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BY DIANE C. WALSH

NEW JERSEY NEWSROOM

It takes someone who grew up with a greenhouse in his backyard to know a perfect silk flower.

When Kurt Christoffers selects silks he drives the sales reps crazy in the showrooms.

"I might pick three or five peonies out of 100," he said. Every stem used in his flower and gift shop in Mountainside, NJ, is handpicked by Christoffers during twice-yearly trips to Atlanta, a hub of silk flower importers.

"We're professional floral designers. We work with real flowers so we know what to look for," Christoffers said. In his shop, clients will see blossoms in different stages of growth. There might even be tiny imperfections on the leaves - just as there would be in nature. Faux pears and other fruits used in some arrangements even feel like the real thing. The silk designs done by Christoffers are so gorgeous they rival the shop's fresh flowers. Their popularity does not surprise Margi Kyle, president of the Interior Design Society, a national organization based in North Carolina that has more than 4,000 residential decorators as members.

Kyle said silk flowers are very desirable in residential design and corporate settings because the quality is impeccable and they are a great value, especially in today's economy. "I love to have something made that lasts," she said.

"They are the perfect finishing touch to any room," said Christoffers, who inherited his passion from his mother, Ruth. She opened the flower shop 34 years ago.

As a boy, Christoffers tended flowers in his parent's garden and greenhouse. His talents were nurtured during studies at Keukenhof Castle in Holland, where he completed a master class in floral design. For years Christoffers worked beside his mother, then when she retired in 2002, he and his wife, Fiona, took over the shop's operation.

Silk flower arrangements are now one of the Christoffers' specialties.

"You have custom drapes and custom cabinetry, so why not a beautiful custom arrangement?" Christoffers said.

Katrina Coxe, owner of Interiors by Decorating Den in Westfield, said Christoffers makes creating a custom design easy and enjoyable. When she goes to the shop, Coxe said she usually has a size and style in mind, and then she will walk with Christoffers as he selects the flowers in the display area. "The arrangements are always the most artistic and they're always the highest quality," Coxe said.

Christoffers also emphasizes the value of silks. "Not everyone can afford to replace fresh floral pieces regularly," he said, noting how silks can last five to 10 years with minimal upkeep. Depending on the materials used in a silk arrangement, the price can be equal to fresh flowers or as much as 50 percent more. But the value is unbeatable since silks never perish.

Today's silks are comparable to lush linen sheets with such high thread counts they are nearly impervious to dust. Occasional light dusting is all that's needed. While in the past clients might have cringed at the prospect of artificial flowers, today manufacturers can mimic fresh flowers in such precise details that silk arrangements are a must-have.