It is not a secret that paper plants are really having a big moment over the whole world.
Years ago, observing how a public space landscape designer was mixing real and artificial plants in one of the biggest shops in my city, I was shocked! Really?! Isn’t this cheating?!
“No, it is not cheating”, was her answer. “And here is why: All plants have their cycles of growth and death. Even the healthiest ones don’t always look beautiful and happy. Also, some plants look so amazing together, which is actually the designer’s work, but often they don’t like each other or have different preferences about water, light, air… And – ok, if you want to call it cheating – sometimes you need to cheat if you want to have a really beautiful indoor garden”.
This lady opened my eyes! And now, lots of years later, I see examples almost every day that prove her words. My own home is one of them!
So, let’s talk about a specific group of artificial plants – paper ones.
1. They are an accessible craft, easy even for beginners
But this is not the only reason. Paper plants give us the possibility of decorating our homes with real art, our own art, which amazes our guests and friends. I love comments such as: “Ah, you tricked me!” or “How do you keep it so healthy and happy?!”. But my favourite one is from one of my friends (and a client too): “My mother-in-law was amazed how healthy my home plants are”. Maybe here I have to say that I come from a culture in which it is very difficult and important to amaze your mother-in-law. If she likes you, you have the best support in the world for everything, which leads to the second reason:
2. They always look amazing!
Their leaves are shiny, they always look happy and healthy, like you just took them from the flower shop. This is especially the case if you followed all the instructions and assembled them carefully and with love. If this lady, who made the Red Heart philodendron was in front of me, I would give her a great big hug! The plant she created looks absolutely gorgeous and I loved reading her friend’s comments under the photo!
Which leads to the next reason:
3. Paper plants make you proud
You made them! You put all these minutes or hours into assembling them leaf by leaf! You put part of your heart into them and created something beautiful! You possibly even learned something new about the materials and the process… How not to be proud?!
4. They are amazing gifts
I often say that the best gift we can give someone is our own precious time. To be with someone we love. Or to create, ourselves, a gift for this person. So, if you have a friend or a relative who loves flowers, why not make one really rare plant for them? Maybe a beautiful present for Grandmother, made with the help of the little ones, and I am sure she will be deeply excited and completely delighted!
5. They are low maintenance
In fact, they need almost no maintenance, just sometimes brush them with a feather duster and everything will be perfect! They are great for bachelor’s places, which I realised when my son asked me to give him my paper Fiddle leaf tree for his dining area. Great, eh! If you read my blog regularly, you know my husband and I are travellers and very often this travelling is not only for holidays and pleasure, but because of my husband’s work. Paper plants keep our home garden happy and thriving wherever we are in reality.
This illustrates that they are also great for Airbnb hosts – you can’t ask your guests to water your plants and often the plants die. This has happened to us, so I’ve learned my lesson.
6. They don’t need even a single ray of sunshine
I am sure you have places in your home where there is not enough natural light for real plants. We have a long corridor at home which needs something more than just photos and pictures to make it cosier, but there’s not enough light for a real plant. So, recently I’ve been planning to create one very interesting little albino tree…
7. They don’t bother you at all!
You know that some rooms are better to have no plants – like the bedrooms or nurseries for example. But what if the design idea is “starving” to have a plant there? Why not make one yourself? You will have 2 in 1 – a plant and a piece of art.
8. They are not harmful to family members
Great for people with allergies and not toxic to the pets. Actually, because they don’t have an attractive smell, most of pets dislike trying how they taste.
I know a lot about allergies. My Grandfather was suffering from really strong hay fever and the only plants we had at home were my Great-Grandfather’s Giant Monstera and the Geraniums on the balconies. When I was born, my Great-Grandmother gifted all the Oleanders she had to the neighbours, because they are poisonous, and she wanted to be sure that her first granddaughter would not be hurt by mistake. One day, I must write this story of love and flowers in our family, it is really strong and heart-warming.
9. They don’t need replanting
At all! You plant them once in one of your best pots and that’s it! No replanting, no fertilisers, no special anti-mold sprays. And, you can decorate the top of the soil with anything you want!
10. They live happily surrounded by any real plants
No jealousy, no oil drops, no no-matching aromas or soils. You can twist their stems to be more or less visible, you can make colour accents and groups. You can do everything your imagination demands to create an amazing home garden. Or even a real home jungle. You can have every plant you can imagine – the most expensive and rarest or even those that exist in your imagination alone.
Imagine the eyes of your guests!
