Droughts of historic length in cities and towns across the U.S. have led to numerous restrictions on outdoor water use—frustrating many a master gardener and making already economically dicey times even more challenging for landscapers large and small. But before anyone alerts the “water police” about a neighbor’s secret, late-night sprinkling, consider this: The healthy potted greenery at their front door and the flowering plants on their patio just might be faux.

“We had begun to notice that our outdoor topiaries were selling really, really well,” says Kathy Lang Albright, vice president of marketing and designer services at Atrium Foliage, a company known for high design, permanent botanicals with a natural look, “when one of our customers, the owner of a garden center, called. He said he wanted to be sure he could count on a steady supply of outdoor topiaries because he was going to begin running ads promoting the products in his marketplace. Well, you don’t have to be a weatherman to figure out which way the wind is blowing: Here was a garden center that had struck on a way to offer customers in his market, who were stuck with ugly brown things sitting at their front doors because they couldn’t water anything, a solution.”

Fraught With Drought

According to Albright, the notion of using natural-looking faux topiaries outside is quickly catching on. “The type of container the outdoor topiaries are ‘planted’ in, determines whether the product needs some level of shelter or not; the leaves themselves are made to endure the elements outdoors,” Albright says. “Put them in a wrought-iron container or something similar, and these products will survive for several years. We’re seeing increased usage on the commercial side, in hotel installations, model homes and decorating retail store fronts, in addition to retailers promoting these products to their customers for use in residential applications.”

Albright sees the ongoing trend of creating outdoor rooms driving the movement. “People put in the fire pit, buy the furniture and the awning, and then they found out that they can’t water their gardens,” she describes. “They still lust for that garden-fresh look, albeit without the hassle or the fines associated with watering on an ‘off’ night.”

And, while consumers may cut back in some areas, in response to the rising cost of gas and groceries, Albright says flowers of all kinds will continue to sell. “During times of War or economic unrest, flowers sell because they give people a lift. Think of the streets of Paris during World War II. We crave the color and beauty of nature; it just makes us feel better. And that doesn’t change when you can’t legally, or morally, keep your garden alive.”

This in mind, Atrium Foliage has expanded its collection of outdoor topiaries for Spring Market, some of which will welcome members of the press in the High Point Market Media Center as part of the “Timeless Classics, Fresh Perspectives” design theme. The products will also be showcased in the company’s new, permanent showroom, on the fourth floor of the Commerce & Design (C&D) Building, Space 4P.

Along with the additions to the outdoor collection, Atrium Foliage is highlighting new offerings in its popular “Now & Zen” line, of clean, linear, architecturally inspired designs, as well as “Tradition With an Attitude,” arrangements that appear as though “you had just gathered them in from the garden to enjoy.” The company also continues to produce a permanent botanical line that draws inspiration from the Smithsonian’s vast collections of orchids, gardens and archival resource materials as part of its licensing agreement with the Smithsonian.