Creating A Beautiful Silk Flower Arrangement

by: Sandy Dillard

Have you ever encountered a beautiful vase of flowers and later learn that they're not real, but a silk flower arrangement? It seems to be happening more and more nowadays.

Making the choice between a silk flower arrangement and the real thing might be a no-brainer for some. Many people automatically choose fresh flowers over their artificial brothers, but it's sometimes a good idea to consider the other option. Especially if you'll be putting forth the effort of creating the presentation on your own.

I've worked with all types of flowers, for quite a few years, and I can attest that a silk flower arrangement is much easier to create than a fresh arrangement - by far. There are a few reasons that I prefer to work with artificial flowers and you may want to take these points under consideration.

A silk flower arrangement is relatively easy to create because the material is more durable than fresh plants are. The stems of the artificial products are made of wires surrounded by realistic stems made out of a soft plastic material. Some stems are thicker than others but they're all really easy to work with.

You can use wire cutters to make the stems shorter and even the thickest wire stems are relatively easy to cut with a little effort. If you can't seem to cut through a stem, just start a nice cut and bend the wires back and forth until they snap. This approach has always worked for me.

What makes a silk flower arrangement so appealing is its flexibility. You can use a Styrofoam base (either a ball or a block) and build from there. I usually place moss on the foam to make the arrangement look natural and seamless. It's simple to add to the foam and it makes a big difference.

The other reason that artificial plants are so great to work with is that they allow you to be really creative. You can step back and plan your silk flower arrangement ahead of time.

With natural materials you are often limited with the materials and you may find that you can’t control the outcome the way that you can with a silk arrangement.

I like using glue guns and ribbons when creating a floral presentation. And I can go to town on a project without having to worry about bruising the plants in the process. There is so much more flexibility and I can let my imagination run wild.

What I like most about creating a silk flower arrangement is that it will last for years. I can spend hours on a project and know that it won't be dead in a week's time.

Sandy Dillard is married with a grown daughter and two grandchildren. She has always loved arts and crafts. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with others.