Fresh Flowers and Faux: The Perfect Combination

Fresh Flowers and Faux: The Perfect Combination

Late spring is such a wonderful time of year as we get to enjoy warmer, sunnier days and an abundance of beautiful fresh flowers in our gardens. After celebrating the beauty of the early spring plants, May is the turn of many of our favourite flowers. We love seeing the alliums, wisteria, roses and of course our absolute favourites: the beautiful peony come into bloom.

With so many wonderful flowers appearing every day, we love adding them to our favourite vase to enjoy inside. And we are sure many of you will be doing the same too! There are few things more wonderful than enjoying the beauty of fresh flowers in your home, but did you know that you can also match these flowers with your faux flower stems? 

Read on for my top tips and suggestions for creating a fabulous seasonal arrangement of fresh and faux flowers. 

How to Mix Fresh Flowers with Faux 

Our faux flower stems have been created to look as realistic and botanically correct as possible. Nearly all of our flowers have waterproof stems, except for our wooded stems and coated foliage, which means you can add water to your vase for a truly natural look. 

One of our favourite ways to combine fresh and faux is to mix fresh flowers with faux greenery. Whilst many of us grow flowers, not everyone will have access to their own eucalyptus or palm trees. Having a collection of faux flower stems on hand can be so helpful when it comes to creating larger arrangements. 

Many spring flowers also only bloom once which means that after cutting the flowers you won’t get any new ones until next season. This is where faux flowers really come into their own as it means you can leave your tulips or anemones happily flowering in the garden whilst you create displays with our beautiful faux versions. 

If you’re unlucky enough to suffer from hayfever, then adding heavily scented spring and summer flowers to your home might not be a good idea. You could instead substitute your scented flowers such as wisteria, peonies or lavender for our wonderful faux versions. That way you can enjoy all the floral beauty without any of the annoying side effects of hayfever! 

Our Favourite Fresh Flower and Faux Combinations 

If you grow roses then you will know that you need to deadhead them to keep them flowering all summer. Although we have a fabulous collection of faux roses, during the summer months there is nothing better than enjoying the scent of the real thing in your home. 

Roses are also such a wonderful flower to use in your arrangements as they look beautiful with so many flowers. We love to combine fresh roses with faux peonies, hydrangeas, astrantias and an abundance of beautiful greenery. 

Sweet peas are also another summer flower which really benefits from being cut regularly. They have such a wonderful aroma so are perfect for fragrancing your home during the summer months. We love to mix our sweet peas with faux anemones  to create smaller arrangements. 

Faux flowers can also help you to create fuller arrangements, especially if you have a large vase to fill. A few stems of wisteria or clematis looks so pretty trailing down the sides of your arrangements. 

Another popular summer flower which you might have growing in your garden is the lily. They are such wonderful flowers for using in your arrangements as they come in so many colours. However they are not always suitable if you have pets or are worried that the pollen might stain your furnishings. This is why you might prefer to leave the real ones in the garden and instead choose a few stems of faux lilies to mix with your fresh flower display. They will look fabulous combined with fresh roses and summer greenery.  

Celebrating Seasonal Flowers

We hope we have given you some wonderful ideas for creating seasonal arrangements with both fresh and faux flowers. Don’t forget that all of our individual stems are still 3 for 2 as part of our mix and match stem offer! So why not take the opportunity to stock up on some fabulous flowers or greenery to add to your fresh flowers displays.

As always, we love to see how creative you can be with our faux flowers, so please share your arrangements with us via our socials. You could also make adding seasonal flowers to your home even easier by choosing one of the gorgeous new arrangements from our Summer Collection.

We hope the rest of spring brings you lots of sunshine and beautiful flowers to enjoy both inside and out! 

May 28, 2024 — Julie Bates
Create Your Own Faux Flower Arrangement

Create Your Own Faux Flower Arrangement

It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3…

Our individual stems are perfect for creating a bespoke faux flower arrangement that is as unique as you are! All of our individual stems are currently 3 for 2 as part of our mix and match stem offer, making now the perfect time to stock up on some fabulous faux floral heaven. 

