Happy Weekend! I’ve been going non-stop since I arrived back at the Dollhouse last Sunday. This is birthday week, the week when my son, one of my grandsons, and my daughter-in-law all have their birthdays. That’s 3 birthday celebrations in the space of 7 days!
In the midst of all that, I’ve been getting estimates on some exterior painting and home repairs. I’ve also interviewed two landscapers to help with my lawn and garden. The company I’ve been using is way too expensive for my tiny yard, plus I need to landscape the area where I lost a tree last year. So it has been a hectic, crazy week!
One thing I did manage to get done this past week was filling the window boxes on the front of the house for spring and summer. After I found it impossible to keep flowers alive in the window boxes the first spring/summer living here, I decided to go with faux, realistic-looking flowers last year and loved them! I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to use them two years in a row, but several lovely BNOTP readers encouraged me, saying their faux window-box flowers looked great for years. I am happy to report, that has been my experience, too.
Last autumn, when I pulled out all the spring flowers to decorate and fill the boxes with fall flowers and pumpkins, the spring flowers still looked vibrant and beautiful. That’s pretty amazing since the sun hits this area of the house for several hours each afternoon.
I still need to make some adjustments to the top window box. The bottom window box is a bit easier to fluff and arrange since I can do that standing in front of it, but with the top window box, I do my best hanging out the window, then adjust later as needed.
Another issue I encountered on this trip back is that one of the shutters is starting to fall apart. Some of the others are starting to look pretty rough, as well. So, in the coming weeks, I’ll be shopping for replacement wood shutters. The company I’ve hired to make some exterior repairs doesn’t want to replace the shutters, so I’ll need to find another company for that. Owning an older home is like having a part-time job! It seems I’m always getting estimates for something that needs repairing. Anyway, I just wanted to share that I am super happy with how the flowers I purchased last spring have held their color and vibrancy.
And I love how realistic they look! When I was getting a quote for some of my landscaping work last year, one of the landscapers I met with said that he thought the flowers in the window boxes were real! He was shocked when I told him they were faux flowers! Here’s a close-up from last year since I forgot to take a close-up photo this year. Last year, I ended up removing the purple flowers and replaced those with more yellow. I like the look of the yellow flowers better than the purple. I ended up giving the red and purple flowers to my daughter-in-law, who used them in the planters near their grill last year. I’m really impressed with how they have kept their color and vibrancy!
I would still like to find some draping/hanging flowers to add to the boxes. With all I have going on right now, I may not get around to that. If I don’t, I’m still very happy with how these look right now. After my experience with how beautifully these flowers have lasted, I feel completely comfortable recommending them. Fortunately, they are still available and are currently on sale here: Faux Flowers for Exterior Window Boxes and Containers.
We are off to spend a day at the ball field—it’s All-Star tournament time around here! Have a fabulous weekend!
They do look real.Here is something I’ve done to keep them looking new. I spray them with clear satin . I have them out in full sun at the cemetery & hated how they would fade before summer was over,& I’ve used them again the next season.
Margie, what brand do you use? The first year I used these, I sprayed one petal with Scotchgard, and the petal turned deeper in color. I didn’t like how it looked. It made it look gaudy, way too bright/loud. So I didn’t spray them since it changed the color. I would love to know of a brand that doesn’t alter the color.
Those flowers held up really well, especially considering in direct sun. That shutter looks like something attacked it! They are a lovely blue; goes well with the roof. Win or lose, I hope everyone had fun.
I do like that blue color for this house, so I would like to paint new shutters the same color. It seems to suit this house.
I am trying faux flowers this year too. I have them in the two urns by my front door so they won’t get much sun, and also in a large pot on the driveway between my garage doors where they are in full hot Georgia sun all afternoon and evening. I sprayed mine with a marine UV protectant spray. I’ll be happy even if they are only usable this year because I don’t need to have a neighbor come over and water them if we are away for a few days.
Pam, what brand did you use? I would love to find a brand that doesn’t alter the color. I tried Scotchgard on a petal last year, and it drastically altered the color to a brighter color that was too bright/deep/gaudy. I need to find a brand that won’t do that.
The flowers look great! I use all faux on our screen patio as we don’t get enough sun to keep real ones alive. LOL…people come for drinks on the porch and ask do we need to have them water our flowers while we are on a trip!!! I use them for a few years…
You know they look real when people ask that! 🙂
You’re very fortunate that your faux flowers held up so well outside. My faux hydrangea stems were purchased several years ago elsewhere & displayed outside, maybe a couple of times & in a shaded area, & this morning I went to retrieve them & they were all falling apart. The parts of the plastic stem that are very thin got too brittle while they were in storage & just broke off. So disappointing. Anyway, the window boxes are so pretty! Enjoy birthday week!
That’s frustrating! This brand held up really well, thankfully. I hope you have better luck if you try it again.
I loved your fake flowers last year so much, I went to Home Goods and got 2 hanging baskets of flowers that look very real and I get compliments from neighbors all the time, thinking they are real. Two of my friends also used them this year after I showed how your flower boxes turned out. Absolutely perfect and so glad to hear they will last.
Susan, can provide the link to the floodlights again? I really looked.
Thanks
After several friends told me about faux flowers, I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased some and use them in a pot where geraniums usually live. From the road they look so pretty and you cannot tell they’re fake! I visited my niece yesterday and she had faux greenery around her pool area that looked real bc I had to go over and touch them! lol