Faux Blooming Branches You Can Make

Do you like the look of a vase on a table in your home filled with tall forced flowering branches? Don’t have any to bring in from your yard? Then make your own with this easy faux blooming branches DIY. These pretty branches can be made in less than an hour and will look like the real thing with only one difference… no watering needed.

Close up of ceramic planer filled with black river rocks and DIY artificial forced branches.

When I decorate my living room console table, I need to go big, so that whatever I place on it looks in harmony with the oversize Roman numeral clock I made that is hanging on the wall.

Large Roman numeral wall clock on wall with a ceramic planter filled with faux forced branches with purple flowers.

Small items end up looking like clutter.

So when deciding how to GO BIG for spring, I decided to make my own faux flowering branches using branches from a tree in my yard and artificial flower petals that I had in my decor stash.

Faux blooming branches in large planter behind a sofa

It didn’t cost me a thing to create as I had everything I needed.

I like how the color purple looks in this room against the wood paneled walls and the white sofa. It is my White and Woodsy Spring Edition.

Looking across a console table decorated for spring with faux forced flowering branches.

Instead of using moss as the filler for the planter, I used black river rocks. They give the flowering branches a modern vibe. I have white river rocks also, but I will save them for summer.

Faux blooming branches in large planter behind a sofa

How to Make Faux Blooming Branches

supplies needed:

  • Branches from trees/shrubs in your yard or from the craft store’s floral department
  • Faux flowers – 2 – 3 heads I used purple hydrangeas
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Scissors
  • River Rocks – optional

Time needed: 50 minutes

How to make faux forced flowering branches to decorate your home for spring or any season using any faux flower.

  1. Find Branches


    In your yard, look for tall branches from trees or shrubs that have a nice shape or line to them. Use snipping pruners to cut one or more to fill a vase or planter.

  2. Add Styrofoam to Vase


    Stuff vase with pieces of Styrofoam saved from packaging or from the craft store. Fill the rest with bunched up plastic grocery style bags.

    Cut the branch to the height desired and push ends into the Styrofoam to secure them in vase.

    Styrofoam stuffed in planter to hold branches in place.

  3. Fill Top of Vase

    Instead of using moss, use river rocks to cover the Styrofoam.

    Black river rocks used instead of moss in a ceramic planter filled with Faux blooming branches.

  4. Remove Petals From Faux Flowers

    Depending on how they are made, use a pair of scissors to snip the flowers from a faux flower head or simply pull them off. When cutting them off, make sure to take a little bit of the back stem on each petal. Doing this will keep each bloom together.

    Faux flower petals snipped from the head of faux flower head.

  5. Add Hot Glue


    Place the petals face down on work surface and place a dot or two of hot glue on the back side of a flower petal.

    Adding hot glue to the back of snipped purple flower blooms from a fake flower stem.

  6. Attach to Branches

    Press the flower petal on a branch. Repeat this process until you fill the branches with blooms to get the look you want.

    You can place two or more blooms together to create size variations along the branches.

    Make sure to space the various colors evenly around the branches to create color balance.

    Looking across a console table decorated for spring with faux forced flowering branches.

  7. All Done


    The nice thing about making your own faux forced blooming branches is that they won’t wilt or need a green thumb to keep them alive. :-)

Do you have any old or unused faux flower stems in your decorating stash that can be taken apart and used to make forced branches or in a creative decorative way?

Faux blooming branches in large planter behind a sofa

More Faux Flower Decorating Ideas:

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17 Comments

  1. Oh my gosh! This forced-flower branch idea is crazy easy-looking! I’m going to try it this week as soon as I take away my Easter decor. Thank you for the step by step instructions. The arrangement that you made goes so well in your lovely lake home. Enjoy your family holiday, Diane!

    1. Lol, I looked through the comments and saw I commented on this same project a year ago! Never got around to doing the project then, but I hope this time I actually get in gear and make the arrangement for my home!

  2. So clever! This was a great rainy afternoon project. And even after I had pulled flowers from my silk hydrangeas, they were still full enough to use as is! Bonus 😄

  3. Nadine Crow says:

    Love the look of this and can’t wait to try it out! I’ll be on the look out for branches I can use from my own yard but need to track down some silk flowers as pretty as yours.
    Thank you for the inspiration!

  4. Sue Bauman says:

    Diane, this idea of yours is practically perfect in every way! I actually have all the ingredients to do it, too. Thanks for the superb instructions.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sue – Thanks. It is one of those projects that come together easily.

  5. Connie McGhee says:

    Again you amaze me! Oh, and I thought of a name for my decorating style. Glam attic!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Connie – I Love it!!! Glam Attic :-) Perfect only with two words, I can envision it.

  6. That looks so great! I love how it came out, and I love the pop of color-even better that it was free. You have such fun ideas. :)

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Thanks Tracey – I agree with you. Free is always a good thing when decorating. :-)

  7. I am enjoying the plant based lifestyle. Your protein balls are to die for and I have made several batches of the cookies also. I bought two of the 4 books you recommended so I’m learning more everyday. I have struggled with getting my strength back after being sick for so long but am feeling better since going plant based. Could use some tips in roasting or cooking vegetables. I have been using vegetable both to cook them with but they seem dry and bland. Thank again so much for the plant based posts. They seemed to generate several responses.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Nancy –

      I was not sure if was going to share on the blog what I have been doing, but am so glad I did as so many readers are interested. I will be posting more about it from now on.

      When cooking and baking plant-based no oil does take some time to get used to and figure out what works. Here are a few tips I learned that have helped food not taste dry or bland. When I roast veggies and or potatoes in the oven, I follow most recipes for roasting, but instead of adding oil, I use Aquafaba which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It does have salt in it, but when you coat the veggies with it along with herbs and seasonings tou like, they come out with a crispness.

      When sauteing veggies, let the pan get hot first, then add a little water or veggie broth in then the onions and other veggies. Stir frequently. If the veggies start sticking, add more veggie broth, a little at a time until the veggies are done to your liking. Don’t put too much water/broth in at once or the veggies will end up getting steamed and become mushy.

      For seasoning, start experimenting with herbs and spices. I found that I like Smoked Paprika on everything. I also squeeze lemon juice on a lot of veggies and bean recipes. Curry , garlic powder and onion powder are my go to. If I really need a little salt, I add a tiny bit of Herbamare. It is a sea salt with herbs. You can see it here: https://amzn.to/31MMRRj

  8. That is just incredible.
    Really clever idea.

  9. Diane, you’re a genius! Love, love, love this idea. And I have everything I need as well. I so agree with you that small decor objects look like clutter, even though I may love each individual thing. I have begun to give away the “smalls” that used to decorate my home.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Thanks Lori – Enjoy creating your faux blooming branches.

  10. One of the best ideas ever for re-purposing what’s on hand, Diane! River rocks are more unexpected than moss and yes, add a modern vibe. Time to retire the early-spring pussy willows. Cheers to a creative day!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Thanks Char – In my previous house in PA, we had pussy willows. I brought them in every spring. I haven’t seen any in SC. I miss them.