If you’ve never purchased any of our individual stems before, or would like some guidance on creating your own wonderful display, then read on for Julie’s top tips for making your own arrangements. 

 

Step One: Choose Your Vessel

The first step to creating any faux flower arrangement is choosing your vase. It is really important that you choose your vase based on where you are planning to display your beautiful arrangement. 

Planning to create a large show stopping arrangement for your entrance hall? Choosing a taller, wider vase will allow you to add lots of stems for a fuller look. 

Or would you like to create some special arrangements for your dining table? Smaller vases are perfect for entertaining as they enable you to add a touch of floral beauty to your table. Plus they also ensure you can see all of your wonderful guests as well as your flowers.

TOP TIP: The larger the vase, the more stems you will need to add to create a fuller look.

View our full collection of vases 

Step Two: Choose Your Greenery

After choosing your vessel, you will want to choose your favourite greenery. We have so many beautiful options to choose from, but one of our favourites is eucalyptus as it goes with so many spring and summer stems. 

For a larger faux flower arrangement you will probably want to choose about five or six stems of greenery. You could choose to use one type of greenery or add further interest by adding different shades and leaf shapes. We love to add a few stems of bright green viburnum to larger arrangements as they add such a wonderful fresh feel. 

For a smaller arrangement, two or three stems of greenery should be enough to add maximum impact to your displays.

TOP TIP: If any of your stems feel a little too tall for your chosen vessel, then they can be easily cut to size with a pair of wire cutters.


View our collection of Essential Greens

Step Three: Choose Your Flowers

After picking your favourite greenery, it is now time to choose your flowers. At this time of year we love to create arrangements with peonies, roses and hydrangeas. We have so many wonderful colours to choose from making these flowers perfect for all interior styles.

If you’re creating a larger floral display then you could also consider picking some trailing stems to cascade down the sides of your vase such as wisteria or clematis. Many of our flowers have quite flexible stems so they can bent to your chosen shape.

For smaller displays, you could opt for one large flower stem such as the bridal white dahlia pick or choose to add two or three with multiple flowering heads like our elegant sweet peas

TOP TIP: The more stems you add, the fuller your finished display will look. 


View our collection of stems

 

And Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches

After you have finished your gorgeous faux flower arrangement, don't forget to add a spritz of one of our Flower Fragrance sprays to ensure your display smells as heavenly as it looks! 

You could choose a fragrance to match your flowers such as English Rose or Sweet Pea or why not opt for our bestselling Fresh Flower Fragrance with its scent of rose, eucalyptus and peony. 

Enjoy Your Arrangements! 

We hope we have given you plenty of tips for creating your own fabulous arrangements with our individual stems. There are no strict rules when it comes to making faux floral displays, so remember to enjoy the process of making something which you truly love. You could even choose to create a display with just flowers or just greenery. The possibilities really are endless with our faux flower stems! 

And don’t forget to share your wonderful, bespoke creation with us on social media. We absolutely love seeing how inventive you can be with our flowers.

April 23, 2024 — Julie Bates
Celebrate Spring Flowers with Peony

Celebrate Spring Flowers with Peony

Spring Flowers are Here

The first day of spring doesn’t officially arrive in the UK until 20th March, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start celebrating its arrival early. Our new Spring Collection celebrates all of ours, and your favourite spring flowers and colours. If you’re ready to embrace the new season after a very wet and grey winter, then now is the perfect time to start. 

Whether you’re looking for a statement piece, a pot of beautiful spring bulbs or the perfect gift, our new Spring Collection has everything you are looking for.

Spring Bulbs

When the first bulbs start poking their heads out of the ground, you know that spring is on its way. We love seeing carpets of snowdrops, bluebells and daffodils in our gardens and woodlands. 

