So it's that time of year again. I love putting out my pots, and while I don't love gardening, I do enjoy the visual rewards. Petunias, wave petunias, begonias, portulaca, snapdragons, mandevilla, vinca, you name it. Between our front yard, side patio, back deck... I usually put out something like 25 pots of flowers, most of them good sized. But the maintenance on them sucks, including basic watering which can take well over an hour for that many pots, so normally they look nice until Julyish and then go downhill fast, even though there's a lot of life (normally) left in the plants.

So... I added it up and between flowers, top off soil, fertilizers, stimulators, etc. I spend at least $500 on getting real flowers out there. For considerably little less, I can buy decent looking fakes for the pots, and not have to do any maintenance, plus if they don't sun fade in the first 2 days I can just keep the pots planted, move them into the garage during winter, and boom, next spring instant potting done for me. Did I mention no maintenance?

But is this just going to win me the "WTF were you thinking?" award? I don't think I've ever seen fakes used outdoors, and if I have, I certainly didn't know it. So - who out there does this? How do they hold through the sun/storms?

I love gardening, but I realize that not everyone does.

Just do whatever gives you some joy. If that is fake flowers, then go for it.:biggrin:

They joy comes from the aesthetics for me, not whether it's real or fake. I enjoy gardening, just not during this particular summer. I think I'll be miserable enough without spending 1+ hours a day in the 105 deg heat. :biggrin:

After investing almost as much in fakes as reals, I think I'm going to refund everything and skip it all. We have a landscaping company coming to do more hardscaping in 2 weeks, so I may just let that change be enough visual stimulation. We had bad storms the other day, and I was thinking, "It's a good thing I hadn't put those out yet." There's just no way any of them would still be around, and my $400 would be in tattered remains -- who knows where, 3 states over.

Oh I really do hope you're being sarcastic. Actually, the flamingoes crack me up, but I also look at it from the standpoint that I want to put my house on the market before too long and my neighbor's yard looking like garbage also drags down the value of my own home. (Although I have noticed the fake plant people haven't had them out, so maybe my HOA is worth something afterall.)

We keep our plastic flamingoes in the backyard where only a few select neighbours can enjoy them. The front half of our house looks like normal folk live here. Bwahahaha! I love your signature work, the work at the foot of your posts that is, by the way. (Is that Hitler running around and around that tree?)

Edited May 8, 200818 yr by green
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OMG! I am so glad for your last post. I guess someone could get away with putting out some fakes here and there, but I seriously have my doubts! Fake flowers just don't pass for anything but fake flowers. Any of them that are realistic enough to look real are too expensive and much too fragile to survive outside without turning nasty. I don't even like fake flowers inside. But that's just me.

This thread reminds me of when we bought a cute little cottage on a lake a few years ago from a couple in their 70's. It was in the dead of winter and the owners had placed red artificial poinsettias in all of the window boxes, in circles around the major trees, all over the planting beds and all over the inside of the house as well. It was insane. And somewhat hilarious, I'll admit. It certainly did color up the drab winter garden, but there was no mistaking that they had bought stock in an artificial flower manufacturing company. The first thing I did was pull up all the poinsettias the day we closed on the cottage. I filled 3 large boxes!! And one of the new neighbors came over and told me how happy it made them not to have to look at all of that anymore (and she was in her 70's too!)

Wheetsin if you are one who enjoys beautiful flowers in pots every summer, you'll never be happy with fake ones for very long. And I am like tapshoes, digging in the dirt is theraputic. I vote for kristie's solution: an inexpensive drip system for watering. I know you're not going to feel like bending over and doing all that work in the heat this summer, but maybe just one or two pots by the front door will bring in enough color and beauty to help you enjoy the growing season.

I hope I am not offending anyone. Afterall Wheet you did ask, right?

Anyone besides me think that green's got a great sense of humor? :thumbup:

I think that cheap fake flowers are the best. I love it when they fade from the sunlight, get dirtier and dirtier and are still sadly blooming in January. Fake birds, flamingoes if you can get 'em, will add to the charm. These gardens are often the most interesting and are a lovely thing to plant if you live in a conventional neighbourhood.

Ok you non gardeners...Your making me smile!

I think Green has a good point! If your going to go fake, go really cheap with the fake flowers, and add the flamingoes for the charm. Just don't over do it with all the STUFF from the 99 cent store. We have some homes here in the mid west where I live that look like they bought out the store! Ok...My Mom is one of them. Its really hard to keep your eyes on the road while driving by. I'm surprised I haven't ran off the road; from looking...going Oh my word what was that person thinking!

Happy gardening.:thumbup:

I have to admit it...I did last year and I plan on doing it again this year. I didn't use the plastic ones, I used the "silk wanna bees". We had a horrible drought and everyone kept asking me how I was keeping them so pretty I had spring ones, summer and then fall, and I have a box in the garage that I cleaned them and put them back away. I went to one of our outlet type places and got them really cheap.

I say go for it! You're neighbors will be envious....:thumbup:

We keep our plastic flamingoes in the backyard where only a few select neighbours can enjoy them. The front half of our house looks like normal folk live here. Bwahahaha! I love your signature work, the work at the foot of your posts that is, by the way. (Is that Hitler running around and around that tree?)

It's Sadam Hussein. lol.

Actually, the pink flamingoes crack me up. I do have a few in my backyard. They're cheap "pets" and my son LOVES to rearrange them around the yard for me. (Don't feel like paying the fines my HOA would impose for me having them in front.)

It's Sadam Hussein. lol.

Actually, the pink flamingoes crack me up. I do have a few in my backyard. They're cheap "pets" and my son LOVES to rearrange them around the yard for me. (Don't feel like paying the fines my HOA would impose for me having them in front.)

Yep, we have two pink flamingoes in the backyard, too. We also put up a wall made of used doors on the side of our yard that abuts our psycho neighbour. He was asking for it. Haha. And we have a "found object" sculpture in the back yard. This side of the house is where we express our lunatic selves and the front is where we try to blend. lol

Personally, I do not like fake plants outside. Several people around me do it and I can definetly tell. I had never seen it before and really do not understand it, but of course that is only my opinion.

Plus fake ones will not attract butterflies, ladybugs or birds.......