9 Of The Best Places To Buy Fake Flowers Online That Actually Look Real (2024)

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Nusrat Sultana

Former Staff

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A vase of fresh flowers is one of the easiest ways to add a touch of nature and bring some color to your space, especially if you work from home or don’t often have the opportunity to take walks in the park. Taking care of them however is a whole different ball game. Fresh flowers are moody, delicate things that need precise care, water and sun—bad news for anyone who lacks a green thumb (looking at mine as I type this). Plus, buying fresh bouquets regularly can quickly get expensive.

Thankfully, artificial flowers exist, and they’re awesome. Since they require absolutely no maintenance, there’s no chance of them ever dying or wilting on your watch—which basically means that you don’t need to worry about ever replacing them either. They’ll look fresh and lively all year round. While faux flowers used to have a bad rap for looking too fake or plastic, that’s no longer the case. These days they’re specially designed to look incredibly authentic and real. You can opt for ones made from fabric and iron wire or go for dried and preserved blooms for an extra level of realism. Ready to swap finicky, expensive florals for ones that last a lot longer? Below, we’ve rounded up the best sites to find artificial or dried flowers that’ll give your fresh ones a run for their money.

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Terrain: Dried Blooms With Class And Beauty

Terrain Preserved Blue Poppy Bouquet

Terrain offers a wide range of beautiful dried stems and preserved bouquets that’ll add spring-like vibes to your home even in the dead of winter. Its wildflower arrangements are particularly artful, like this blue poppy, quail brush and larkspur arrangement. The brand also offers a lovely range of pots, vases and baskets to pair with your blooms.

Etsy: The Best For Customization And Affordability

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HBotanicsWeddings Dried Eucalyptus & Wildflower Bridal Bouquet

Etsy is a goldmine for finding fake flowers and bouquet arrangements that are affordable and look incredibly authentic. Plus, the options available are usually handmade, and you’d be supporting small businesses, too. The site also allows you to work directly with the seller to make custom bouquets that match your decor or special event. This one in particular says “bridal” but who says you need to be married to enjoy a lovely bouquet of colorful blooms?

Afloral: Fake Flowers Fit For Fairytales

Afloral Dried Echinops Globe Thistle

Afloral has one of the best collection of artificial and dried flowers we’ve seen yet. The brand’s arrangements are the type that can give your home the aura of a fairytale castle or sun-soaked cottage in an idyllic English village. The dried and preserved flowers are sourced from small farms that practice sustainable farming, allowing them to have a low environmental impact, so you can feel good about supporting the brand. These echinops in particular are perfect for winter, and with their cool blue-violet shade you can pay homage to Pantone’s 2022 color of the year, Very Peri.

West Elm: Refined And Sophisticated Blooms

West Elm Faux Ginkgo Branch

West Elm offers an extensive collection of faux florals in a wide range of color options and styles. For instance, a ginkgo branch that looks as real as this one will transport you straight to an avenue lined with pretty golden gingko trees—without the notoriously bad scent, of course. Some ginkgo trees can live to be over 1,500 years old, but since this one is fake, it just might outlive them (and us).

Anthropologie: Trendy And Modern

Anthropologie Gather Dried Bouquet

The popular decor store is known for its tasteful home and kitchen items, but it also stocks a rather lovely range of artificial and dried blooms. Whether you’re looking for an all-white arrangement or a dusty pink bunch of dried pampas grass, you’re sure to find it at Anthro. We’re particularly loving this dried bouquet in moody winter colors that’s perfect for displaying on a coffee table or bookshelf.

FreshCut Paper: A Unique Look And Concept

FreshCut Paper Sunflowers

FreshCut Paper has a rather different concept than most of the brands featured in this story. Rather than dried or conventional artificial flowers, this company designs bright and whimsical 3D pop-up flower bouquets that stand on their own. The paper blooms are a sweet and unique way to add a cheerful splash of color to your room without having to care for real flowers or worry about them wilting. Plus, for every purchase, the brand plants a tree in your honor.

Nearly Natural: For Unusual Arrangements

Nearly Natural Magnolia Candelabrum Silk Flower Arrangement

Nearly Natural is especially good for distinct and unusual artificial flower arrangements that’ll stand out. A good example is this magnolia silk flower bouquet, arranged in the shape of a candelabrum. With its blooms, leaves and berries arranged around a candle holder, it makes for a striking centerpiece. Don’t let the shape fool you though—the brand still does its very best to ensure the flowers look as natural as can be.

Crate & Barrel: Zen And Elegance

Crate & Barrel Artificial White Cherry Blossom Flower Branch

You don’t need to travel to Japan to see cherry blossoms when you have Crate & Barrel’s offering of these elegant white faux flowers. A cherry blossom branch like this one ensures the feel of spring year-round in your home. The white blossoms also add a zen touch to whatever bouquet you include it in.

Michaels: The Go-To For Countless Options

Michaels White Peruvian Lily Bundle

Michaels is a popular shop for fake flower arrangements, and for good reason. Its collection is, by far, almost endless, with pages of options you can scroll through. The flowers are all good quality too, making it incredibly easy to find something you like. And a classic Peruvian lily bouquet like this one will give your space a breezy and romantic feel.

