How to Recognise Quality Artificial Flowers: A Florist's Guide

From the smallest petal to the way flowers talk to each other, discover what makes artificial blooms truly beautiful.

Have you ever admired a beautiful arrangement of flowers, only to discover that they weren't fresh at all?

Perhaps you've experienced the opposite. You've spotted an artificial flower from across the room, its colour a little too bright, its leaves unnaturally shiny, or every bloom standing perfectly upright.

So what makes the difference?

After more than 35 years working with flowers, both fresh and artificial, I've learnt that creating a convincing floral arrangement begins long before the first stem goes into a vase.

It begins with knowing what to look for.

At Peacock & Gilt, we carefully select our artificial flowers for their quality, character and ability to recreate the beauty of nature. And it's often the smallest details that make the greatest difference.

It all begins with the petals

When I pick up an artificial rose, one of the first things I examine is the fabric.

How thick are the petals? Do they have enough substance to hold their shape without appearing heavy or rigid? Is there a softness to their appearance?

Then I look at the colour.

Nature rarely paints a flower in one perfectly uniform shade. Look closely at a fresh rose and you'll often discover gentle variations of colour running through its petals. Some areas appear lighter where the light catches them, while others have a little more depth.

A beautifully made artificial flower can capture these subtle changes.

It's this delicate shading that gives a bloom dimension, helping it look less like a manufactured object and more like something that might have grown in the garden.

Sometimes the difference is remarkably small, but once you begin looking for it, you'll find it difficult not to notice.

Don't forget to look at the leaves

It's very easy to become distracted by a beautiful flower head and overlook everything beneath it.

But foliage can tell you an enormous amount about the quality of an artificial bloom.

Poorly made leaves sometimes have an almost fluorescent green colouring or an unnatural shine. Even when the flower itself is convincing, the foliage can give the game away.

I look for natural variations in colour, convincing shapes and the small details that make leaves believable.

I also like stems that are wired right through to the tips of the leaves and the flower heads. This gives me the freedom to position them naturally, introducing gentle bends and changes of direction.

And sometimes, even when I've chosen a beautiful artificial flower, I'll remove its original foliage entirely.

Why? Because the leaves supplied with a flower aren't necessarily the right ones for the arrangement I'm creating.

By introducing different stems of foliage, I can create a more harmonious design, ensuring every element belongs and nothing interrupts the overall picture.

The smallest details can make the biggest difference

One of my favourite things to discover in a beautifully made artificial rose is the attention given to its botanical details.

Tiny thorns along the stem. Little unopened buds on a spray rose. Delicate stamens and filaments bringing texture and depth to the centre of a flower.

These aren't always the things you notice immediately. But together they help create that wonderful sense of authenticity.

A flower doesn't need to reproduce every botanical detail perfectly to be beautiful. However, thoughtful craftsmanship can make an enormous difference to how convincing it feels.

It's rather like looking at a painting. You might admire the overall picture first, but the longer you look, the more you appreciate the little details that bring it to life.

Flowers should have conversations

Now, this might sound a little unusual, but I've always thought flowers are quite chatty things.

And when I'm creating an arrangement, I like them to look as though they're having a conversation with one another.

Think about flowers growing in a garden. They don't all stand perfectly upright, facing the person looking at them.

Some bow their heads a little. Others turn to the side, revealing a beautiful profile. One bloom might lean towards its neighbour, while another seems to be looking away.

Sometimes it's the back or side of a flower that creates the most interesting shape.

This is something I think about constantly when arranging artificial flowers.

I might gently bend one rose towards another, allow a smaller bloom to peek through the foliage, or turn a flower so that its most beautiful feature can be appreciated.

I want the arrangement to feel as though the flowers belong together, rather than simply being placed next to one another.

And this is where good wiring becomes so important. A quality artificial flower that can be carefully shaped gives me the freedom to create movement, character and those little relationships between blooms.

For me, that's when an arrangement really begins to come alive.

Does every flower need to be perfect?

Absolutely not! Nature is wonderfully imperfect, and those imperfections are often what make it so beautiful.

If I'm creating an arrangement inspired by an English country garden, I might deliberately choose flowers with slightly irregular shapes, blooms at different stages of opening and stems that have a less formal appearance.

They help capture that lovely, relaxed feeling of flowers growing together naturally.

But the setting matters.

Imagine a beautifully styled bedroom with a vase of elegant roses beside the bed.

For that arrangement, I might choose more refined blooms, carefully considering their shape, proportions and colour. I may replace the foliage to achieve exactly the look I want.

Neither approach is better than the other. They're simply telling different stories.

Choosing quality flowers is important, but understanding how and where to use them is just as essential.

Does a more expensive artificial flower mean a better flower?

Not necessarily.

Price can reflect the materials used, the complexity of construction and the amount of detail involved, but a higher price tag doesn't automatically make a flower more realistic.

Equally, a modestly priced artificial bloom can be a lovely addition to an arrangement when chosen carefully.

I don't select flowers on price alone. I look at their colour, texture, construction and, perhaps most importantly, what they can contribute to the finished design.

Sometimes it's the simplest flower that brings everything together. The secret is knowing what you're looking for and what you want the flower to achieve.

Five things to look for when buying artificial flowers

Next time you're choosing artificial flowers, try looking a little more closely.

1. Examine the petals. Look for appropriate thickness, pleasing texture and subtle variations in colour.

2. Check the foliage. Avoid unnaturally bright greens and excessive shine unless they're part of a deliberately stylised design.

3. Look at the botanical details. Buds, thorns and carefully constructed flower centres can add wonderful realism.

4. Test the movement. Where possible, choose wired stems and leaves that can be gently shaped into natural positions.

5. Imagine the finished arrangement. Consider where the flowers will live, the style you want to create and how they might work together.

And remember, you don't have to choose the most expensive flowers to create something beautiful. A thoughtful eye can make all the difference.

Beautiful flowers, without the worry

One of the things I love most about artificial flowers is that they can bring so much of the beauty and feeling of fresh flowers into our homes, without the constant upkeep.

There's no smelly vase water to change, no fallen pollen to clean from the furniture and no watching your favourite blooms slowly fade.

But perhaps my favourite thing about them is the freedom they give us to be creative.

You can move a rose, bend a stem, introduce some different foliage or completely change the arrangement.

And if you don't like what you've created? Simply have another go.

There's no need to worry about getting it wrong, because you can always return to your flowers and restyle them until they look beautiful to you.

I think that's a wonderful thing.

After all, flowers should bring pleasure into our lives, and beautiful floral design doesn't have to follow a set of rules.

Sometimes the greatest joy comes from simply playing with flowers and seeing where your imagination takes you.

Jane — Founder and Floral Artist, Peacock & Gilt

Discover the Peacock & Gilt Collection

At Peacock & Gilt, we create carefully considered artificial floral designs, from individual floral accessories to hand-tied bouquets and larger arrangements.

Every design reflects our love of beautiful flowers, thoughtful craftsmanship and the freedom to enjoy flowers for longer.

Explore our collection of hand-tied bouquets and discover flowers designed to be enjoyed, rearranged and treasured.