The Best Ways to Use Silk Plants

Niches and Alcoves

• Silk flowers are useful to use in niches, which are often featured in older homes. Wall niches are usually small and tend to be placed chest high, making real flowers easy targets for being knocked over when people brush past them. If you have silk flowers in shatterproof pots, place these in the niches and not worry about soil and water damaging your flooring and walls, should the pot or vase be knocked to the floor. Some floral choices are muted roses and ivy or faux geraniums with silk grasses spilling from the vase. Ceiling alcoves are another area where real flowers can prove to be messy and costly. Real flowers need to be watered, which means you would have to climb a ladder every few days to water your plants. Placing tall, colorful silk plant stalks, such as Gerbera daisies, into colorful vases along the alcove, will not only add dimension and color to the space, it will highlight the alcove.

Wall-hung Planters

• Pots and planters that are made to be hung on the wall, usually have a flat side to them, which limits the amount of space for soil and growing plants. Unless you are planting a bromeliad, which does not require a lot of soil, you will probably find that your plants are drying out too quickly in these pots. The best solution for these decorative pots is to utilize small, stemmed silk flowers, and place them into florist foam, in order to secure them in the pots. Choose a plant that hangs over the planter, such as English ivy, fuchsia, wandering Jew or black-eyed Susan.

Pot Racks and Porch Swings

• Use silk flowers to string floral garland inside or outside the home. Wrap lemony sunflower garland around your unsightly porch swing chains, or use lavender-colored wisteria garland around the hanging pot rack in your kitchen. Braid the garland around mini-light strands, and drape them over your porch railing, to add light and beauty to the space.

Floral Cork Board and Curtains

• Some other ideas for utilizing silk flowers include taking silk rose heads and hot-gluing them around the outside edges of a cork board. Place a floral fabric over the board, first, and then add the flowers throughout, to create a feminine look for a utilitarian object. When money is tight, spruce up plain curtains by pinning complimentary silk flower heads to them. For example, if the curtains are violet, use periwinkle pansies or white roses to add a pop of contrast.