Coupons

Thriftbooks

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Thriftbooks

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GotPrint

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Saatva

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4 Wheel Parts

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Houzz

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9 Of The Best Places To Buy Fake Flowers Online That Actually Look Real (2024)

FAQs

Which artificial flower looks most realistic? ›

The most realistic flowers are those made from high-quality materials like silk, polyester, and foam. While each material has its advantages, polyester fabric achieves the most lifelike appearance. We offer a range of polyester flowers including dahlias, tulips, and peonies.

Is there a way to make fake flowers look real? ›

Just as real flower stems exhibit flexibility and curvature, faux stems should also be bent and shaped to mimic this organic growth pattern. By bending each stem, you can create a more lifelike composition, with flowers appearing to sway and arch gracefully just as they would in nature.

What is the problem with fake flowers? ›

Real flowers become more beautiful as time goes by, growing and flourishing in all new ways. Fake flowers, on the other hand, only get worse over time, as their petals begin to fade and turn funky colors (which allows the dust to show worse.)

What is the proper name for fake flowers? ›

There are four main terms for synthetic flowers…. artificial, fake, faux and silk. They are all pretty much interchangeable these days. Savvy marketing teams across the globe discovered that if they call their standard plastic flowers 'silk flowers' they could benefit from people assuming the quality is higher…

Is there a way to make fake plants look more realistic? ›

Use Real Dirt

It's harder to tell if something is fake if it's mixed with something real. “When we are doing larger scale faux plants, like fiddle leaf fig or olive trees, we always put real dirt and moss in the pots. Adding some life to faux can make a world of difference," says Ashley Macuga of Collected Interiors.

What to look for when buying artificial flowers? ›

Quality. Choose flowers that are made of high-quality materials, such as polyester. They make a good investment since they can be used year after year. Also, their realism makes them easy to mix with real flowers.

What holds fake flowers in place? ›

Add weight to keep artificial flowers in vase

You can easily make floral weights with a small bag of sand or pebbles. Drawstring bags work great. Make sure it's heavy by filling it with sand or pebbles. Secure the drawstrings with a wire threaded through the bouquet.

How to make dollar store flowers look real? ›

First, you need to put some floral foam in your vase. You can buy that at the dollar tree too. Then cut some of your stems to the length you want and start adding them in. I like to kind of figure out the style and size of my arrangement with some of my first stems.

Can you use hairspray on fake flowers? ›

Hairspray.

Lightly spraying hairspray over the leaves and stems of your artificial plant will help expel any lingering dust and lint. It will also leave a layer on the surface of the leaves that gives them a healthy shine.

Is it tacky to have fake flowers in your home? ›

In fact, selecting an artificial plant that looks too perfect can have your space veer into kitschy territory, fast. But recently, faux plants have begun to shed their tacky reputation and are adopting a new one: for being an easy, low-maintenance way to breathe life into an interior.

What's more expensive real or fake flowers? ›

Real flowers are typically more expensive than artificial ones, but they often look more natural and elegant. However, they require more care and can be more susceptible to damage. Artificial flowers are usually less expensive and can be easier to care for, but they may not look as realistic as real flowers.

What are the cons of fake flowers? ›

Con: Fake flowers are unscented and they will not feel real. Upon close inspection they may not look real. This may be preferable however as they are non allergenic.

What is a lazy flower? ›

The blossom of the native Lazy daisy is like a smaller version of the Ox-eye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare, which is native to western Eurasia. Lazy daisy grows to 2 feet high, and the flower heads are 1-2 inches across, 1 flower to a stem.

How do you make fake flowers real? ›

Step by step: how to make fake flowers look real
  1. Compare against real flowers.
  2. Choose quality flowers.
  3. Arrange your flowers.
  4. Remove any creases.
  5. Trim your flower stems.
  6. Hide fake flower stems.
  7. Try scenting faux flowers.
  8. Use in-season flowers.
Feb 22, 2024

How can you tell if flowers are fake? ›

REAL AND FAKE FLOWERS
  1. A real flowers blooms and also dries. ...
  2. A real flower is affected by its surrounding /environment but fake flowers are not affected. ...
  3. A real flower spreads its fragrance for free but fake does not have any natural fragrance at all, it just looks beautiful from outside.
Aug 18, 2017

Do fake flowers look tacky for wedding? ›

Using fake flowers or plants for a wedding is not tacky at all as long as you select high-quality artificial plants that look just as natural as the real ones. In fact, high-quality faux plants or flowers can even make your wedding appear more elegant while stretching the dollar.

Are artificial flowers out of style? ›

It has taken artificial flowers years to throw off the less-than-luxury associations that 'fake' often denotes – in other words, budget-friendly, bad quality and just a little bit naff. But these days, faux flowers are everything but, thanks to new, high-fashion makers and elevated craftsmanship.

Do fake flowers look cheap? ›

Artificial flowers are usually less expensive and can be easier to care for, but they may not look as realistic as real flowers. Ultimately, the decision of which type of flower to use for a wedding is a personal one. Some couples prefer the look of real flowers, even if it means spending a bit more money.

Are silk flowers realistic? ›

Silk flowers are artificial versions of the natural flowering thing. Because fake flowers were originally fabricated from fine luxurious silks, the name “silk flowers” proceeds their ancient history. Today, artificial flowers allow for a stress-free alternative to the real deal.

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