Sunlight Is What Kills Artificial Flowers

Faux florals do not wilt, and they do have a lifespan, and it is set almost entirely by how much light they see.

What Ultraviolet Does

UV light breaks the chemical bonds in dyes and in the polymers themselves.

The dye goes first, so colour fades. Then the material itself becomes brittle, and foam in particular starts to crumble at the edges.

It is cumulative and irreversible. There is no restoring a faded bloom.

Which Colours Go First

• Reds and pinks fade fastest, and shift toward orange or grey
• Purples and blues go next
• Greens fade toward yellow, which looks unhealthy
• Creams and whites yellow rather than fade
• Which is why a faded arrangement looks wrong before it looks pale

Ranges offering a wide shade selection, of the kind at floroom.net, are worth thinking about with position in mind: a deep burgundy in a south-facing window will not stay burgundy.

It Fades Unevenly

The detail that makes it obvious. The face toward the light bleaches while the shaded side stays original.

An arrangement in a window develops a visibly two-tone appearance within a season, which looks worse than uniform fading.

Rotating it every few weeks distributes the exposure and buys considerable time.

Outdoor Use Is Short

Worth being realistic. A wreath on a south-facing door can fade visibly in a single summer.

Some products are sold as UV-resistant, which slows the process rather than stopping it. Where a listing does not claim UV resistance, assume it has none.

A covered porch, a north-facing door or a shaded position multiplies the life several times over.

Rain and Wind

Less damaging than sun and not harmless. Repeated soaking loosens glue and rusts wire stems from the inside.

Wind blows lighter items away and tears petals from stems.

Rotate a Pair

The practical answer for a door. Two wreaths alternating fade at half the rate of one, and each gets a rest indoors.

Indoors, Watch the Windows

An arrangement directly in a sunny window is in the worst position in the house.

A metre back from the glass makes a substantial difference.

Buy for the Position

Not for the catalogue photograph.

Store Them Out of Light

Between uses, a closed box in a dark cupboard stops fading entirely, which is what makes reuse worthwhile.