We know a lot about realistic artificial plants
Whether you want to know how to choose or how to secure your artificial trees we have the answers. We have put details of our most commonly asked questions below. If your question isn’t answered please contact us and we will be happy to help!
Artificial Plant Rubber Tree by Leaf
One of our plants – a 90cm Large Realistic Variegated Rubber Plant Artificial Plant Tree Ficus Elastica
How do I know what size plant I need for my space?
All our plants are measured at their highest points. The actual height will vary depending on how you arrange the leaves in the case of the wired stem plants.
An additional helpful tip when you are measuring for outdoor artificial topiaries is that additional height can be added by purchasing a larger planter then standing the plant on bricks inside it before covering with gravel or similar. Examples of this can be seen in our photographs on the topiary pages.
How can I make my artificial plant look real?
This is a really key question for many of our customers. Our plants are high grade and ultra-realistic but the key to making them look absolutely real is to spend some time dressing out the leaves and checking the plant from all angles. If you have purchased one of our plants with wired leaves you can try the following;
Unpack the plant and stand it on a flat surface, removing outer packaging and plastics.
Starting at the bottom, carefully fold out the leaves. It can help to look at our pictures or a photograph of the real type of plant you have purchased to get an idea of how the leaves should sit.
To get a natural curve on the leaves carefully hold the tip in one hand and the stem in the other and run you hand along the curve to bend it gently into shape.
Look at the plant from all angles making sure there are no gaps and your plant is well dressed out and ready to pot.
Put the plant inside a larger planter. You can stand it on bricks to raise the height inside.
Cover the base of the pot with a layer of ornamental gravel or soil. We have some customers who have planted real moss at the base of their artificial plants to make them look more realistic.
How can I secure my artificial trees and topiary outside?
We get asked this frequently! Whether you live in the windiest place in England and don’t want your plants blowing over or if you need to site your topiaries in an area where you are worried about them being stolen we can help. Having experimented with various methods we have found the best one to be putting the plants inside a larger planter which is then bolted to the floor through the drainage hole. For windy areas this is enough especially if you cover the plant base with gravel (the heavier the better). To prevent theft the best method is to chain around the plant and fix the chain to a bolt in the floor inside a larger planter then fill with gravel. A less secure but more simplistic method is to twist garden wire around the plant base and a bolt inside the planter and cover with gravel.
How can I keep my plants looking good outside?
Where artificial plants will be used outside we recommend turning them every couple of weeks to ensure that any fading (which will happen with all artificial plants over extended periods of time) is even and less noticeable. Shielding your plants from extremes of weather is also advisable. Any factory applied UV coatings will naturally degrade over time. We recommend topping up the UV resistance of your plants every few months using a product such as a marine UV protection spray (available from most car shops or google).
We hope you have found this brief guide regarding our artificial plants and trees helpful.