After struggling for 2 years with real plants, I finally gave in to the never-ending drought, unrelenting heat, & blinding light that we live with here in extreme-southern Texas. The aluminum flowers are a bright & cheery sight from my bedroom window. However, the colors WILL fade. This is why we made many of our flowers using the inside of the cans. The silver color will remain silver. For those in other climates where you can enjoy real flowers, I think the aluminum flowers are a great project when you need to decorate for a teen's birthday party, a prom or after-prom (please omit the beer cans from these parties ), a family reunion, or any other occasion where you need lots of cheap decorations. I cut the green colored cans into long strips, like when you peel an apple. The long strips can be attached end to end creating long garlands or vines. Then you can attach the flowers to the vines. Also, you can attach some of the flowers to stems with floral tape & make bouquets. Have fun !