Apr. 29, 2024
We’ve always had an appreciation for nature. From Claude Monet’s famous Water Lilies to the miniature terrariums in your local coffee shop, plants and flowers are everywhere you look. Many of us even have an urge to bring the outdoors into our homes, buying the most eye-catching plants and stylish pots to match. But real plants aren’t always the best option, especially for those of us who lack the talent for keeping them alive! Today, many of us opt for what florists call “permanent botanicals” as a way of filling our homes and workspaces with fresh greenery, without the hassle.
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In this article, we’ll take a look at the history of artificial plants, where they came from, and why they’re so popular today.
It’s impossible to pin down exactly when artificial/faux plants came about, but we can trace them back as far as the Roman and Egyptian era. People used different materials since plastic was still over a thousand years away; animal horn was used to create stained plates and copper and silver to denote flora and fauna. Despite being made with limited resources at the time, artificial plants and flowers have always had an intricacy and ingenuity of production.
And as for where this trend began, China is the most likely part of the world as this is where the idea of procuring silk from silkworms was born. In the beginning, the silk-making process involved a lot more work than it does today. This is because originally, silkworm rearing was practiced so people could provide the softest silks, and silkworms are entirely completely dependent on people, from rearing to feeding. But how did humans discover that these small larvae could create such a soft material?
When speaking about how humans discovered silk, one story tells of Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor. In the year 2696BCE, Leizu was enjoying a cup of tea in her Imperial Gardens until a silk moth’s cocoon fell into her cup, beginning to unravel. Leizu noticed that the moth’s cocoon was made up of one long, soft thread, and the idea of creating fabric from these materials came about. For centuries after this, the Chinese worked to master the labour-intensive process of producing soft and luxurious silks. The material would be created by the moths, spun into cloth, then constructed into garments used to symbolise status.
1,500 years after the legendary accidental discovery of silk by Leizu, the Chinese began using these fabrics to create arrangements of artificial flowers, again enjoyed by those with status and power. Before long, the ladies of the Imperial Palace began including these flowers in their portraits and would pose with decorative silk flowers in their hair. The Chinese continued to use this craft to express creativity for several centuries before silk flower-making became the industry it is today.
When China opened its trade routes to the rest of East Asia, the trend of using silk flowers began to spread throughout Asia and beyond. What we now know as the “silk road” was established in 130 B.C when the Han Dynasty officially opened trade to the West. This continued until the 12th century when Italian merchants began peddling their versions of artificial flowers by using silkworms and dyeing them. French merchants followed soon after, producing yet another version of these artificial flowers. By the 14th century, French artificial flowers were considered some of the most well-made and intricately designed. In fact, one story tells that, in 1775, one of Marie Antoinette’s subjects presented her with a single silk rosebud. She is said to have gazed upon its beauty and immediately fainted, claiming it was “too perfect.” That rosebud soon became her royal emblem.
The French Revolution that brought an end to Marie Antoinette's reign also brought hundreds of French flower makers to the United Kingdom. By the early 1800s, British immigrants had started taking the flower-making craft to the United States.
The Victorian Era, which lasted from 1837 – 1901, was the era in which an explosion of floral art took place. The Victorians enjoyed an opulent and “busy” decoration style, which we would likely describe as maximalist now. During this time, every possible surface bore flowers or similar decorations. Flowers were so important that people began sending messages to their loved ones through floral bouquets. This was known as the “language of flowers.” Many of these plants and flowers were made with silk, but some were made with velvet, satin, gauze, muslin, cambric, and crepe.
In the 1920s, silk flowers were well and truly established. Florists started to use silk flowers in displays and arrangements to make up for seasonal shortages in their customer’s favourite flowers. Floristry has long been an artistry, so artificial wreaths and other decorations soon followed, including foliage and fruits.
During the 1920s and 1930s, a trend of using artificial fruit in the Italian style known as Della Robbia became popular. For a while in the 1940s, celluloid became a popular artificial flower material, but it was highly flammable, causing several deadly fires, and was soon banned from importation from Japan.
