(1) Fake:
Longtime readers may remember my luuuuuv for fake, maintenance-free greenery on my balcony. Alas, these two lovelies bit the dust at the end of last summer --
Age and relentless sunshine did them in and they became brittle, shedding leaves and causing general mayhem. So this summer, I bought a new fake floral-and-greenery arrangement to sit on this table instead. It's also nice and heavy so it won't blow over if there's a strong wind. The damn thing cost me an arm and a leg so I hope to get at least a couple of summers out of it before it too succumbs to the pitiless elements.
(2) Real:
On the other hand, My Rare One luuuuuvs to garden and has some beautiful irises which flower every June. Here's her Japanese irises --
I don't know what the official name of these yellow-and-purple irises are but when we were kids, they were commonly just called "flags." My Mom used to have them in her little front flower garden too.
These beauties are called "root beer irises" because of their rich tawny colour --
And here are both kinds of irises together --
[All photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2017 and 2021]
i always have trouble wrapping my head around how expensive fake flowers are. my mom grew flags in her garden too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your arrangement this summer. I must say, no offence intended, I much prefer your Rare One’s flowers.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your new arrangement. It is gorgeous. I hope it holds up well to the elements! The irises are stunning. They have always been one of my many favorite blooms.
ReplyDeleteThe new arrangement is very pretty but the irises are beautiful. I believe I'd have cut flowers inside every day!
ReplyDeleteOh Irises are one of my favorite flowers!!! We have had many of them over the years...but the iris bulbs got old. We can only recently planted new one last fall...and this spring what a show we got.
ReplyDeleteLove the new planter. I think there is a spray you can buy that keeps and protects the look of fake plants. I have to get the name for you.
Lovely irises! There was a time when we had a home decore store (in the nineties) and we sold many, many bouquets of faux flowers and some greenery. Now you can buy cheap versions at Dollerama (but not as good). -Jenn
ReplyDeleteWhile I am better suited caring for the 'fake' I prefer the 'real,' and luckily I married a man with a green thumb!
ReplyDeleteThe irises are gorgeous!
I didn't know artificial plants could "die"! That is beyond ironic. I do love irises...but they come and go so quickly.
ReplyDeleteWe have no garden space, my gardening days ended slowly when work took over my life, then moving here we just don't have a space. We keep fresh cut flowers in the house about 48 weeks out of the year.
ReplyDeleteThe irises are breathtaking. We had those in Connecticut and loved them. Planted another 43 one year and then moved before they even came up! I have artificial stuff where needed. Right now to camouflage some stored crap in my office, and in a wall planter in the living room that was clearly not intended to be watered. Had some great, realistic vinery on a trellis on the terrace but the sun turned it blue and it was no longer very realistic.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love her flowers! Oh, I hope my little garden patch ends up like her garden!
ReplyDeleteI think flowers are very uplifting. Every time I get a new one, I run to take a photo. Really. I'm that silly.
Your balcony arrangement is rad. Hope it lasts!
And now that you posted this, I think I need to do a garden update.
XOXO
They are all beautiful! I love all of Rare One's real flowers, but your new arrangement is gorgeous too - it's also more my style because I kill plants!
ReplyDeleteI once knew a woman who landscaped her yard with plastic flowers. She literally planted plastic plants in the ground. I'm still shaking my head over that one.
ReplyDeleteI'm with your Rare One on this issue....real flowers and plants are where it's at! Those irises are gorgeous.
ReplyDeletethose irises are gorgeous! and the new fake plant is very nice and looks really expensive.
ReplyDeletelove & blessings
~*~
Both your fake and your real flowers are all beautiful!! Japanese iris reproduce like rabbits and spread like wildfire! LOL
ReplyDeleteLike your Rare One, I too am particularly fond of Irises.
ReplyDeleteI like your new faux floral arrangement -- it brings some colour to that wall! Is that a cement tiled table it's sitting on? If it is, that won't blow away at least. The bluish-purple Irises are my favourites too!
ReplyDelete@ Tundra Bunny -- I don't know if it's cement tiled or not, but that table certainly is Heavy AF and fulfills its purpose very well of weighting down that end of my fake green astroturf.
ReplyDeleteYour new balcony planter is lovely! More color than the last one, and that's nice. I hope it lasts.
ReplyDeleteYour Rare One's irises are spectacular! I love irises but I wish they lasted longer. The Japanese iris are my daughter's favorite flower.
Oooh, so pretty. I love the soft multi-colored beauties, and the fake ones look real to me. Plus the maintenance - well, there's none. Good work.
