Artificial plants

Artificial plants - buying guide

Artificial plants are a no-brainer - they bring colour and cheer to your home and garden throughout the year, they require almost no maintenance, they don't get eaten by insects or catch diseases and they last for years. However, not all artificial plants are the same! Here's what to look for when you choose yours:

Durability

This is mainly a concern if you're buying artificial plants for the outdoors. While it's easy enough to unhook and bring in hanging baskets or topiaries, you can't easily pull out bedding plants that you've arranged when the weather gets cold, windy or snowy. Most sellers will tell you if their plants are meant for outdoors but one thing to look for is UV fade resistance. You don't want your plant to fade too quickly as it will no longer look as realistic.

With pots or without

You'll often see artificial plants on websites and in brochures, displayed in nice pots. However, in most cases you should be aware that these won't be included in the price and are photographed for display purposes only. This might be a bit of a disappointment but it gives you as a buyer the opportunity to choose your own containers to perfectly match your garden!

One thing to consider is how to secure the plants in your pots - often they just come with plastic 'roots' so you'll need some sort of substrate to keep them in place. You can use a variety of materials - sand, soil or bark chips for example - but make sure that the plant is really secure so that it doesn't blow out on blustery days. Anchoring the bottom of the 'roots' with stones will help keep it in your choice of pot.

Size

When you're buying artificial plants, keep in mind that the sizes in the photograph can be very deceiving. We see the odd piece of negative feedback and it's very often because people haven't checked the size (which is always in the description) to see if it is right for them. If you buy your containers first, you'll have a good idea of how big the plant needs to be in order to fill it - and by checking the listing with the help of a ruler or tape measure, you'll avoid disappointment.

In conclusion:

Artificial plants are the perfect way to go if you're lacking green fingers or don't have the time to keep watering and trimming real plants! They come in a variety of gorgeous colours and keep your garden looking bright and cheerful all year round, whatever the weather.