Artificial flowers, as the name suggests, are imitations of fresh flowers made from materials such as cloth, gauze, silk, plastic, etc. Nowadays, the quality of artificial products is so high that they can be mistaken for real flowers. In addition to various types of flowers, there are also artificial leaves, branches, wild grasses, trees, and more.

    Fresh flowers typically last for a maximum of ten to fifteen days, or as little as two to three days, before their beauty fades away and they become merely a fleeting memory. They also require tedious maintenance and cleaning. The emergence and application of artificial flowers have satisfied people's demand for longer-lasting floral displays, extending the life of flower arrangements and earning them the title of "everlasting beauty" by many.

I. Compared to fresh flowers, artificial flowers have unique characteristics and advantages in their daily application and market development:

1. Vibrant colors, elegant and graceful shapes, long-lasting, and blooming year-round;

2. The cost is much lower than fresh flowers, providing a large profit margin in the market;

3. A wide variety of species, avoiding shortages due to seasonal changes;

4. Suitable for flower lovers with pollen allergies;

5. Handicraft enthusiasts can enjoy leisure and entertainment while creating a desirable gift and appreciating beauty;

6. Giving handmade works to friends makes for a unique and personal gift, filling the creator with a sense of accomplishment.

7. Artificial flowers can be used for a long time or repeatedly, in contrast to the high replacement frequency and waste of natural resources associated with fresh flowers. Therefore, using artificial flowers is also an important measure for conserving energy and protecting the natural environment.

Moreover, apart from their long-lasting nature, artificial flowers are highly malleable, giving floral designers greater creative freedom. Techniques such as bending, folding, stringing, and cutting, when combined, provide a vast stage for the emergence of lifelike floral artworks. The realistic appearance of artificial flowers, coupled with their versatility and richness, allows a well-designed artificial flower arrangement to be a highly artistic and crafted piece, bringing us passion, surprise, shock, and eternal beauty. Fresh flowers are the foundation of flower arrangement. To excel in artificial and dried flower arrangement, one must first master the art of fresh flower arrangement. Excellent artificial and dried flower works must be vibrant, and to make lifeless artificial and dried flowers appear vibrant, one can only seek and learn from fresh flowers. While artificial and dried flowers do differ from fresh flowers, their theories are the same, and it is only the change in materials that causes the techniques to vary.

II. Classification of Artificial Flowers

Artificial flowers can be categorized in different ways from various perspectives, but the main classifications currently in the market are as follows:

    (A) Based on the material, they can be divided into:

    1. Fabric flowers: Fabric flowers are characterized by stable colors, diverse shapes, and long shelf life. Among them, flowers made of chemical fiber non-woven fabrics have bright colors and are not easily damaged; silk flowers have soft colors and delicate textures; flowers made of pure cotton and linen have a rustic and natural appearance, evoking a sense of returning to simplicity.

    2. Paper flowers: The advantages of paper flowers are that they are easy to shape and color, and their prices are relatively low. Some exquisite handmade paper roses in the market are generally sold at affordable prices, but their shelf life is slightly shorter than that of fabric flowers.

    3. Wooden flowers: This is a new type of artificial flower that has recently appeared in the market. It is made by shaping wood chips into petals and then gluing them together. They are usually designed with a single or double layer, and the petals are full and firm, possessing the simple and rustic beauty unique to cruciferous flowers. The simple design also makes them easy to clean.

    4. Foam flowers: Foam is generally used to make nuts, fruits, or bulbous plants. Their extremely light weight makes them suitable for various floral arrangements. Lotus root shapes coated with gold and silver powder are hot-selling items in the market this year.

    (B) Based on the craftsmanship, artificial flowers can be divided into machine-made flowers and handmade flowers. Machine-made flowers have a consistent and orderly shape and can generally be disassembled; handmade flowers have diverse shapes and a rustic and natural appearance. In terms of origin, artificial flowers can be classified as imported or domestically produced. Within each type of artificial flower, there are many different varieties...

    (C) The above two points are the basic classification methods. To gain a more detailed understanding of artificial flowers, a more specific classification method should be used. Currently, professional artificial flower manufacturers generally have a professional classification system based on the specific needs of most customers, such as:

Based on the overall appearance, they can be divided into three-dimensional rectangular floral arrangements and three-dimensional square floral arrangements;

Based on their purpose, they can be divided into gift artificial flowers, congratulatory artificial flowers, and business artificial flowers;

Different artificial flowers are more suitable for different holidays throughout the year;

In terms of design style, there are modern, rustic, cute, luxurious, and classical styles, etc.;

For home use, there are decorative flowers for the living room, entrance hall, bedroom, floor, kitchen, and hanging floral wreaths, etc.;

In terms of individual artificial flowers, there are general artificial flowers, roses, lilies, tulips, butterfly orchids, hydrangeas, etc.;

For wedding artificial flowers, they can be specifically divided into bridal bouquets, bridal headdresses, bridal wrist flowers, bridal corsages, wedding room flowers, wedding decoration flowers, etc.

III. With the development of the artificial flower market, artificial flower products are becoming increasingly diversified, multi-faceted, and specialized. Therefore, the development of the artificial flower industry also has distinct characteristics. According to our understanding, the current development trends of artificial flowers are:

Environmentally friendly materials

Non-toxic and harmless materials are increasingly being used in the production of artificial flowers, such as chemical fiber fabrics, silk, gauze, pure cotton fabrics, linen, paper, wood, foam, etc., all of which can be used to make "flowers".