However, as spring bulbs usually only flower once it is always better to leave them in your garden rather than picking them. We have created the prettiest small arrangements which are the ideal way to enjoy these flowers in your home. 

We have planted this beautiful spring bluebell arrangement in real soil in our blue and white ceramic pot. It has been designed to look as if the flowers are living and growing for a truly natural look. 

Or you could celebrate spring with our Spring Woodland Mix in the rope lantern vase. Featuring stems of bluebells, fritillaries, hyacinths and gorgeous greenery this is a wonderful arrangement for a coffee table. 

 

Statement Spring Flowers

If you’re planning on redesigning your interior this spring, then we have the perfect arrangements for those all-important finishing touches. 

Add a hint of tropical greenery with our Areca Palms in a Terracotta Urn. This would look wonderful in an entrance hall, garden room or a bathroom. 

Neutral interiors fans will love this elegant, arrangement of peonies, roses and beautiful spring blossoms in the tall Goblet glass vase. Perfect for adding a wow factor to any of your living spaces through spring and beyond. 

 

Spring Gifts 

Spring flowers are perfect for gifting for birthdays and special occasions as they come in so many pretty colours. However, due to their delicate nature many spring flowers do not last long before they start to wilt and fade. If you choose one of our faux arrangements, then you will be giving a gift that lasts forever. 

Our beautiful arrangement of bluebells and daffodils in the Pristina vase is the perfect spring thank you gift. We also think our set of three pastel pink peonies and foliage would be perfect for a spring birthday. If you’re looking for an arrangement for a special anniversary then our fabulous arrangement of mixed roses, wisteria, eucalyptus and spring greenery is sure to impress. 

 

Mother’s Day Gifting

Sunday 10th March is Mother’s Day and to celebrate, we have a collection of beautiful arrangements which will be admired forever. 

Our Mother’s Day arrangement of pink roses, sweet peas, carnations and spring foliage is a gift you will be so proud to send. Your flowers come arranged in our pink, waisted vase and are finished with a pretty bow, gift bag and bottle of Fresh Flower fragrance. 

For a different way to gift roses you could opt for this beautiful cream rose bush arrangement. Set into the large, engraved ceramic vessel, it is the perfect way to enjoy roses all year round.  

 

Embrace Spring Flowers 

We hope we have given you some fabulous inspiration for welcoming in a touch of spring beauty to your interior this season. If you love spring bulbs and spring flowers then our faux arrangements really are the perfect way to embrace the new season. 

View the full Spring Collection

February 21, 2024 — Julie Bates
Autumn Interiors Trends

Autumn Interiors Trends

September is often seen as a time of new beginnings. From the start of a new school or university year to the new season, there is much to look forward to. You might also be thinking about new adventures or even just an autumn refresh of your interior. Perhaps, like us, you are planning to update your home for autumn by adding some seasonal accessories or faux flowers. Before we start our new season update, we always like to find out what autumn’s interior trends are.

As well as giving us inspiration for our autumn arrangements, it also means we can easily incorporate the trends without spending too much money. A factor we know is at the forefront of most people’s minds this year. 

If you need a little interior inspiration this month, then read on as we share our top picks of this autumn’s interior trends. 

Warming Neutrals 

We know that many of you might have fully embraced the neutral interiors trend. If you are starting to get bored of all the creams and greys, then this trend could be for you. Adding mineral or earthy tones to your home can add interest and warmth. It is also an easy way to add colour without repainting walls or investing in new furniture.  

An easy way to embrace this trend is to replace plain or neutral vases for coloured ones. For example, both our Copper Lustre, Footed Hourglass Vase and Mouth Blown Amber Vase with a Lustre Finish will help to create a fresh new look for your existing Peony arrangements. 

