Post #776655 by uncle trav on Sun, Jun 4, 2017 4:16 PM

Much like the idyllic artificial Polynesian culture invented by restaurant owners to lure suburbanites in the door in the heyday of tiki, the dark jungle was just as often fake as well. Assuredly some real plants were used at many locations but the sheer bulk, variety and upkeep of real plants would have been a monumental task.

Enter the plastic jungle. No sunlight, bugs, water. No problem. I'm sure more than one oil well went dry pumping out the raw ingredients for a perfect plastic paradise. Beyond dusting the care and feeding of these plants couldn't be easier. It could be blowing a January blizzard in Kalamazoo Michigan but inside the Tur Mai Kai the plastic jungle thrived. Dark, warm and inviting if not sometimes intimidating to an uninitiated urban missionary on his first visit.

Fake or real. Indoors or out these jungles were often the finishing touch to a carefully planned evening of escapism. Tightwad business men and housewives alike would gladly open their purses and wallets to get lost if only for a couple of hours in those plastic jungles.

Like it or not there was a time when plastic and pagan gods were king of the jungle and not the lowly lion. I'm no expert by any means just a guy who likes the classic Tiki era. So now to my questions.

Plastic plants. Love em or hate em?
What is the best way to install a large amount of fake plants in your home bar?
Are more better?
How often do you dust your plant?
What type of fake plants look the best?
Silk or plastic or both?
Where is the rest place to buy?
Lighting? Up lighting? Back lighting?

I'm sure there are more questions and answers out there so I thought it may be an interesting topic. Sorry in advance for a very wandering post