How to Fix Floral Arrangements So the Flowers Do Not Move

Place the floral foam block either in a clean sink, basin or bowl that is as deep as the floral foam block. The block should be dry and handled carefully because it's fragile in its dry state and can crumble or break.

Fill the receptacle the dry foam is in with warm tap water to the height of the foam thickness. The dry floral foam will initially float to the top because it's full of air pockets. As the water soaks into the floral foam it fills these air pockets, forcing the air out of the top of the floral foam brick. Allow the foam to remain in the warm water until it's fully saturated and sinks to the bottom of the container, which may take up to an hour.

Remove the foam from the soaking container and allow the foam to drain excess water. Over-soaked floral foam can break apart and be too fragile to cut into an appropriate vase form.

Cut the water-soaked foam with a sharp knife into a shape that fits into your flower arrangement vase. Don't cut the foam to make a snug fit or there will no room for additional water in the vase. Cut the foam to allow at least 1/2 inch of open space between the foam and vase sides.

For shallow vases, place the soaked foam in the center of the vase, then use floral adhesive tape to criss-cross over the top of the foam, securing the ends of the tape to the outside of the shallow vase.

Cut the ends of your flower stems with the knife at a 45-degree angle before inserting the stem into the foam. This allows maximum water absorption for the stem and the pointed end is easier to insert into the foam exactly where you wish it without creating a larger hole in the foam.

Insert the flower stem into the foam at least 1 to 2 inches for vertical stems, with horizontal stems inserted 2 inches or more to keep the flowers stable.