Keep Some Of Your Flowers In Perpetual Bloom With This Genius Hack

You should take pride in how alluring your home looks both inside and out. Even if you're not ready to sell, boosting your home's curb appeal could improve your mood, and one of the best ways to do this is by placing flowering plants around your property. However, maybe your plants look healthy but never seem to bloom, no matter what you do. If so, one genius solution will keep the illusion of blooming flowers alive all year — simply mix faux stems with living plants. While this hack is meant for outdoor flowers, you could add faux stems to indoor greenery as well.

The first step to completing this hack is finding the highest-quality faux stems you can afford. Remember, living plants aren't a single block of color and they have subtle variations, so that's the first thing to look for when choosing realistic blooms. The material they're made out of is also key, as foam flowers will disintegrate in rain or snow and fabric flowers won't fare any better. Therefore, even though they'll have a small amount of shine, plastic is your top pick for outside flowers. Be sure to choose a weather-resistant, UV-protected product. It's also a good idea to add further protection by spritzing them with a UV protectant spray, which will prevent discoloration from the sun. This should be done before pushing your faux stems into the soil.

If you don't already have a durable exterior planter, this can be your first purchase. We recommend fiberglass because it's lightweight, can withstand the weather, and looks super cute. A potentially-flowering healthy plant with large leaves is perfect for this hack, as you'll be able to make the blooms appear real. Consider the position of the plant and how much sunlight it needs so that it stays healthy and the addition of blooms is believable. For instance, if the plant is going to live in partial sun, you could choose a live hydrangea and supplement it with faux blossoms. Maintaining the health of your plant is key, as wilting leaves with perfect flowers wouldn't fool anyone.

Next, you can add the faux stems to the real plant. With a pair of floral wire cutters, trim your stems to varying heights that are about the same length of the living stems on the plant. Whatever length the stems are, make sure you can secure them sufficiently in the soil. Also ensure that the flowers aren't an unrealistic height above the leaves, and place some closer to the edge and others closer to the center. Step several feet away, check to ensure your fake flowers look real, and adjust the arrangement if necessary.