refuse to put real flowers on cake?

I'll let others chime in on #2 and #3 but any flower that hasn't been dyed (and most aren't) will not bleed onto your cake.

Yes. i i have used flowers(non poisonous of course on cakes. Many brides want this . You have to be sure and the florist knows which ones you can use. They are beautiful. hth

yep I refuse to put real flowers on a cake . 

Unless you are getting organic food safe flowers , even flowers that are non toxic are not safe to put on a cake. 

They also mostly do not stay at their peak freshness for the time that you need them to on a cake either. They tend to look tired and not their best by the end of dinner when the cake is cut. 

I also point out that my sugar flowers are so realistic that there is no need to chance less than fresh "fresh" flowers. 

< will not put fresh flowers on cakes anymore.  Yes, I've lost possible orders, I don't care.

So just a question for you guys who don't use them...why?  I wasn't sure if it was a design thing or truly a safety thing.  If you can get the un-sprayed/organic flowers, and you put them in a flower spike, then what's the big deal?  Or is it just that you prefer to make them for the purpose of the design (or to get more $$)?  I mean, I had real ones on mine and I have seen a lot of gorgeous cakes with real flowers.  Here is one that cakeinfatuation/Truly Custom Cakery did:

http://cakecentral.com/g/i/2184718/a/2185718/put-the-flowers-in-place-on-site-got-a-call-from-the-mother-of-the-bride-that-she-was-thrilled-blueberry-pound-with-lemon-curd-filling-bride-said-today-that-they-had-guests-asking-for-a-2nd-slice-that-makes-me-happy/

The reason I'm asking is because I'm doing one in April for a friend, and right now I am going back and forth between making them and having my friend order extra from her florist so I don't have to worry with it.  Just weighing the pros and cons here. 

These are my reasons:

There is no such thing as "organic food safe flowers".  Yes, you can buy organic roses, but that does not mean they are food safe.  That just means they were grown with organic compost and no chemical pesticides.  But think about this>  Poop is 100% organic!  Anyway, the fields are not treated with the same sanitation standards as they are if you are growing food (i.e. porta potties available to field workers), they are not picked, packed, or shipped with hygiene in mind at all, and flowers are regularly imported from all over the world where standards and conditions are very, very different then the US.

I have yet to have a florist hand me flowers for the cake that have been cleaned or treated like something that is being put in food.

In the case of your cake, yes it's extremely beautiful, but who did those flower sprays, the cake maker or the florist?  If the florist did, how much extra do you think she charged to make those?  Looking at that photo, I think yes - those look expertly arranged and I'd venture to guess the florist was paid several hundred dollars to make those.  But if the if the cake maker did, how long do you think that took on site?  Do you think they were paid for that time and supplies?  Probably not because it's become industry standard for florists to sell cheap untreated flowers to brides to have the cake maker stick on the cake, otherwise this trend would have never started.  If the cost of cleaning and arranging was included in the retail price of the flowers, it would no longer be a cheap alternative.  I don't know about everyone else, but I have yet to deal with a bride willing to pay for the extra arrangements with a florist, they expect me to just do it for free.  

I like making sugar flowers and it's a small way I can recoupe my time decorating the cake.

Well if she arranged them, I certainly hope she got paid for that time.  That is definitely not something I would have done for free.

I totally understand where you are coming from.  I was just wondering personally, because I know real flowers have been used on cakes for decades and I know the decision to do so varies among bakers.  I wasn't sure if it was a food safety issue or just that some people want to make sure their cakes display the mastery of sugar flowers.  At the end of the day, the client's cost probably evens out regardless of whether or not they are made by hand or purchased and arranged by the florist or the baker.  

Also +1 on organic/poop flowers.  I don't buy much into the whole "organic" thing, regardless of what it is.  But that's another thread for another time.

Some flowers have poisonous pollen that falls all over the cake. 

Some flower pollens (like lily) cause severe allergies to some people.

Unless the flower is EDIBLE according to lists (like nasturtiums) there is no place for them anywhere on the cake.

For edible flowers, they have to be free of insecticidal and herbicidal sprays, and they have to be well washed.  If you can pick flowers right after a major rain, you have them as clean as they come. 

You can by now understand why so many chefs have kitchen gardens where they can pick flowers as well as herbs for their restaurants.