Wowza, it's Wednesday ... and I am in shock. I know we all took Monday off, but it also felt like a two day Sunday so the fact that the week is half over is just crazy to me. Today I am chatting about something I think I have mastered and would love to share. We are going to break down the topic of faux vs real plants and more specifically mixing them together. I have always wanted amazing topiaries for the front of our house, but after buying and killing two sets I gave up. That is until I decided to embrace them in a different capacity and now I am loving how they look. The funny thing is ... the house I have always loved in the neighborhood that inspired the topiaries are also using faux and I had no idea until I decided to purchase and try them out.
Do you shy away from faux plants? Maybe you shouldn't.
Let's break that down.
For years I have driven past and stalked enjoyed a house in our neighborhood. It is right at the entrance and is just darling. It is white with the most precious front and darling landscaped yard. The shutters and front door are black and the door is accented with a pair of lush and thriving topiaries. I have loved this house since the first time we looked at ours 18 years ago last month. It is just so pretty and so very timeless. About four years ago I decided I would try a pair of topiaries at our front door since they were clearly thriving for my neighbor. I snagged some boxwood topiaries and babied them. Within months they were dead. I was so upset, but the next spring I tried again. My husband jokes that plants come to our house to die ... and before last year I would agree. I just didn't realize how much attention and love they really need. This time I chose a pair of gardenia topiaries since gardenias are thriving next to our steps. I mean, what could go wrong?
Short story, they died and I decided to just give up. I clearly was not meant to have them at the front door. Fast forward to the lemon tree + stunning pot in my office. I have never purchased a faux plant and after getting the one I have now and adding it to my office I realized how amazing they can be. I get so many compliments on this tree and a constant ... is that real? It is just so good and provides me with endless happy moments when I spy it in the sunny corner.
So ... when I was working on my front door yet again this winter I decided to try my hand at faux topiaries. Frontgate had just sent me two stunning planters for our front door and I wanted to make sure I "planted" something that would thrive and the only thing I knew to do was try my hand at a faux. I mean all the others up and died so I knew I was safe with a fake, right? After doing some investigative reporting I found that a lot of people use faux since real topiaries "can be tricky". You think?? With a coupon I ordered this set and when they arrived I was really skeptical. They looked so fake ... and I was sure I would be sad.
That is when I decided to try my hand at a mix of faux + real. The pots I have are large and there was room for extra dirt so I decided to fill the pot with pansies since the weather was cold. Pansies thrive in Georgia in the winter, and I spotted some darling pale yellow ones that I loved. So ... faux topiaries were paired with real pansies and it worked. I started to get comments from walkers who would stop and compliment my topiaries daily. The ladies who walk (as I like to call them) were spotted stopped in front of my house taking notes and pointing and chatting. This is the equivalent of a yard of the month sign ... and I felt victorious.
About that time I noticed the same white house as I was leaving the neighborhood one day. The yard crew were there and they were blowing her yard and doorstep. When I saw the gentleman blew the topiaries and they barely moved I knew they were faux. Here I had been coveting her incredible "faux" plants for years thinking they were real. Once again I felt victorious. I had mastered the best pairing.
This spring I swapped out my full grown pansies for spring and summer flowers and once again they are thriving. I could not be happier and I am here to convince you to do the same. I also have a faux hydrangea tree on the porch that is about to get the same love ... so stay tuned for that transformation. Adding in the real greenery and flowers truly helps the faux plant so much.
The recipe ... these pots + these topiaries + great potting soil (for the added real plants) + seasonal flowers or greenery + moss.
Three cheers for topiaries that don't kick the bucket! 😉
I just bought the most fabulous faux ficus tree/plant at Goodwill, of all places, for $23.00. I'm sure it would have been hundreds of dollars purchased new. Score!!! It is huge (between 7 and 9 feet tall),lush, gorgeous,and looks absolutely real. I put it in a big blue pot with Spanish moss, and it is perfection. Just what our dining room needed.
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