You could also consider adding warmth to your home by changing the type of artificial flowers you have on display. If you have been enjoying the beauty of white or cream hydrangeas this summer, then why not switch them for these wonderful Autumnal Green Hydrangeas on a Long Woody Stem. The gorgeous pale green is exactly the same shade that real hydrangeas start to turn in autumn. Or for a slightly more dramatic and bolder look, opt for our stunning Purple and Green Pom Pom Hydrangea Stem.

 

New Season Greenery

Adding houseplants to your home is an interior trend which is definitely here to stay. However if you’re not very green fingered then we have the perfect solution. Our wonderful selection of faux houseplants means you can easily embrace this autumn interiors trend. And you don't have to worry about watering them either!

Our top picks from our collection include these incredibly natural looking ferns in an engraved pot and our elegant Bonsai tree in real moss. Both have been created to look as botanically correct as possible.

Russet Tones

No list of autumn interiors trends would be complete without including classic autumn colours. From vibrant red and orange to pale yellow or gold. An easy way into this trend is to add your favourite flowers and foliage to a simple glass vessel. You could even create different sized displays for several rooms in your home.

Some of our favourite stems for this season include the brightness of our Orange and Yellow Daisy Stem with Buds and Foliage, these beautiful Red Trailing berries and our Real touch brown/green fern stem

Or for an even simpler way to add a hint of autumn to your home, why not select one of our fabulous seasonal arrangements such as this gorgeous Yellow Chrysanthemums and Foliage with Woody Branched Berries which comes complete with our glass optic vase.

 

New Season Metallics

Gold is set to be a very big interiors trend, not just for autumn, but also into 2024 as well. This doesn’t mean you have to rush out and order gold wallpaper to redecorate your entire home though. Think more along the lines of adding a hint of gold via beautiful metallic accessories. This will add a luxurious look to your interior, even if you do not have the luxurious budget to match. 

Again, an easy way to embrace this trend is by swapping your existing vases for something in a golden tone which will perfectly catch the autumnal sunshine. One of our favourite vases is this stunning geometric Handmade Metallic Ceramic Vessel. Perfect for displaying any of your taller stems. 

Another fabulous option is this glamorous Real Touch Black Phalaenopsis Orchid in a Rose Gold Ceramic Vase. A must have piece for any orchid fan! 

 

Enjoy The New Season

We hope our guide to this autumn’s interior trends has given you plenty of ideas for updating your home for the new season. You don’t have to make big changes to create a fresh new look for any of the spaces in your home. It can be as simple as changing the colour or shape of your vase. Or by adding a few autumnal stems to an existing arrangement. As always, we would love to see how you are styling your Peony flowers and vessels in your home. So don’t forget to tag us in your social media posts or drop us a message to let us know how you’ll be celebrating the new autumn season. 

September 27, 2023 — Julie Bates
5 Reasons to Choose Faux Flowers For Your Wedding Day

5 Reasons to Choose Faux Flowers For Your Wedding Day

Congratulations to you if you have recently got engaged and have started planning your perfect wedding day! Organising a wedding can be one of the most exciting, yet also one of the most stressful (and expensive) things that we will do in our lives. 

From choosing a venue to writing the guest list and searching for the perfect outfit, the “to do” list can feel never ending at times. One other thing you should also consider organising sooner rather than later is your wedding flowers. With many florists booked up months in advance, and the cost of fresh flowers increasing with the seasons, picking your perfect flowers might be harder than you think. 

However, there is another way: faux flowers. Not convinced that faux will offer you the look you have been dreaming of? Well, read on as we provide you with 5 amazing reasons why you should choose faux over fresh.    

1) You can organise and choose your exact flowers earlier

Whilst you can find a florist, see examples of their work and look at the type of roses or peonies etc. that you would like, you will not get to see your actual wedding flowers until they arrive two to three days before your wedding.  

However, if you choose to work with a florist or company that specialises in faux flowers, you will be able to pick every single flower and piece of foliage many months in advance. If you have a particular shade of pink or white in mind then you will be able to view their entire collection of flowers and find the exact colours to match your colour scheme. 

