pot. I also mix real flowers with fake flowers.

  22. Oh thank you for this post. I get discouraged by all the faux plant shaming in the design world, since I can’t seem to keep live plants and flowers actually alive! My local grocery has those pre-mixed arrangements in neon colors which I think are worse than faux and the monochromatic flower bunches they have are way too expensive. I can’t afford $30 for something that will wilt and die in a few days. However, in the same floral section they have the best faux flowers. Still expensive per stem, but very realistic. I actually just bought some today that had two different types of stems, one fully bloomed and one greener with buds that look like they will open tomorrow. I bought five stems, some of each and they look so fresh and Spring-y in my milk glass vase. Love your tips and the encouragement to do what works for me.

  23. Great post. There are flowers, like forsythia and peonies (which I have a yard full of!) that I can’t bring in the house because I’m allergic so this is especially helpful.

  24. Diane, I use fresh flowers as often as possible, but fake flowers are a must sometimes. I like to think that I’m pretty good at artfully using them as my husband does not like fake flowers, but I walked away with a few tips and I’m pinning your fabulous article to remember for later. Thanks, friend!

  25. Diane, always great tips from you! I love your flower arrangements, too!

  26. Catherine says:

    All great tips, Diane. I use caution also when buying the fake flowers because sometimes they are pretty bad copies. I sometimes use them if I’m making something up in a container (basket, wreath) if I only need a spurt of color to fill in. The whole thing isn’t visible so no one knows the difference.
    I also clean them with corn meal if I can’t put them into water.

  27. Beth Fagundes says:

    Thank you for your wonderful tips on using artificial flowers. I always need help with my arrangments as they looked too symmetrical and uniform to look right. I will use your tip of separating the stems and having them droop over the side a bit. You are always so helpful!

  28. Linda L Weeks says:

    It was just luck that I found the last bouquet of flowers at Michael’s on sale but they worked out so nicely! I got some yellow and white flowers that were long and droopy and a few brightly colored carnations, and dang, I was very proud of myself! for a lot less than $10!

  29. When I was reading about feng shui last year, I discovered they don’t recommend fake flowers. Well, I bought a tiny fake plant last year for our kitchen, and I’m hooked. The kitchen window is under a carport so doesn’t get direct sunlight, so a real plant won’t do. I’m loving all the fake little succulent plants available now too. I might get one for our northern facing bathroom which gets zero sunlight.

  30. Yes, I too use fake flowers. It’s a real budget saving option.

    This time of year I too like to have real flowers, especially on my dining table. Last week I bought a bouquet of pale green mini-carnations at Walmart $4.97. Great buy! But…. though the color was gorgeous I needed a little more color (in this case pink) to tie into the colors I used in the adjoining LR.

    I happened to have some very, very real looking pale pink roses garnered from a floral shop arrangement where they’d used both faux and real flowers. The real ones were of course long gone, but the faux ones were there for the picking. ;-) Added to the real mini-carnations, the arrangement looks very cottage-y and very pretty. You cannot tell the roses are faux until you look closely.

    Many times, I too have used all your tips for making faux flowers look real. Even dollar store faux flowers will look much better when cut apart…that’s probably the best tip ever. :-)

    Diane, your tips are always spot-on and very good for small budgets…though anyone will benefit from them even if they have much more to spend. :-)

  31. All good tips I’ll pin, but the best was the Christmas flowers only gift card! I’m always trying to figure out something my husband can give me …