Welcome to the plastic jungle baby. Classic Tiki and fake plants

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

ARTIFICIAL PLANTS = I am not a green thumb, real plants commit suicide at my house, so fake it is.

INSTALLING = I have a gorgeous 12' high rubber plant in my lounge. I have a 12-14' five stalk palm in my bedroom. I have a few other fakes scattered around.

IS MORE BETTER = Not necessarily, in this case quality of plants is more important.

DUSTING PLANTS = I haven't dusted them. I am planning on hiring a plant cleaning service to come to my house and clean them.

TYPE OF FAKE PLANTS = I like palms the best.

SILK OR PLASTIC = I prefer silk, they look more life-like.

BEST PLACE TO BUY = An artificial plant store offers the best options. Sometimes furniture stores also carry nice ones.

LIGHTING = I don't have any set up.

Overall, I don't have to worry about bugs or watering, just the dusting. Real would be better but there is that suicide thang!!!

I go hard on the fake foliage, though not as hard as I wish I could on account of having an Enchanted Tiki Kitchen rather than a full Enchanted Tiki Lounge. Basically, anywhere above the cupboards that isn't occupied by a mug is stuffed with greenery and flowers, as well as the mantle of our blinds and a vase on our kitchen table. I love the look of a verdant jungle pressing in from all sides. To me, it's the essence of a tropical paradise! I prefer silk as well, mainly orchids, hibiscus, and birds of paradise. We do have a silk palm, but it's actually in our Victorian living room (which also has silk Boston ferns). That fellow does need a good dusting though... Maybe even a trip to the shower. No special lighting as such, though we do have a couple of those Halloween lights that project a swirling blue (for underwater) or green (for a jungle effect). We've got a good silk plant store in our city, but have also trucked down to the Michael's for some.

[ Edited by: EnchantedTikiGoth 2017-06-05 14:02 ]

Both Hobby Lobby and Michael's have 40% off coupons (Weekly}. This time of year they have a good assortment of artificial plants.

Check out Tiki Cat KC sometime.
It's in a basement so we had to fake it up.
Total jungle down there! Fake plants are a must in any Tiki Enviro.

I think Wendy planted Dan's entire Tiki room with Michael's coupons, I'll see if we can get her to chime in here. Nice thing about Michael's and Joann's is that you can pull the the coupons up on your phone, you don't have wait for the Sunday paper.

In my garden I often put silk flowers on my real plants

The coupon room that Dan built.

WOW!!! Considering I haven't had a house plant since 1993, this might be a good route to follow.

It's amazing!!

At work (no windows), we have some fake plants, and I dust them with compressed air. :)

On 2017-06-06 19:13, danlovestikis wrote:

The coupon room that Dan built.

That. Is. Impressive! Amazing.

Piddersthecat all of these are silk or plastic. Dan says to dust he turns on the ceiling fan. Actually there is a spray can product that makes the dust invisable. The windows are all covered by book cases.

finky099 thank you. Dan and I are both into tiki so it makes it nice for him. He's taken over most of the house room by room.

Wendy

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Wowza!

I live in the desert, I would have to dust that with a LEAF BLOWER :lol:

Chin's in Livonia Mi has an original intact plastic jungle. It covers a lava rock waterfall in a corner of the restaurant. Fifty years old and still makes a statement. In the dim light it looks perfect. Lots of other plastic goodness throughout. I would like to recreate the effect in my home bar if I only had the room.

What varietals of artificial plants are considered tiki? What should I look for?

On 2017-06-09 07:30, Jeff Bannow wrote:
What varietals of artificial plants are considered tiki? What should I look for?

Contrary to popular belief, Easter Lilies are not from Rapa Nui and are not considered Tiki :wink:

Trav, is that you?

On 2017-06-09 12:14, MadDogMike wrote:

On 2017-06-09 07:30, Jeff Bannow wrote:
What varietals of artificial plants are considered tiki? What should I look for?

Contrary to popular belief, Easter Lilies are not from Rapa Nui and are not considered Tiki :wink:

Trav, is that you?

Yep. Sad but true that's me. That day the temp was about eighteen degrees so the wool won out over the aloha shirt.

I was at Don the Beachcomber this Saturday and took these pictures thinking about this thread. Love their settings. I might have more pictures not sure, will post if I find them.

I love that waterfall feature.

I tell my parents that when they are old and need help (they are 71 now) and I have to move home, I'm going to tikify their whole basement. This would be amazing along one part of the wall that used to house a wood stove but it is now brick on the walls and tile on the floor. It pretty much builds itself.

On 2017-06-09 12:39, uncle trav wrote:
Yep. Sad but true that's me...

OK, now I have a visual image of Uncle Trav :lol:

Checking into the Wendy/Dan jungle takes you back in time along with the music and mug displays. Definitely one of my favorite homes.