2) You do not have to worry about what season you’re getting married in and whether your flowers will be available

A summer wedding is perfect for many of our favourite flowers, as they are in season and readily available. But, this is obviously not the case if you’re having a spring or winter wedding. If you would like your bouquet or aisle flowers to include roses, and you’re getting married in November, then your florist will have to import them from South America or Africa. Not only will your flowers have a larger carbon footprint, they will also be far more expensive to source. 

If you choose faux then your florist will have a large supply of roses, in all colours, regardless of the season. Your flowers will also cost you the same in winter as they would at the height of summer - perfect if you are trying to keep to a strict floral budget!  

3) Faux flowers will last forever 

It might seem an obvious thing to say, but cut flowers will generally only last for a maximum of two weeks. Whereas faux flowers, if looked after properly, will still look as good in ten years time as they do now. 

This makes faux flowers the perfect option for not only your bridal bouquet but also for your bridesmaids and flower girl arrangements too. After your wedding day you can keep your bouquet and arrange it in your favourite vase to enjoy all year round as a beautiful keepsake. Your bridesmaids and flower girls can also keep their flowers as a thank you for being part of your special day. 

4) Faux flowers are the perfect choice for destination weddings

If you are getting married abroad, either in Europe or further afield, then you can easily cross “organise wedding bouquet and bridesmaid flowers” off your list by choosing faux. Faux flowers pack really well so can be added to your suitcase alongside your wedding outfit and accessories. Taking your own bouquet with you also ensures that you are not disappointed if the wedding flowers you organised by email turn out not to look as good in reality as they did in the photographs.  

5) Faux flowers are incredibly realistic

One of the most common questions we are asked here at Peony Faux Flowers is whether our flowers look as good as the real thing. Often this is by people who have never physically seen our flowers before, but when they do, they soon realise just how botanically correct they are. We have worked closely with our suppliers to create exact copies of flowers both in our own gardens and of all the florists' favourite flowers. Many of our flowers, especially our roses, have real to the touch petals to make them even more realistic.

We are confident that unless you tell your guests your wedding bouquet is made of faux flowers, none of them will be able to tell, such is the realism of our flowers.    

One final reason to choose faux

We hope we have convinced you that faux flowers have so many wonderful advantages over real ones. However, there is one final reason which we have missed off our list: our new collaboration with the wonderful team at Shropshire Wedding Events. This new collaboration combines our beautiful Peony Faux Flowers with their wedding organising expertise to help offer you the most fabulous pieces to hire for your wedding day. 

From gorgeous aisle designs to table centrepieces and so much more, our fabulous faux creations are the perfect choice for your wedding, allowing you to tick off one more thing on that ever-expanding to do list! 

Good luck with the rest of your wedding planning x

June 12, 2023 — Julie Bates
Enjoy Rose Season All Year Round with Peony Faux Flowers

Enjoy Rose Season All Year Round with Peony Faux Flowers

May is such a wonderful time of year in the garden as so many beautiful flowers seem to be bursting into life on an almost daily basis. As the last of the tulips and other spring bulbs fade for another year, our amazing peonies, wisteria and roses start to make their appearance. This month also signals the start of the main flower show season with the RHS Malvern Spring Festival taking place in the middle of the month shortly followed by one of our favourite shows: The Chelsea Flower Show. Whilst we love to see all of the incredible show gardens, our team gets most excited by all the new flower varieties on display in the Great Pavilion. In particular we absolutely love to see what new roses all the amazing growers have produced for this year as they have provided us with so much inspiration over the years. 

Our favourite flowers

It goes without saying that our absolute favourite flower is the peony, but following a close second has to be the rose. There are hundreds of different rose varieties to pick from in a stunning array of colours and they look just as magnificent growing in the garden as they do in a vase in our homes. Roses can flower in the garden for a few weeks or a few months, depending on the variety you grow. However, if you do not have your own garden, or haven’t got the space to grow as many roses as you would like, then our faux roses are the perfect option. As well as being beautiful to look at, our faux roses enable you to enjoy rose season all year round! 

