Well, it’s official. I think I killed my fiddle leaf fig. Wait, hold on. What? Say it ain’t so! Let’s back up, and I’ll fill you in from the beginning.
I stupidly bought her from Ruibal’s in Dallas right before I left for Europe, and then left her in a corner of my room where my husband proceeded to forget about watering her? By the time I got home, Oddette {as I have playfully named her} was looking a little worse for wear, but nothing a little water and care couldn’t fix. Or so I thought. After another few weeks of consistent watering, I realized Oddette probably needed a place in the home with better indirect light, so I moved her closer to the window. After little improvement, I asked around and several people told me I should put her in my backyard for a few hours so she could soak up some direct sunlight. Well. That was the *worst* thing I could have done! After a few hours in the sun, Oddette was done for – her leaves were curled up and brown, dried to a crisp. After visiting Ruibals this past weekend, and speaking to a professional, he let me know that moving a fiddle leaf fig {even a foot!} will send it into a shock and it will stop growing for 2 weeks. Needless to say, I gave Oddette the shock of her life, and in the days since her incineration, all of her sad little leaves have fallen off.
On another note, I have two beautiful {giant} jars on my kitchen counter {see photo above} that I have been filling with flowers 1x a week since being home. Now, even though I wasn’t killing these flowers, it was still a high maintenance task, and extremely expensive! I was spending $60-$70 a week on flowers that would die within 7 days and it was just getting to be too much. My experience with Oddette, and the expense of filling the blue jars led me again in search of a better option.
With all of this being said, you probably know why I started the search for a faux floral solution. I had been introduced to faux florals a year earlier when I was gifted a beautiful arrangement from Neiman Marcus. It has proudly sat on my breakfast table since, and I am still in love with how good it looks all the time. No water, no drooping flowers, no tiny bugs, or pollen that will stain – nothing! Beauty without consequence! On a whim, I decided to reach out to y’all for advice on where I could find the best faux florals & plants and the recommendations came POURING in. They were good – I mean, really, really good, and I just felt like I needed to share all that goodness! I don’t have a personal experience with all of these {more like the opposite!} but I have tried out 1 or 2 with great success. And I’m sure this goes without saying, but I think it’s pretty clear from the above that I’m not meant to take care of fickle house plants. Give me a cactus, and I’m a champ. An indestructible succulent? I’m game. But a fiddle leaf fig? I may be done. I think we have come a long way since the 80s when faux florals were tacky, discolored and extremely fake looking. Thank goodness there are so many incredible options now!
Feel free to check out the links below and let me know if the comments if you have any favorites that I may have missed! Always love hearing from y’all!
Apples to Zinnias {@applestozinnias} – Apart from the orchid arrangement I was gifted from Neiman Marcus, I didn’t have any large faux florals. That was until this past week, when I walked into Apples to Zinnias with my two giant blue jars {see main photo above} and designed an arrangement I knew I would love looking at for weeks at a time! I’m in love with how these magnolia leaf + hydrangea arrangements turned out, and for $200 a pop, I will save tons of money in the long run. The best part about these ‘arrangements’ is that they can be easily removed should I decided to put real flowers in them for a week or two, so theres no pressure! I’m already designing my christmas arrangements in my head….
Dallas Design Center – unspecified
Diane James Home {@diane_james_home} lovvvvve this one!
Dr. Delphinium {@drdelphiniumdesigns} – Dr. Delphinium is one of the premier florists in Dallas, offering some of the most beautiful {fresh!} floral arrangements that I’ve ever seen. But to be honest, it was news to me that they offered faux arrangements, so I don’t know what to expect in that department. The only catch is that Dr. Delphinium tends to be much more expensive than other florists in the city, so I’m sure their faux flowers would be the same.
Lakewood Succulent Design {@lakewoodsucculentdesign}
LDF Silk {@ldfsilk} – I have visited this showroom in the Design District and was just blown away. The plants and floral arrangements are creative and just stunning. With that being said, I had never thought to ask if they offer their services to individuals – it seemed to me that they cater more to the retail,/hotels/businesses, etc., but apparantly I am wrong! A sweet reader of mine informed me that they will custom create anything {of any size} for anyone! Amazing!
NDI {Natural Decorations Incorporated} – {@ndi_flowers}
Neiman Marcus – As I mentioned above, I was gifted the most incredible orchid arrangement from Neiman Marcus. It was the first time I was introduced to faux florals that actually looked real – my husband even tried to water them once – & I was hooked. I would buy every arrangement they offered if they weren’t so pricey! Will have to save my pennies 🙂
One Kings Lane {The French Bee} – My true first foray into faux florals were several years ago when I ordered two inexpensive arrangements online from One Kings Lane. I bought one white hydrangea mix, and one simple pink peony. I still have both displayed in my home to this day in bathrooms around the house and they are great! With that being said, you definitely get what you pay for – they are noticeably less sophisticated than the more expensive versions that I’ve seen, and certainly less authentic looking than my orchid arrangement from Neimans. But! for under $150, I am happy for the purpose they serve, especially since they are in areas of the house that so few people see!
The Botanical Mix {@thebotanicalmix} – from a reader
Urban Spikes {@urbanspikes} – Succulent heaven! I’m dying for one of these for my dinning room. I have reached out and will let y’all know what they say!
Well, that’s it! Let me know if you have any favorites that I’m missing, and feel free to have any experiences with faux florals if you have them 🙂
Also, don’t forget that you can donate to the Hurricane Harvey fund here. Any amount counts! Sending lots of love & prayers to all in Houston and Southern Texas.
This guide is awesome, thank you! Have you by chance seen any faux fiddle leafs that look like the real thing? I am dying for one and saw this one on Ballard Designs but can’t decide if it looks real enough: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/bd/388347?SourceCode=BDG006&cm_mmc=Google-_-2012-_-NBPS-_-PLA&intlShippingCtx=US%7CUSD&CAWELAID=120245430000407241&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=13766618185&CATCI=pla-75352560985&catargetid=120245430000423251&cadevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn-f7lfD81QIVD5l-Ch2qrwaVEAQYASABEgK12fD_BwE
Oh my gosh – This fiddle leaf has been in my cart on Ballard for weeks! I think it’s time to pull the trigger….It looks so good!