Our silk roses house plants are nineteen inches tall including the pot. The silk flowers and plants consist of three Cabbage Roses, three Tea Roses and three Cone Hydrangeas. The realistic silk roses are colored dark blaze, and light golden yellow. The silk Hydrangeas are shades of light to medium plum. The potted silk plants also include, Heather, Astilbe, Queen Anne’s Lace, berries and other greens used in flower arrangements. The realistic artificial flowers come in a lightweight resin, urn shaped pot. The pot is 8 inches tall and 20 inches around.
Permanent Plant and Floral Care
Artificial Flowers were made hundreds of years before Christ, by people of all nations. Silk, linen, cotton, gauze, satin, velvet, ribbon, kid, and metal are the materials now most widely used but the ancient Egyptians also used stained horn shavings, and the Romans used gold and silver. The Chinese use rice paper, the Japanese, pith of bamboo. In Italy cocoons of the silkworm are often dyed and made into flowers. South American Indians use feathers and many tribes use dainty shells. Important industries in many countries, particularly in France and the United States supply the demand for artificial flowers. The flowers are used mostly for decoration and ornament.
With the proper care, permanent “silk” plants and florals can last a very long time. Following are some tips to assist you in caring for your permanent plants, so that you may enjoy their beauty for many years to come.
Avoid placing plants or arrangements in direct sunlight.
All fabrics are damaged and will fade over time in direct sunlight.
Dust occasionally. Dust can cause decay in fabrics and natural, preserved and dried components. Dust accumulation can be easily removed with a feather duster, hair dryer on low cool setting, or you may also use the clean-air feature on your vacuum cleaner. There are also spray cleaners for this purpose.
Liquids and sprays are not recommended for silk flowers, as colors can run or fade with these treatments.
For more difficult cleaning jobs, hand wiping with a damp cloth to individual leaves, or light spraying with water, with or without a weak soap solution added, is recommended. When heavy cleaning with spray cleaner or water, the plants should be moved to an area where dripping won't be a problem, or plastic can be placed under the plant.
If your permanent floral is seasonal in nature, you may store it in the off season by loosely draping a plastic bag over the arrangement and storing it in an appropriate place.
Artificial flowers are used for scientific as well as decorative purposes. They are made from a variety of materials, such as wax and glass, so skillfully they can scarcely be distinguished from natural flowers. In making such models, painstaking skill and artistry are called for as well as thorough knowledge of plant structure. The collection of glass flowers in the Botanical Museum of Harvard University is the most famous in North America, and is widely known throughout the scientific world. In all, there are several thousand models in colored glass. They are the work of two artist naturalists, Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolph. The intention of the collection was to represent at least one member of each flower family native to the United States. The collection never was completed.