What are Silk Flowers?

As great as it is to have a home full of living breathing plants, there is no question that time and care is needed to keep them looking healthy and strong. This can be a challenge, particularly for those with busy schedules or if you travel often. One way to get around this is to select plants that thrive on neglect, and this is mostly what I have done over the past two years. The outdoor tomato plants and jasmine have been replaced by indoor peace lilies, sansevierias and a bucket load of succulents.

The other way to keep the plant love alive is to invest in long-lasting, true-to-life artificial plants.

I know the word ‘artificial’ can be off-putting. What’s the point of having fake plants if you can have real, oxygen-releasing, toxin-sucking ones? Well, the point is at least three-fold:- aesthetics, variety, and, let’s be honest, a lot less work. No more worrying about direct sunlight vs filtered sunlight, watering lightly vs keeping moist at all times, and worst of all, pests. The value proposition is strong.

Silk Flowers (the generic term for faux flowers) have been around since the age of the Egyptians, and the art of making flowers flourished throughout history in China, Italy, France and Europe. Materials have evolved over time, and real silk has been replaced by longer lasting, modern fabrics. There was an unfortunate period during the 80s when cheap plastic was abundant, but let’s all be grateful we’ve moved on since then. When done right, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between real and silk. I used to work in an office in Sydney where our reception desk always had a large, stunning bouquet of flowers on display. I’d never thought twice about them being real or fake, until one day, I noticed the vase was filled with glass marbles rather than water. That was the only give away, otherwise I would have never known.

I hadn’t given silk flowers a second thought in many years, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Even though I didn’t invent silk flowers, I did think, if I’m having trouble keeping my plants alive, perhaps others are too? What can be done?

After a bit of research, I came across a local boutique business called Silk Flowers Singapore, which specialises in, you guessed it, silk flowers. Not just silk flowers though, but also high quality plants that look like the real thing. Some of the flowers and most of the plants are made from a latex-based material which makes them feel real to the touch too. What a find! The founder of Silk Flowers Singapore, Becca de Saint Maur, is friendly and gregarious, and we soon decided that by combining our individual specialties, we could collectively create something special. There is nothing I love more than the power of collaboration, so I am pleased as punch to introduce a collection of stunning artificial plants and flowers from Silk Flowers Singapore, potted in our very own The Rain in Spain pots.

We will be debuting this collection at our joint pop-up at Cluny Court between 26 – 28th September, and there will be potted palm and succulent plants, hydrangeas and orchids available. If you live in Singapore and are curious about silk flowers, come along and check them out. For my readers outside of Singapore, I’m sure a quick google search will point you in the direction of your local city’s silk flower suppliers.

Potted Palm Plant in Harley Quinn hand painted pot

It has been a lot easier in recent times to come back from nurseries empty handed, knowing I had no more capacity to look after more plants. But now, with the discovery of silk plants…somebody stop me!

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