Faux-get about real flowers

Faux can look just as good as fresh. That was the lesson learned in a Saturday morning lecture at Roger’s Gardens on creating faux arrangements with lifelike silk flowers.

The key to faking it?

Mimic mother nature and you can’t go wrong, said Christopher Nichols, the head designer for fresh and faux arrangements at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

“Don’t buy colors that don’t exist in nature,” Nichols said. “There’s no blue rose.”

And stay away from adding glitter to arrangements, Nichols said.

Using examples he created, Nichols showed a crowd of about 30, how to make faux arrangements at home.

Unlike real flowers, which need light and attention, faux flowers are great for decorating rooms with little light, Nichols said. The silk flowers can be cleaned with canned air or with a damp cloth, he said.

Years ago, the faux flower trend was much different from how it is now ? people used flowers of all colors to match identically with furniture and room decor, Nichols said.

That’s not so much the idea anymore, Nichols said.

Color is crucial, and it’s important to use only natural colors, Nichols said. The quality of the faux flower is also key in making the arrangement look real, Nichols said.

“I always go and look for materials that I would use in my own home, and I’m very particular,” Nichols said.

Roger’s Gardens has a large selection of faux flowers. Nichols works with customers to update old arrangements or create new ones.

Nichols showed the audience that faux flowers can be displayed in all sorts of containers, including clear glass. You can even add water to the container to make it all the more real; the faux flower stems are sealed at the bottom and won’t rust in water, Nichols said.

Standing inches from one of Nichols’ creations, it’s nearly impossible to see that the flowers are fake. Every feature on the silk flowers sold at Roger’s Gardens is as real as it gets ? short of being alive.

Saturday’s event was one of many free lectures held at Roger’s Gardens on weekends throughout the year. For more information on future events, visit the Roger’s Garden website, www.rogersgardens.com or call (949) 640-5800.

Newport Beach residents Bob and Sharon Kahan frequently attend the free events at Roger’s Gardens; at home, they have an entire file full of gardening information they’ve learned here.

“It’s the creativity,” Sharon Kahan said, of what keeps them coming back.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s event, Nichols and Roger’s Gardens staff gave away several faux arrangements.

“I thought it was awesome,” Lisa Stanley of Tustin said. “He gave a lot of good ideas.” (LA)Christopher Nichols shows how to bend a faux daffodil. dpt.09-flowers-2-BPhotoInfoIE1PPGV320060409ixf7hfncPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Christopher Nichols, Head Designer at Roger’s Gardens, explains how to bend a faux Daffodil during Saturday morning’s Fabulous Faux Florals presentation at Roger’s Gardens. dpt.09-flowers-1-CPhotoInfoIE1PPGUU20060409ixf7h3ncPHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Christopher Nichols, arrangements designer at Roger’s Gardens, explains how he used rocks to help position a faux floral arrangement in a glass vase. Nichols lectured about using fake flowers on Saturday morning at the nursery.