I bought these faux ferns when we first built the barn for greenery that wouldn’t need to be watered. This year will be the fourth year using them.

However, last year I got the bright idea to move the planters to the edge of the covered patio and the sun bleached them a terrible turquoise blue color. I didn’t want to buy new ferns again so I had the bright idea to spray paint them. Would it work? I had no idea. But, if it didn’t work, they were already ruined so it was worth a try.

Have you seen this spray paint for grass and shrubs that makes dead plants look alive again? It doesn’t wash off in the rain. (It doesn’t wash off easily in the shower, either.) If it can make dead plants look new, why wouldn’t it make my turquoise ferns look new?

I stuck each faux fern plant in a bag of potting soil to hold it upright and went to town with the spray paint. Word to the wise, don’t wear new white flip flops when attempting this project. What dummy would do that? I also suggest wearing disposable gloves to move the fronds, as needed, while painting.

To my surprise, it worked like a charm! No more turquoise ferns.

I’m sure any green spray paint can be used which would be a little cheaper. I wanted to try the Grass and Shrub Renew because I knew it would be the color of actual plants. I’m so happy with how they turned out. I was able to cover four ferns all over with one can of paint.

I put a set of two ferns in each pot for fullness. At $40.34 per set in four pots, it would have cost me $161.36 to buy new. For two cans of spray paint at $11.81 each, they are good as new for $23.62. In girl math, that means I now have $137.74 in free money to spend on something else. 🙂

Here is a look at the after in the pots. I would say this makes me a genius because they look like brand new. (Because I’m sure no one has thought of this before me.) I’ll be keeping the pots under the covered porch from now on just to be safe. I will also spray UV floral protectant spray on all faux florals that I use outdoors to prevent fading and discoloring from the sun.

What do you think? Genius or just lucky?