Plastic was soon discovered as an inexpensive option and overwhelmed the artificial plant and flower industry. Plastic peaked in popularity in the 1990s as it allowed plant makers to produce realistic silk blossoms, roses, and orchids. These plastics gave artificial plants and flowers a durability that was once unheard of since silk is such a delicate fabric. While those early plastic plants and flowers would not compare to the artificial plants and blooms of today, they were impressive for their time.
Today, artificial plants and flowers look nothing like the early versions in the mid-to-late 20th century. Gone are the frayed edges of silk petals and leaves, and the sharp plastic edge to stems where the molding left a lot to be desired. The high-quality artificial plants and stems that we stock have to be touched to be distinguishable from real plants, many with real wooden stems.
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In 2021, artificial foliage can be seen almost anywhere you go. Faux plants have exploded in popularity thanks to their realism, low-maintenance nature, and beauty. They’re a mainstay in stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, and other businesses for the same reason. Plants and flowers are inherently welcoming, but the real thing often comes with the commitment to watering, repotting, pruning, and fertilizing when necessary.
Silk plants and trees are used to liven up office spaces and bring a piece of the outside into boring, sterile environments. Silk flower arrangements are transforming rooms by adding color and aesthetic appeal effortlessly.
Today's artificial flowers are so high-quality, and there’s more demand than ever for well-made, low-maintenance home decor. For this reason, the artificial plant and flower industry has exploded over the last few decades. This growing demand has meant that artificial plant manufacturers have been challenged to bring out products of an even higher quality.
Artificial flowers can be made from various materials, depending on the manufacturer’s budget and target customer. When it comes to quantity, polyester is often the fabric of choice for flower makers; it’s low-cost, durable, and can take on dyes and glues well. Plastic is often used for plant stems and any berries if the flower maker is creating a floral arrangement. Plastic is often used to make small clusters of faux flowers on plastic and wire stems that can be used to create quick and cheap floral decorations.
Other materials used in the making of artificial flowers can include cotton, paper, sateen, rubber, parchment, latex, and even feathers. For stems, many manufacturers use real wood to make a plant look hyperrealistic.
So, what does the future look like? Likely, the higher quality and more realistic pieces will become even more affordable, and manufacturers will find new ways to make artificial plants even more durable while retaining their realistic look and feel. While artificial plants benefit from being long-lasting, we may see manufacturers find new ways to use recycled materials to make them more environmentally friendly, without losing their quality.
If you’ve been considering using artificial plants in your home or business, there’s never been a better time to do so. From trees to flowers, and houseplants to trim topiary hedges and green walls, there’s nothing artificial plants can’t do – and we offer it all here at Artificial Eden. Browse our range now.
With a new year (and decade!) now upon us, it’s quite fitting to reflect on one’s past for one can never truly move into the future without knowing one’s history. That being said, today we’re traveling back through time and diving into a brief history of artificial plants and silk flowers and what better way to begin than in the place where it all began….
While it might not come as a surprise to most of you, most of the world’s supply of artificial plants comes from China because according to historians, China is where it all began - with the invention of procuring silk from silkworms. At the very beginning, the process for silk-making was a lot more extensive than it is today and for several reasons; that’s because originally, more than three thousand years ago, silkworm rearing was contrived in order to provide the softest, luxurious silks. However, what you may not realize and that often comes as a shock to most, is that silkworms (the larva of silk moths) are 100 per cent completely dependent on mankind - from their reproduction to their own survival. In fact, they cannot survive in the natural word without the aid of humans; from rearing to feeding.
Now, what you may be wondering is how and why the Chinese came up with the knowledge that these flightless bugs could produce such fine materials. Legend has it that Leizu, wife of the Yellow Emperor in the year of 2696BC was having tea in her Imperial Gardens when a silk moth’s cocoon fell into her cup of tea and began to unravel. Noticing that the cocoon was made from a single long yet incredibly soft thread, the idea of fabricating a type of textile from these materials was born. For centuries, the Chinese would master and perfect the elaborate process for reproducing fine silks. Once the material was created (by the larva) and then spun into cloth, it was constructed into fine, lavish garments that was exclusive to the higher class as an important reminder of one’s status symbol.