Soft colors

In line with the retro trend, artificial flowers are moving away from bright colors, with vintage and low-key styles gradually becoming popular. Faded colors, as if weathered by wind and sun, are most suitable for matching natural and rustic home décor styles.

Exquisite craftsmanship

The slightly vintage tone of high-quality artificial flowers does not give a sense of dilapidation, which is determined by their meticulous craftsmanship. From each petal to each stamen, every part of modern artificial flowers can withstand close scrutiny, truly embodying the meaning of "lifelike".

Diverse varieties

The variety of artificial flowers is vast, as partially listed above. Any plant found in nature can be found here in an exquisite "pirated" version. Some particularly creative ones even surpass real flowers in beauty. Coupled with their everlasting nature, artificial flowers truly have the potential to replace fresh flowers as the main floral decoration in living spaces and are widely used in commercial fields.

IV. There are many advantages to using artificial flowers to beautify a room:

(1) Strong plasticity, green and environmentally friendly. The raw materials of artificial flowers mainly include plastic products, silk products, and polyester products. There are also materials made from resin clay. In addition, metal rods, glass tubes, blow-molded paper, fibrous silk, decorative paper, and ribbons are also used. These materials have little or no pollution. Due to the large elasticity of the material, it can be matched with models of special heights and shapes, and it can remain evergreen, breaking the limitations of real products. The images are realistic, vivid and lively, and can completely rival planted flowers and plants.

(2) Less affected by the environment. Nowadays, most public places and offices use air conditioning, and indoor lighting is often insufficient. Therefore, it is not an easy task to grow a plant well indoors, but artificial flowers can easily achieve this goal. The colors of artificial flowers and plants can remain bright for a long time, unlike planted flowers and plants that will wither and dry out.

(3) Easy maintenance. The branches and leaves of artificial flowers do not mold or rot, do not need watering, and do not breed mosquitoes and flies; artificial flowers and plants do not need to be cultivated manually, which can save the trouble of watering, pruning, and pest control; artificial flowers do not need to carry out photosynthesis, and there are no side effects of accidental ingestion and injury to children, which is very suitable for families with young children and elderly people where both spouses work.

(4) Most artificial flowers and plants are not expensive, and some are even much lower than real flowers and plants. They are convenient for transportation and easy to carry. When a design change is needed, they can be recombined to change the atmosphere. They are suitable for beautifying the environment of most families and can last for a long time.

V. Maintenance and care of artificial flowers

As artificial flowers increasingly occupy the consumer market, they are not only used in large public places such as hotels and shopping malls, but have also entered thousands of households. More and more people are paying attention to artificial flowers, so the maintenance and cleaning of artificial flowers has also become a topic of concern. How to maintain artificial flowers?

(1) Choose artificial flowers with self-cleaning function

Today's high-end artificial flowers are different from the past. Exquisite technology has made them difficult to distinguish from fresh flowers. Artificial flowers are made of cotton, silk, gauze, plastic and other materials. The petals, stamens, leaves and other parts of each flower are formed by pressing and combining different molds. Coating technology is an advanced treatment for modern artificial flowers. After the artificial flowers are pressed, they undergo a coating process and have a special self-cleaning function. They are not easy to stick to dust and basically do not need to be maintained, and can bloom beautifully for a long time at home.

(2) Simple cleaning methods for artificial flowers

If artificial flowers are placed in a dusty environment for a long time (such as outdoor artificial flowers), cleaning is not difficult. Tools such as dusters and brushes can easily remove dust from the surface of artificial flowers. A hair dryer (note: cold air) can also be used to lightly blow the surface of the flower to clean the artificial flowers. Even if they have not been maintained for years, the flower heads can be rinsed once with water and allowed to dry naturally.

Avoiding long-term exposure to sunlight has a better effect on maintaining the color of artificial flowers. However, even if placed outdoors and exposed to direct sunlight, artificial flowers can still maintain good effects for nearly two years. Indoors, they can maintain effects for at least five years.

(3) Flower arrangement art

No matter how beautiful the product itself is, facing the ever-changing life, aesthetic fatigue is inevitable. Therefore, change is another major advantage of artificial flowers. As time goes by, if the owner is no longer satisfied with the style of the artificial flowers placed at home, they can also do it themselves and participate in it. According to their own preferences, they can change the shape of the artificial flowers, replace the containers, or rearrange the flowers to achieve different effects. Flower arrangement is an art of life. Artificial flowers not only beautify life, but also cultivate people's taste in life, killing two birds with one stone.

In view of the many advantages of artificial flowers that fresh flowers cannot match, such as easy maintenance, easy cleaning, and easy change, purchasing artificial flowers has become a long-term investment, bringing eternal beauty to your life.

VI. Development of the artificial flower industry around the world

Artificial flowers can be used to beautify homes and can also be displayed and decorated in large hotels, exhibition halls, supermarkets, stations and other public places. According to reports, in the past 50 years, the artificial flower industry has formed a large-scale industry worldwide. In economically developed countries such as the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands, the sales of artificial flowers have increased year by year. In 2004, artificial flowers in the United States sold a total of 1.75 billion US dollars, an increase of 1.5 times compared to 10 years ago. The dried flowers produced in Australia are as famous as the tulips produced in the Netherlands. They have been exported to more than 60 countries and are recognized as "the fashionable flowers that never wither". Singapore, which is famous for producing "Hujik" orchids, has even more ingeniously applied gold-plating technology to orchids, creating a variety of shimmering brooches, earrings, pendants and other ornaments, which are welcomed by many movie stars, singers, and sports stars. It can be seen that the commercial value of artificial flowers is extraordinary.