Fake flowers not a hit in Illinois city

DES PLAINES, Ill., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Several residents of Des Plaines, Ill., oppose the proposed switch from real to fake flowers throughout the city, officials say.

Des Plaines Alderman Jean Higgason said the proposal from the Public Works Department to use artificial flowers in hanging baskets throughout the Chicago suburb has been met with a litany of complaints, the Chicago Tribune said Thursday.

"Out of all the issues that come up, I really thought that was one of the least controversial," Higgason said following a City Council meeting. "But I was wrong."

In response to the public outcry against the use of silk flowers in the elevated baskets, council members shot down the proposal by a vote of 6-1.

Council member Don Smith, the lone council supporter of the proposal, told the Tribune the fake flowers weren't only as attractive as the real counterparts but cheaper and less work to maintain.

"They look great," he told the newspaper. "You can't even tell they're fake flowers."