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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To find it strange to hang a fake flower wreath on your front door at the height of summer

115 replies

Buxusmortus · 23/06/2025 18:51

I have seen quite a few of these recently, in houses with actual front gardens.
It's the height of the flowering season, real flowers are everywhere, why on earth does a door need a fake flower wreath in summer?

I hate fake winter wreaths at Christmas but at least I can understand it more then, with bare gardens and trees and with it being more traditional to have a wreath at that time of year. Sometimes I make my own out of real foliage etc then or sometimes I don't bother with one.

A couple of people near me have had a fake flower one up since before Easter, surely they get dirty, dusty and faded, as well as looking generally crap.
It's a very strange thing.

Edited to say I accidentally appeared to have added a poll, did not intend to do that.

OP posts:
JaninaDuszejko · 24/06/2025 08:09

The 'American' aspect is the wasteful use of fake plastic decorations to mark the passing of the seasons rather than using real seasonal objects. The medieval Germans and Scandinavians weren't putting up a plastic everlasting wreath were they? Nobody is objecting to the marking of the seasons, it's the use of so much plastic to do it that's the issue. It's perfectly possible to make seasonal wreaths out of longer lasting natural materials so you don't need to spend a fortune at the florist.

Ponoka7 · 24/06/2025 09:14

Buxusmortus · 23/06/2025 22:53

That's interesting. Do you think there's a correlation between, say, plastic all seasons wreaths, real Christmas wreaths only or no wreaths, and types of neighbourhood, or types of housing within areas?

So do you think that you can judge people inside the houses, or just 'the neighbourhood? You make a lot of assumptions, from my experience, they are wrong. So what if someone thinks it's naff? All those people you and your quoted poster look down on, are the people scrapping by on low wages, the hospital porters, cleaners, cateting staff etc. I like seasonal decorations and get the reindeer etc that you talk about. I used to have a real tree, but the twat cat, I've got, would just piss and chew it to bits. I theme my rooms. I do like real Christmas wreaths. My GC like the sparkly door bow, their Mum chooses. The fashion of using door bows has been around for at least ten years, before that you'd have to pay for someone to dress your door and it was out of reach for most people. I don't do air fresheners. I did home care/worked with families and know that one action/like doesn't nearly slot people into a category. You'd probably hate me because I use window stickers as well, Easter, Halloween, Christmas. If buying and hanging something on a door, brings someone a bit of joy, then they should crack on. People have different personalities, try taking them as you are and you'll be much more content.

Ponoka7 · 24/06/2025 09:18

@JaninaDuszejko if you'd lived through the 70's, then you'd have seen everything go plastic. The Germans invented the artificial Christmas tree, as a response to deforestation. We can't blame America for everything.

JoshLymanSwagger · 24/06/2025 09:21

myplace · 23/06/2025 22:24

It’s the crochet doll loo roll cover of our time

I think, somewhere, I have a knitting pattern for one of those.
🧶

JoshLymanSwagger · 24/06/2025 09:26

Buxusmortus · 23/06/2025 23:00

Fake box balls dangling on a chain is just as odd as the plastic flowered summer wreath. Especially the ones that have fake flowers stuck all over them.

I'm starting to wonder if you know my NDN.
She has the fake wreath, fake box balls with flowers, fake hanging baskets and fake planters at the front, and fake plastic grass at the back.
She changes then when they fade, so it must be costing her a small fortune.

amooseymoomum · 24/06/2025 09:28

It seems to be the thing at the moment, much as I can be bothered with a wreath at Christmas.
I hate those silk flower hanging baskets and balls. OH says, Over my dead body

ImFineItsAllFine · 24/06/2025 09:49

I don't have a fake flower wreath on my door but several neighbours do, they are OK, I don't really see the problem tbh.

Surely it's a good thing to have neighbours that are taking some pride in their house and making an effort to have the front looking nice, even if their taste is not the same as yours?

Onetwosix · 24/06/2025 09:52

Well I've got a fake lavender wreath that stays up all year except at Christmas when I put a fake Christmas one up 😂 Am I meant to make my own wreath from fresh flowers from my garden every week through the whole of summer? Or buy a new one every week? No time for that.
And it's not for Instagram or for show because it's on my back door so only I and a few visitors see it anyway.

5foot5 · 24/06/2025 10:00

Foreverm0re · 23/06/2025 22:22

An annoying American thing we seem to have adopted over here.

I don't know whether it is American or not.
I have nothing against seasonal wreaths in principle, though personally I only go for a Christmas one and I make it myself out of foraged materials.

Like the OP though I prefer ones made out of real materials to fake. However, @Buxusmortus, have you considered that at this time of year, although there are lots of real flowers around, they probably won't last long once cut. Hence a real wreath would need constant maintenance to replace the bits as they die off. At least with a Christmas one it is outside in cool weather and only has to look good for about 3 weeks if you put it up in mid December.

So I can see how this would work with short seasonal things like Easter or Halloween. But trying to keep one for the whole of an actual Season, like Spring or Summer, is very likely going to end up being a fake one unless the owner has lots of time on their hands to keep it fresh.

RobertaFirmino · 24/06/2025 10:10

Flowers? In summer? How very dare they!

myplace · 24/06/2025 10:31

JoshLymanSwagger · 24/06/2025 09:21

I think, somewhere, I have a knitting pattern for one of those.
🧶

No thank you.

😆

They were once very aspirational, and a sign of a houseproud family.

JaninaDuszejko · 24/06/2025 17:44

Ponoka7 · 24/06/2025 09:18

@JaninaDuszejko if you'd lived through the 70's, then you'd have seen everything go plastic. The Germans invented the artificial Christmas tree, as a response to deforestation. We can't blame America for everything.

I did live through the 70s and actually knew very few people with plastic trees, I grew up on a farm on a remote island so we were quite backward, plenty plastic decorations though. But I think we all now know that plastic is horrible long lasting waste and we should try and reduce our use of it. I understand why people like to have seasonal decorations but the move to plastic versions is not good. And I don't think it's even a class thing particularly, there's plenty middle class people buying expensive plastic wreaths and 'silk' flowers and 'luxury' Christmas trees, my top hit on google for 'luxury wreath' is an everlasting wreath for £92 which is more than I pay for my real Christmas wreath each year.

FatherFrosty · 24/06/2025 17:45

I’ve got a dried flower one. Hate plastic ones

Buxusmortus · 24/06/2025 21:00

myplace · 24/06/2025 10:31

No thank you.

😆

They were once very aspirational, and a sign of a houseproud family.

From what I remember at the time they were down-market and often joked about, but used by the Hyacinth Bucket types who thought it was aspirational to have carpet up the side of the bath and those matching sets of bathmat, mat round the loo and loo seat cover🤮made of that noodly type of fabric that car wash mitts are now made of.

OP posts:
myplace · 25/06/2025 06:57

Buxusmortus · 24/06/2025 21:00

From what I remember at the time they were down-market and often joked about, but used by the Hyacinth Bucket types who thought it was aspirational to have carpet up the side of the bath and those matching sets of bathmat, mat round the loo and loo seat cover🤮made of that noodly type of fabric that car wash mitts are now made of.

At the end of the trend, yes. I assume a lot of people liked them at the start… I know my mum turned her nose up at them.

A lot of people round here hang plastic topiary balls and such like. They look cheerful but fake for about a week, then sad for a few years.

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