On a recent visit to my grandma’s house, I was struck by her lovely plants. They were well shaped and perky with deep green leaves.

My admiration was totally betrayed when I realized they were fake.

Even now, as I walked by the counter at a very chi chi Italian cafè, there they are. Fake flowers (and not particularly nice ones at that).

People Will Notice

Now that I am seeing faux flowers everywhere, it got me thinking.

The lighting in my grandma’s den is quite dim, so she can get away with her faux greens. But a plant or a bush in a corner or on a side table is very different than the flowers sitting between the open bottle of wine and the main course.

Can you really fool people at a dinner party, when guests are up close and personal with your table flowers?

Is it even worth it to fake it?

On my dining room table, there are often some kind of flowers. My mom brings them from her garden, or I pick up something that catches my eye at Whole Foods.

Ironically enough, I always take the flowers off the table when I have dinner guests. There is often not enough space for serving dishes or too much potential to knock the vase over.

More paramount though, is the conversation issue. In my event planning days, a tall vase itself was always a faux pas. It keeps guests from interacting across the table.

Fake Flowers can be an Eco-Friendly Statement

It kind of works in theory, but I don’t know about the practical applications.

Flowers (or any decor) at dinner are meant to be aesthetically pleasing – to enhance the elegance of your table. I’m just not convinced that fake flowers can do that. To me, they just look cheap.

What do you think? Can fake flowers hack it on a dinner table? Any favorite brands?