Are fake flowers in the garden tacky and cheap looking?

[NoEffingWay]

To preface, I am a terrible gardener who kills all plants. I have wasted so much money and time trying to tend a garden whilst basically watching it die.

I went down an internet rabbit hole and ended up buying a load of fake flowers which will fill all of my plant pots and hanging baskets. My hope is that they will give the desert wasteland some colour. What I don’t want is the look of a children's play centre! What are your thoughts? I can return it all unless I ‘plant’ it. 😃

Wouldn't be my choice but it's not my garden. They will get faded by the sun and look awful in a couple of years. More tat for landfill.

Oh dear. Please, don't. They will look fake for a while, then they will look faded and fake. Just get yourself some low maintenance shrubs and let your grass grow wild. Our wildlife needs all the help it can get.

Yes, they are... and don't get me started on fake lawns... just no.

Yes.

And fake grass is naff - and it gets weeds in it !

Truthfully, I can't stand them at all. I think they're so naff.

Now if you don't care, then it's not my issue at all, you do you and don't worry about matters of taste! But if you didn't care, you wouldn't have asked. 🙂

I do have a real lawn which gets mown every few weeks in the summer. It’s gets sun during the afternoon a bit, but is the size of a postage stamp. No borders, just pots. I rent so can’t really get a landscape gardener in!

Yes, but if it cheers you up just now, why not. Don't throw them immediately away, spray them when they fade with spray paint, changing colours over time.

I like the idea of spray painting them to keep them fresh. I’m very much a keen recycler and do my best not to add to landfill.

Oh please don't... It does look awful. Post a pic of the pots you've got and I'm sure we can think of some things to go in them that are low maintenance and attractive! If you live in Herts I've even got spare plants.

Yeah, sorry, you won’t like it

I think they're as tacky as anything. See also fake grass

I’m not feeling that spray painting is going to improve matters (holy moly)

You've already bought them which is going to make responses more measured but if you hadn't bought them yet I think you'd get a stronger "don't do it!"

If they can be returned, I would. They look bad and are terrible for the environment as they take the place of a plant that could do good for bees and other insects.

If you are a bad gardener (I am), then buy things that are very easy to grow but still look nice and attract bees. Like lavender, campanula. Honeysuckle/jasmine for the walls. Or just have a plain lawn and instead put up ornaments like mirrors, birdbaths etc.

What about bulbs (low maintenance) or wildflowers. You can get seed bomb type things and just leave them to do their thing!

It's great to have a real garden, time and effort but not everyone does.

If it's pots you're looking to fill, then herbs such as rosemary and mint are basically indestructible.

I'm going against the grain here. I've got a very small garden, and I knew that I wouldnt be able to tend to pots this year due to having major surgery. I've got three or four pots full of fake flowers and a few tall grasses which means I can sit in the sun and recuperate whilst having nice looking plants to add colour. Even friends have been surprised when they realised they're fake! To be honest, do what makes you happy!

Not great for the wildlife, especially the bees….

Plastic starts to degrade in the sun and leaches out nasty chemicals into the groundwater. It's really bad tbh

@NoEffingWay I think fake flowers in a few hanging baskets will look fine especially as they’re more a sort of decor piece but not sure about anywhere else like pots and borders.

All I can say is I've never seen outdoor ones that you can't tell at driving speed that they are fake!!!

I have seen more realistic indoor plants.

Hardy geraniums are very easy to care for....and flower for ages.

Tesco were selling osteospermum at 3 for £5. They won't survive the winter but they are pretty drought tolerant so you wouldn't have to be too strict with watering. They flower all summer and really brighten up a space.

Where in the country are you? Do you get a lot or a little rain?

I have a blueberry bush in a large pot which I almost never water (it did struggle with the recent dry spell but it will recover with very little TLC). Just make sure you plant with ericaceous compost. (I'm NE Scotland)..

Strawberries practically grow themselves, give nice greenery, flowers and obviously then reward you with fruit.

The herb suggestion earlier on is a good one. Chives would give the most interesting flowers (in my opinion).

I left a rose in the pot it came in on my patio for a year and it was fine. Again, I am not good at watering my pots.

What have you tried before that hasn't worked?

Truly, truly awful - they look extremely tacky and are terrible for the environment.

Please don’t, flowers are for insects too. We just buy pots from b&q, things like viola, they are cheap and spread quickly. A decent rose isn’t difficult, just feed a couple of times a year. I’ve got jasmine that’s thriving despite forgetting to water it through the dry weather. Rosemary is really hardy, no killed mine yet. Failing that get wildflower seeds, our poppies are large daisies look amazing and I do nothing except strim them back each autumn

As someone else suggested get some cheap Rosemary, chives and mint from a supermarket to put in the pots. Cheap and don't need any looking after really.

Next door has fake grass and plants. They like it. Not my thing but not my house. They also love everything in their home to be white whereas we have colours throughout. Neither of us is right. Make the space look how you want and be happy.