ReplyDeleteHi Debra, That's pretty bad if you kill even fake plants. Luckily, you have a highly skilled connection who shares her iris bounty with you.
ReplyDelete--Jim
I'm not much for the real kind because of my kiss of death
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing I love more than purple irises. Rare One's flowers are all beautiful, but I especially love those purple irises.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, having someone that likes to putter in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI cannot keep anything alive in the ardent Arizona sun but succulents.
ReplyDeleteI am ready to get fake ones.
Ok the comment section is for asking questions too. Can't your Rare One and you find a real flowery bush for the balcony? I'm sure the shade and water issue could be solved with something.
ReplyDelete@ Bill Lisleman -- The first year I lived in my apartment, I bought a lovely planter of real flowers for the balcony. Then vacation happened. I had no one to come in to water it. I wasn't going to expect someone to drive halfway across the city every couple of days to water it. And I was goddamned if I was going to lug that heavy thing over to someone else's place to water while I was gone. That's when I converted to the miracle and ease of maintenance-free fakes!
ReplyDeleteIris were flags when I was growing up, too. To be cut and put in mayonnaise jars and taken to the graves of grandparents on Memorial Day. My mother-in-law set me straight; they are one and the same.
ReplyDeleteFake or real they all look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOne time I had root beer Iris and those darn deer ate them
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Rare One's flowers are gorgeous, but I also like your "fake" arrangement. To each her own.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
At first I thought the irises were orchids.
ReplyDeleteThose are lovely iris - ours bloomed a month ago but you are so much farther north!
ReplyDeleteYou Rare One and you makes a perfect pair. You get to have human-made blooms inside and she grows nature's blossoms outside. The whole looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteLove the Japanese Iris..I have them in my garden..Good spreaders..I have shared them throughout the neighborhood..I like the bigger ones to see but I don't care to deal with their upkeep..
ReplyDeleteYour new arrangement is gorgeous...I have a "tree" on my porch that is very dry and brittle now..I should replace it BUt...Yes, they are expensive..Not sure I will replace it..$$$$$
I'm with you, Debra! Bring on the fakes. Your expired ones were realistically pretty, but your new one is gorgeous. I love your Rare One's beautiful flags. Real gardening in Colorado broke me decades ago (emotionally and physically). Clay soils on a south facing hill with plagues of grasshoppers and horned caterpillars, pounding hail, and no watering system except me at 3:00 am before commuting to work. Like you said, bring on the fakes!
ReplyDeleteI love to garden but I no longer have a yard, so I understand your love of faux plants, especially on the balcony. They look bright and lovely.
ReplyDeleteI love your new arrangement Deb! It is gorgeous!!! Love your Rare One's garden too!! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteA garden down the road from me has beautiful irises growing year after year, and every year I tell myself "must plant irises", and guess what? every year I forget!!
ReplyDeleteYour new colorful floral arrangement looks lovely, and Rare One has definitely mastered the art of gardening. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds, Debra! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Love your new arrangement. Faux flowers can be lovely. The iris are gorgeous. so many wonderful colors. How special to have to enjoy. Someone has a green thumb.
ReplyDeleteI love Irises. There are so many kinds and they are all beautiful. I was watching a decorating/remodel show and the man said he killed any plant so they gave him a window box with artificial flowers and they looked beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDidn't think leaves fell off fake plants, but then everything wears out, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteoh i loved irises Debra ,they are delightful and really beautiful
ReplyDeletei also loved your fake flowers arrangements :)
fake flowers are expensive but to cheer up rooms they are must .
My late wife could kill plastic plants. Tanya on the other hand...
ReplyDeleteMy mom's Iris are still blooming every year by the front door, almost 20 years after she died, uncared for by my brother who retired to the farm stead.
that fake plant is so beautiful....you did good..and I love Iris's...when I lived in california I had a ton of them..big beauiful purple ones and a lot of flags..which is what I called them too.
ReplyDeleteI love your fake arrangement! As I get older, my motivation of a garden decreases. I look forward to the day we have a small apartment with almost nothing to do. Perhaps I'll add some fake flowers, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a ban on fake flowers, but I understand your issue on the patio area.
ReplyDeleteIris's are one of my favorites and look at all the flavors you have! Bravo.
I have fake and real plants and I find the fake ones die before the real ones!
ReplyDeleteI *finally* got irises I planted ages ago to grow in my garden. LOL, I felt so cool.
ReplyDelete