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The Best Way to Save A Faux Ficus Tree

Here is how I repurpose an out-of-date faux ficus tree into a fresh Spring Blossom Tree for my front porch! Follow these simple DIY, easy-to-follow instructions to repurpose a faux ficus tree.

Did anyone else have a love for ficus trees back in the day? Like many of my home decor trend obsessions, I quickly tired of cleaning them. So needless the say, when we discovered a dusty old ficus tree in my mom’s house, it was quickly added to the donation pile.

cherry Blossom tree made from recycled ficus tree.

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I certainly didn’t want it because my obsession had been over for years. I was currently obsessing over a cherry blossom tree for my porch.

However, this was proving to be a budget problem. My budget didn’t quite meet the cost of the one I was obsessing over.

Can you guess what happened next?

As we were about to load the dusty ficus tree onto the truck, inspiration struck!!!! Much to my husband’s dismay, I loaded that dusty thing into my car and brought it home with me!

Old Ficus tree
See I even brought some of the dust home with it.

My husband was not thrilled, to say the least. This was not the first thing I couldn’t let go of from my mom’s house. However, this might have been the dirtiest. Plus, I have a habit of shopping at thrift stores and have been known to bring home items that need repairs. One such item was an old silverware box. See the transformation here!

I was excited because I had a plan. First, I needed my supplies.

supplies to update a faux ficus tree

Gather Supplies

Since we live in the woods, I have an abundance of trees to cut free branches from. However, it was necessary to purchase the faux cherry bud stems. I chose some that closely resembled cherry blossom buds.

Assemble Cherry Blossom Stems

To begin with, I removed the buds from the faux flowers.

use hot glue to attach cherry blossom stems for ficus tree update

Then using a hot glue gun, attach the buds to the gathered tree branches.

Add faux cherry blossom stems to gathered foraged tree branches.

Remove Faux Ficus Stems from Tree Trunk

Silly me, I thought I could pull the faux ficus stems from the tree trunk and use the holes to add my real wood twigs.

Because I was obviously mistaken, it was necessary to use wire snips to cut the faux ficus stems from the tree trunk.

Cut faux Ficus Tree Stems away from the tree trunk.

Prepare the Ficus Tree Trunk

I drilled holes into the tree trunk using a medium-sized drill bit.

use drill to make hole in tree trunk

It’s important to drill the holes on an angle to allow the twigs to branch out in a natural upward direction. In addition, you want to be sure the holes are large enough for your twigs to fit into. Therefore, you may need to adjust the drill bit size to accommodate larger twigs.

Drill hole in tree trunk

Now it’s time to attach your twigs. First, I decided which twig would work best in each hole. Then I applied a drop of hot glue into one hole and quickly inserted the prearranged twig.

add hot glue to hold new cherry blossom stems.

It’s necessary to hold the twig steady until the glue dries.

Repurposed Faux Ficus Tree using cherry blossom blooms

Then repeat this process until the tree is at the desired fullness.

This tree is exactly what I had been obsessing over, and I was able to create this DIY project for a fraction of the cost.

Update a faux ficus tree with cherry blossom blooms.

Tools

Supplies

  • Old Ficus Tree (check donation store, your mother’s or grandmother’s house)
  • Wooden Twigs – Hopefully you can get these free as well.
  • Faux Stems that resemble Cherry Blossoms or other Blossom that your desire.

How to repurpose a faux ficus tree into a cherry blossom tree for spring decorating.
Now my porch is ready for Spring!

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you enjoyed this tutorial, you will also like this post. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will leave a comment if you did. I appreciate any questions you may have.

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the Best Way To Save A Faux Ficus Tree - Made into a cherry blossom tree
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Joy

Sunday 9th of April 2023

Hi Rachel, Love your creations! Your blog is one of only a few that I would actually attempt to recreate the projects! Was wondering if you felt the time and energy was justified? Would you do it again? Just discovered an old dusty ficus tree, and wondering if I should attempt to repurpose it. Yours is beautiful, but I live in a small place. Your thoughts?

Rachel

Monday 10th of April 2023

Joy, It was an easy project and was very budget-friendly. I would do it again if I wanted a Cherry Blossom tree. It was less expensive than purchasing one. If you have the space to decorate with one, I'd definitely do it again.

Kathy M

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Rachel, Great DYI. I have an old ivy topiary in,a nice square container but it is a bear to dust. Any ideas what I could do to recycle it. It is about 2 1/2 ft tall with a 10 inch grapevine orb. At Christmas it is decorated with little white lights and set on a timer. Thanks for any ideas from you or your readers.

va in nc

Wednesday 5th of April 2023

@Rachel,

Thanks for this idea. I love it, but had just recently donated old tree when I downsized. I may have to go looking for another as this would work nicely for an inside spot I have. Your ideas are always great

Rachel

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Kathy, There are several possibilities but I'd start with fresh boxwood. Just cut stems and stick them into the grapevine until you have a full topiary again. If it needs trimming you can snip the longer pieces to pruning shears.

Jan

Monday 3rd of April 2023

I love it! It turned out fabulously! Thank you for the inspiration.

Rachel

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Jan, Thank you for stopping by.

Gwen

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Absolutely amazing! Beautiful save!! Love the container as well..perfect!

Rachel

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Gwen, I'm so glad you like this. Thank you.

Karolyn

Monday 3rd of April 2023

You are such a clever woman!! Turned out beautiful!!

Rachel

Monday 3rd of April 2023

Karolyn, I appreciate this so much. Thanks for making my day.