Pick your own rose stems

We have created so many different rose varieties at Peony Faux Flowers over the years with many of them exact copies of the ones growing in our own gardens. Within our current summer collection, you will find dogwood rose stems; beautiful Old English roses; delicate climbing roses and the classic cabbage rose to name just a few! Many of our individual rose stems are also real to the touch meaning they feel exactly the same as touching a real rose petal. 

The Perfect Match

Roses look fabulous arranged in your favourite vase on their own, but they also match perfectly with so many other beautiful summer stems. We love to arrange our roses with wisteria, peonies, dahlias, hydrangeas or sweet peas, however they also work with gorgeous greenery such as eucalyptus or viburnum. Now is also the perfect time to stock up on our individual stems, as they are all available as part of our summer 3 for 2 mix and match stem offer! Simply add 3 stems to your shopping basket and receive the lowest price stem for free. 

Our Summer Rose Collection 

If you find the process of creating your own bespoke floral display a little daunting, then we have some stunning rose arrangements for you to choose from. Here are some of our favourites from this year’s summer collection:

Medium Rose and Foliage Bouquet - This bouquet features gorgeous pastel pink roses alongside an abundance of summer greenery. It has been created to look as if you have cut all of the stems straight from your garden. Perfect for adding a hint of colour to your interior this summer or for gifting to friends and family.   

Rose, Calla Lily and Foliage Bouquet - If you’re looking for an elegant summer arrangement for your home, then we think this bouquet will be the perfect piece for you. We have combined gorgeous pastel pink vendela roses with calla lilies and soft green foliage to create this wonderful bouquet. It will look simply stunning in your favourite tall vessel.   

Old English Roses and Eucalyptus in a Small Coral Vase - Old English roses are so many people’s favourite rose variety. These beautiful cream roses look so realistic with their buds and leaves. Arranged with the eucalyptus spray which is the perfect foliage to give that natural look, this display comes complete with our small coral vase. An ideal arrangement for your coffee table this summer. 

Roses, Peonies and Foliage Hand-Tied Bouquet in a Large Coastal Vase - This arrangement is summer in a vase! Our large coastal vase simply overflows with pastel pink roses, gorgeous white peonies and an abundance of green foliage. It is a real show stopping arrangement which would look stunning displayed on your entrance hall table. 

Peach Sophia Roses with Fern and Berries in a Rope Lantern Vase - The Sophia rose is one of our favourite roses and these ones come in such a pretty shade of peach. Displayed with green ferns and pretty berries, we have set this arrangement in our still water within the gorgeous rope lantern vase. A wonderful display for your home or for gifting for a summer birthday. 

The Finishing Touches

We hope we have given you plenty of inspiration for adding the beauty of roses to your home for summer and beyond. From our gorgeous collection of individual stems to our beautiful pre-made bouquets and arrangements, there really is a colour for every interior style. Don’t forget that you can also make sure your floral displays smell as good as they look with our fragrance sprays. Our English Rose fragrance has been created to smell as if you are walking through a summer rose garden in full bloom! 

As always, we love to see our flowers in your home, so whether you are creating your own bespoke displays or adding our arrangements to your interior this summer, then don’t forget to share them with us on social media!

May 04, 2023 — Julie Bates
Our Top Styling Tips: How to Create Your Own Arrangements

Our Top Styling Tips: How to Create Your Own Arrangements

Unless you are naturally creative or have received floristry training, arranging flowers in a vase can be a daunting task for many. One of the questions myself and the Peony team are often asked is: how do we style our Peony flowers to look as good as they do on your website and in our shop? If you follow us on our social channels, then you will have seen our regular styling tutorial videos which we hope you all find helpful. 
November 22, 2022 — Julie Bates