Artificial flowers in gardens

I think it's not a particularly nice idea and we could do with less plastic in our lives, not more.

I also don't like seeing obviously fake plants, but that's just my opinion.

But I suppose it cuts out all the work associated with maintaining a good display over the summer months.

It is, of course, a matter of personal choice. I really don't like artificial plants and flowers or lawns in gardens.

I do however have stakes decorated with metal flowers and leaves but I don't know if this counts.

I don't think artificial plants and flowers do any damage to gardens but I am not so sure about lawns.

I keep seeing outdoor rugs……why?
Also artificial lawn and hanging baskets so I guess it has to be plants next.
I like to support wildlife.

I've put some outside mine.
You wouldn't be able to tell, and i don't feel up to doing my usual bit of growing this year.
(That and the loss of my watering can put paid to the idea)

I've got an outdoor rug on my back doorstep too!
I really am beyond the pale.

Not appealing to me, I find gardening enjoyable.

I think you should do as you wish.

I remember being amused to read that Lord Snowdon many years ago would put a pile of artificial flowers at a distance in his garden when friends came round for drinks in the middle of winter.
They all complimented him on the display 😁

A house near here - incidentally it’d be a very expensive one if on the market - always has artificial flowers in front garden planters. TBH I really don’t like them at all. They often leave them until the colours are faded by the sun, too.

I much prefer real grass and plants.

I prefer real plants, but the guy up the road has a beautiful one outside his door. I thought it was real.

I prefer real plants. I love seeing how they grow - particularly my roses and the plants in my window boxes(which I am about to do today).

I like gardening but find it tiring as I get older. Even so, I still wouldn't use artificial plants.

An English man's home is his castle.
As long as its pest free and clean, anything goes, I think.

Tbh I find them really depressing. I've just been into Home Bargains and the first two aisles are huge spray guns of weedkiller,plastic plants and cheap looking artificial grass. With more and more people making gardens into 'outdoor rooms' nature doesn't stand a chance.I appreciate I'm still fit enough to garden,and I love it but already noticed decreasing variety of birds and less bees coming despite being packed with pollinating plants.Sadly my neighbours have artificial turf ,have ripped out all the front garden and spray pesticides and insect killer with relish.We used to have hedgehogs but no chance now as their new fencing has no access holes and when I asked if they would consider leaving one you'd think I'd grown 2 heads.

We have a pond and a wee fountain and azaleas, hostas and the usual annuals but I do like greenery. We used to have fish in the pond but the cat next door killed them We have had frogs and hedgehogs too but not for a wee while

This, I seem to remember is what Lawrence Lewellyn Bowen did when he moved into his country home! I think the pretty look of it must have inspired him and his wife as they now adore gardening
I wanted one of those outdoor rugs last year & dithered but now I'm going for it and I am making matching cushions, bunting and tablecloth!

It isn’t a garden though is it?

It is merely an outdoor space with coloured plastic shaped like flowers/plants.

There will be no life, no pollinators, no butterflies, no birds, no snails, no slugs, no hedgehogs. Nothing.

I think as long as there are plants, flowers and grass in the garden, a few artificial plants can blend in well and bees and butterflies will still be around

Why would you need artificial stuff if there are plants in your garden?

To fill in gaps, I'd say.

The Japanese say that the gaps are more important than the plants.

Theyve obviously never seen mine!
I have lots of pots, nowhere to put them, as yhey have always been full of plants in the past.

So, theyresitting outside my flat looking awful.

A few artificial plants make all the difference.

I think the shopping would put me off - 90% of the artificial flowers out there don't look great, & 90% of the live flowers out there do. & they fade, so you have to replace them every couple of years.The dog might chew them too, & they don't grow back.

But my M-i-L had some when she couldn't garden any longer & they gave her a lot of pleasure.

Artificial plants can look good for a while but they don't look good forever because they fade in the sunlight

Of course they fade, but annuals die off. If they serve a purpose at the time that can only be good