Fast forward 1,500 years and the Chinese would begin to expertly use these luxurious fabrics to create their own version of artificial flowers - which were obviously enjoyed by those who held rank and power. Mastering this skill, they would use these textiles to create over-the-top flower arrangements. Shortly thereafter ladies of the Imperial Palace would be depicted throughout history with ornamental silk flowers in their hair. And while the Chinese used this craft as a sort of artistic expression, it wouldn’t be until centuries later that silk flower-making would boom into a lucrative industry.
When trade routes opened to the rest of East Asia, the trend would rise in favor and spread throughout the continent and beyond. But it wasn’t until the 12th century that Italian merchants would begin pilfering their own renditions of fake flowers using silkworm cocoons and dying them for trade. And while Italians were the first along the Mediterranean, France would soon follow suit, mastering their own take on creating fake flowers. By the 14th century French-made faux flowers were the go-to in silk flowers and were considered some of the most beautiful and most intricately designed. In fact, history has it that in 1775 Marie Antoinette was presented with a single, silk rosebud and fainted, claiming it was “too perfect” and idolizing it throughout history as her royal emblem.
With the help of the French Revolution, the fabrication of silk flowers would eventually trickle into England and be introduced to the Americas. It wasn’t until the Victorian Era in the late 19th century that silk flowers would come back into the spotlight. The times were marked with decadence and opulence, and with it came a need for exaggerated floral arrangements. Homes were overly done with over-the-top floral arrangements and ornamental fanfare, providing that it became a focal point in home decor. Artificial silk flowers grew in such popularity that shortly thereafter they would be specifically designed to showcase various meanings hidden throughout the designs, creating a sort of “language of flowers” that grew into cult status circulating throughout the works of milliners, bridal makers, dressmakers, and even interior decorators. While most were still being fabricated in the supple silk fabrics, artisans and craftsmen alike would start introducing new textiles like satin, crepe, and gauze to make them appear more over-the-top. By the 1920’s, even florist shops were substituting live florals with silk flowers in order to make up for seasonal shortages. Eventually this trend would evolve into fabricating other decorative accents like artificial wreaths and ornaments - including faux fruits.
In today's modern day, “silk flowers” are not designed from actual silk - only trading on its long-named reputation. Polyester and plastic are the go-to materials, which allows manufactures the ability to create something more durable and longer lasting - something that was never accomplished in the past. No more are they the tacky has-beens of yesteryears - today silk and artificial flowers are so real that they need to be touched in order to distinguish it from Mother Nature’s own; silk trees that can effortlessly transform a bare sterile environment or a stunning flower arrangement that can easily create an instant focal point without the need for maintenance. Artificial plants, flowers, and trees might have been looked down upon from professional florists and decorators as “permanent botanicals” but it’s huge advancements in the quality of fake and artificial plants that has caused a flowering (literally!) of the artificial foliage industry into a multi-billion-dollar business. Decorators and florists who have worked on elaborate displays been known to integrate fake florals mixed with living plants in order to enhance the arrangement, admitting that faux replicas can come in hand when dealing with impractical situations when living flowers/plants just won’t do.
Today faux flowers help one defy the seasons. No longer is one constrained to seasonal blooms or having to fear early wilt or discoloration; daily maintenance has been replaced with limited to no-upkeep required, eliminating the everyday needs of those that are real. In fact, some find faux counterparts a better cost investment than the real thing that they are often integrated into larger-scale decor schemes and environments like office buildings, hotels, and restaurants. Expertly detailed to reflect a natural appearance, fake plants today have seen a rise in popularity. They’ve been praised for their natural realism, versatility, and most importantly, their beauty. In addition to providing everlasting color and freshness to any environment, rest assured that Mother’s Nature’s beauty is immaculately captured in the design of our botanical beauties - so much so that we guarantee it’ll have your admirers wondering, which is it; natural or nearly natural!?!
Please note all imagery featured is purely inspiration and not a product of Nearly Natural.
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