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How to Use Floral Foam Properly

 

If you intend to put together your own wedding flowers, you will need to be familiar with floral foam. It is the most common method used for holding stems in place.

 

Floral foam was mistakenly invented by a chemist named Vernon Smithers in the early 1940's. He created floral foam from synthetic substances or resins which restrict the growth of bacteria, causing the flowers to last longer. We are grateful to him because it is wonderful to work with. It allows stems to be inserted at any angle, and therefore gives you the freedom to create any design that you wish. It is available in different sizes and different shapes such as jumbo blocks, cylinders, balls, cones and bricks.

 

The block of foam that you buy will probably not be the exact size that you need for your container. You'll need to trim the foam to the right size and shape using a knife to trim small sections at a time. Another way to get your floral foam to the right size is to gently press the foam against the opening of your container. This will leave an imprint on your foam, allowing you to see where you need to trim it. You want the foam to fit snugly into your container. Leave the foam sticking about 1 in. (2.5 cm) above your container. You don't want too much of it showing above the container because the more that's showing, the more you'll have to hide.

 

After your foam is cut to the right size and shape, you need to make it wet.

• Fill a large container 2/3 with water (a pail, dish tub, or your kitchen sink) deeper than the depth of the foam.

• Gently place the foam on the top of the water so it floats. Do not push it down. If you push it, the foam will be wet on the outside but dry in the middle.

• Allow the foam to absorb the water. It will slowly sink as it does.

• After it is completely full of water, it will pop back up to the surface of the water and will be dark green.

• This whole process should only take about 60 – 90 seconds, depending on the size of your foam.

 

Floral foam needs to be secure in your container. If you are using a vase, jug, teapot or jar as your container, you just cut your foam the right size and it should be fine. If you are using a more shallow container, you should secure it with a florist's prong.

 

Secure the prong to the bottom of your container with a blob of florist's adhesive clay. This clay will not stick to a wet surface, so make sure your container is completely dry. Once the prong is secured to your container, gently press your floral foam onto the prong. Now your foam should stay firmly in place.

 

If your arrangement is going to be quite large and top heavy, you can make certain that your top heavy arrangement won't topple out of its container by taping it with florist's sticky tape. Stick one end of the sticky tape to an edge of your container.

• Pull the tape across the top of your floral foam.

• Secure it to the opposite side of your container.

• Use another piece of sticky tape to do the same thing. Starting on one edge, going across the foam and securing it on the other side.

• You should now have a “t” of tape across your foam, with the sticky tape attached to all 4 sides.

• Your foam should be very secure, held in place with a florist's prong and with sticky tape.

 

If you are finished with your arrangement and your floral foam is still in very good shape, you can reuse it. The important thing is that it has to stay wet – it cannot dry out. If you want to store your used foam properly, make sure it is very wet and put it into a sealed plastic bag until you need it.

 

Should your foam mistakenly dry out, you can revive it.  Boil some water, add a drop of liquid soap, and pour that over your foam. This will bring it back to life somewhat, but it will not retain water as well as fresh floral foam.

 

Floral foam is versatile, easy to use and inexpensive. No wonder it is a florist's favorite. Use floral foam when you make your own wedding flowers. You'll see how nice it is to work with.

 

About the Author

Nadine Visscher has arranged flowers for over 15 years and has written The Beginner's Guide to Wedding Flowers found at www.WeddingFlowerDirections.com

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