Know that wet foam stretches out easily, so you’ll need to be precise when inserting each flower. Choose foam in a lighter density for flowers like tulips and spring bulb flowers, while plants with sturdy stems like tropicals need foam of a higher density. By watering the foam daily, your flowers should last just as long as they would in a normal vase full of water (the specific amount of time will differ depending on the type of plant).
While dry floral foam is primarily used to make flower arrangements or wreaths, it can also be used for other craft projects.
Your piece of foam doesn’t need to fill up the entire container perfectly.
Foam usually comes in the shape of a block, making it easy to trim it down to fit in a vase or bowl. Dry foam can also be purchased in different shapes already pre-cut.
Rinse out whatever you’re using to hold the water so it’s clean before putting the water and foam in it. You can also use your sink basin.
It’s important to avoid submerging the foam with your hands so that it will absorb the maximum amount of water and not get any air bubbles in the middle.
The foam will be a slightly darker shade of green once it’s completely soaked with water.
Avoid squeezing any water out of the foam as you lift it out of the bucket or basin.
Putting small objects around the sides of the clear container helps hide the foam from view. It’s okay if the foam is slightly taller than the container because the flowers will cover it up. Wet foam doesn’t need to be placed in a plastic liner if the vase or bowl obscures the foam from view.
Using clean scissors on live flowers will help prevent the spread of disease when cutting them. You may need to use wire cutters to trim artificial flowers.
Visualize how deep into the foam you plan on inserting each stem so you know whether or not to remove the leaves.
For example, your main focal point flowers might be carnations while you use lilacs and other greens to fill in the rest of the arrangement. Dry foam is more forgiving than wet foam, but it’s still a good idea to plan ahead either way. Because the holes made from inserting the stems can’t be fixed, wet foam can only be used once for an arrangement.
If the stem is soft, guide it in carefully using your fingers to make sure it doesn’t bend. If you need to pull the stem out to make an adjustment, you’ll need to reinsert the stem in a different spot. Avoid pulling stems up to make live flowers taller once they’re inserted. This creates air pockets, which can cause the flower to die.
It’s important to stick the flowers far enough into the foam so that they aren’t sticking up too tall, making the foam visible.
