| Makers of artificial plants and flowers in China are | | | | flowers," Lin said. |
| improving their products through the use of | | | | Xiamen Hanka's manufacturing procedures are |
| delicate materials and handcraft techniques. These | | | | done both by hand and machine. The accessories, |
| enhancements are aimed at creating designs that | | | | fruit and stems undergo plastic injection, while the |
| look like real ones. | | | | petals are molded. Gluing of parts and coloring of |
| Most suppliers use treated polyester for the | | | | fine details are carried out manually. |
| petals and leaves, as the material feels soft and is | | | | Developing realistic designs is also Evertrust Arts |
| easy to shape. Others work with silk to lend | | | | & Crafts Co. Ltd's key R&D focus. In fact, the |
| petals a brighter sheen and a softer texture. | | | | company operates a flower farm near its factory |
| Flowers made of sheer and velvetlike fabric are | | | | so that designers can study and have a closer |
| also offered. While stems usually come in molded | | | | look at the details, forms and colors of various |
| plastic, some are wrapped with paper strips to | | | | plants and flowers. |
| make them more realistic-looking. | | | | Roses, magnolias, lilies and sunflowers are the |
| To emphasize small details, some companies are | | | | best-selling designs. Models intended for Valentine's |
| manufacturing artificial flowers by hand. Manual | | | | Day are also popular, especially red roses. |
| production results in slight imperfections and | | | | Flowers in cream or off-white likewise sell well, as |
| makes every item unique, just as in live plants | | | | they blend easily with any home interior color |
| and flowers. Pieces of fabric are normally cut, | | | | theme. |
| folded and glued manually to make the petals and | | | | The company's artificial plants and flowers have |
| leaves. Painting and finishing of plastic fruit are also | | | | petals made of specially treated polyester and silk, |
| done mostly by hand. | | | | and stems in plastic. Paper is also being used. The |
| In addition, there are a number of China suppliers | | | | materials are sourced domestically. |
| that run their own flower farms. This enables | | | | Shandong Weifang Evertrust Arts & Crafts Co. |
| designers to have a close look at the colors and | | | | Ltd's latest range is completely handmade. Leaves |
| forms of flowers in their different growth stages. | | | | and petals are cut, molded and glued by hand. |
| Design teams are also provided with regular | | | | Shandong-based Qingdao Juyi International Trading |
| training to help them develop their skills. | | | | Co. Ltd exports artificial flowers mainly for |
| Because the line is seasonal, most suppliers are | | | | Christmas, spring and weddings. Among its popular |
| releasing artificial plants and flowers specially | | | | designs are roses, lilies and poinsettias. The |
| designed for spring, autumn and Christmas. Roses | | | | company also releases flower collections for |
| and arrangements for Valentine's Day are also | | | | summer and autumn. |
| best-sellers. | | | | Designs are made of velvet, glitter and paper |
| Close to the real thing | | | | foam sourced from domestic suppliers. The |
| Artificial flower | | | | company also imports sheer fabric from Taiwan, |
| Orchid model GFA56 from Qingdao Juyi has | | | | and hard-to-find materials from Japan or South |
| seven 9cm-diameter flower heads, three buds | | | | Korea. |
| and six leaves. The flowers and leaves are silk | | | | The company's R&D team visits Guangzhou twice |
| and the stem is plastic. Price is $1.47. | | | | a year to find new materials and attend |
| Close to the real thing | | | | international trade shows. Designers also speak |
| Xiamen Hanka Imp. & Exp. Ltd offers a range of | | | | with buyers from the US and Europe to learn |
| artificial fruit, plants and flowers. Among the | | | | about the latest trends. |
| company's popular releases this year are the | | | | Most of Qingdao Juyi's designs are entirely |
| lemon and orange series, which are available in | | | | handmade. "The majority of suppliers in Shandong |
| tree, garland or branch designs. Poppies, magnolias | | | | and other northern provinces in China produce |
| and strawberries are also selling well. | | | | artificial flowers by hand," manager Margaret Lan |
| "From a distance of one meter, it would be very | | | | said. |
| difficult to determine whether our plants and | | | | Typically, the fabric undergoes cutting, petal |
| flowers are real or not. This is our main | | | | folding and forming, stitching and dyeing.Some |
| requirement to the R&D team," manager Frank | | | | makers use molds in petal making, in which fabric |
| Lin said. | | | | is pressed against the mold and cut to shape. |
| Xiamen Hanka employs two part-time designers | | | | However, a single mold may cost $12,000. |
| from the Netherlands, who conduct training for its | | | | But even while artificial plants and flowers from |
| local designers and keep them abreast of the | | | | Qingdao are mostly handcrafted, their export |
| latest trends. | | | | prices are still lower than those of |
| The company uses polyester for most of its | | | | machine-processed versions from the southern |
| flowers because of the material's softness, and | | | | provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang. |
| Styrofoam and PU for fruit. Some materials are | | | | "This is mainly because labor wages in the |
| imported from Taiwan and South Korea. "Our | | | | northern provinces are much lower. For instance, |
| suppliers do not care much about the material. | | | | workers in Qingdao are paid three to four times |
| What they are more concerned about is how we | | | | less than in Guangdong and Zhejiang," Lan said. |
| make our products look and feel like real plants or | | | | |