I know what you’re probably thinking. What in the world is Nature’s Seed talking about? Artificial topiary? After all, we’re a company that only deals with living seeds that will eventually grow into living plants; the key word here being living. So I completely understand any confusion surrounding this blog post. But hear me out.

Bringing Green to Dark Spaces

Here in the Nature’s Seed office I don’t have access to natural sunlight – at all. I have one window with a view out into our cavernous warehouse. I also happen to be a person who appreciates, you could even say needs, indoor plants to feel my best. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to keep any indoor plants alive in my office due to the complete lack of natural light. Deprived of green, I’ve been feeling blue. That is until I was contacted by the folks at www.HedgeScapes.com and offered a chance to review one of their products. Finally, an opportunity for bring some much needed green into my office!

Not Your Grandma's Silk Flowers

For my review I selected a product from their topiary line, although HedgeScapes carries such a vast collection of artificial hedges, screens, green walls, etc. that it was hard to choose. Check out www.hedgescapes.com/hedge and see for yourself. Even though I was hesitant to review something artificial considering my views on real vs. fake plants, I will admit there are times and situations where these products would be not only beneficial, but would actually make more sense than the real thing. For instance, people that work in a cave like me or any other indoor situation too dim for real plant life. They also make sense for outdoor situations where the upkeep and maintenance of a real hedge is not possible or practical. HedgeScapes has many neat examples of their products in use. In fact, I was actually pretty impressed by all the creative ways of incorporating artificial hedges and green walls into interior and exterior projects and designs. And these aren’t your grandma’s silk flowers either; it appears HedgeScapes has perfected the technology of artificial plant manufacturing by including features like ThermaLeaf, a fire retardant foliage solution, and PermaLeaf, a fade-resistant feature on their outdoor products, as well as some of the most botanically-correct textures I’ve ever seen.

My Experience

I finally settled on a four-foot tall artificial cedar tree as its upright form would fit perfectly in the area I had in mind, and I really like the dwarf conifer look. The product was packaged well and only needed a quick “fluffing” when I pulled it out of the box. After this, I set it up next to the entrance of my office and that was it. It’s very life-like; in fact a co-worker asked what type of maintenance my new tree would need, mistaking it for a living plant. The only accessory I might eventually get for my new tree is a more decorative container with maybe some moss or rock filler to make it appear even more realistic.

Fulfilling a Niche

I actually learned quite a bit during this review, and I’ve come to the conclusion that artificial plants are not trying to replace or compete with real plants, they’re simply fulfilling a niche in which they’re well suited (except for you, artificial turfgrass industry, you’re still whack). It would be silly to think that someday everyone will have artificial yards full of artificial plants, and I don’t think that’s what HedgeScapes has in mind anyway. They seem to know their market and customers well, and they certainly know their products. But who knows, maybe I’ll sneak a couple HedgeScapes products into my landscape this year and see if anybody notices.

Disclosure: I received a free product from HedgeScapes.com in the hope that I would review it on the Nature’s Seed blog. The opinions above are my own.