Flower arrangement by Ron Morgan from In the Company of Flowers

Designing with Fresh Flowers/ Holding Cut Flowers In Place

Waterproof tape. Flowers casually placed in a clear glass vase have been a popular style for many years. To create a more elaborate, formal arrangement, make a grid at the top of the container out of waterproof tape. The clear tape grid pattern is an excellent method used by professionals.

Floral Netting or Chicken wire can also be used to hold stems in place. Bend the edges of the wire over and into the foam inside the vase. If you aren’t using foam, bend the chicken wire to the inside lip of the vase.

Crumpled chicken wire and a pin holder (frogs) provide a good grid for small stem fresh flowers. Slip the flower stems in place through the wire.


Lead crossbar slings can be purchased at florist supply stores. They are placed on the top of the container and held in place with lightweight florist wire. Flowers stay upright and in place when they are placed in-between the bars.

Floral foam sticks can be stuffed into vases and used to support flower stems and hold arrangements in place. (Scraps from larger pieces of foam can be utilized the same way.) Choose an opaque vase when using foam sticks.





Anchor pins (plastic foam prongs or frogs) are used to secure floral foam to the bottom of the vase. Affix the pin with hot glue, waterproof clay, or double faced mounting tape. Secure the foam by pressing the dry or saturated floral foam onto the pins. Secure a candle to your arrangement by gluing two anchor pins together, base to base. Insert one set of prongs into the foam and the other set of prongs into the candle.

Foam anchor. A foam anchor has a heavy metal base with long widely spaced pins and is similar in function to anchor pins. Secure it to the bottom of the vase with waterproof clay or hot glue. If you plan to combine fresh and silk flowers, press a piece of  foam onto the pins. This provides a place to insert the silk flowers.


A well pinholder can be made by placing a pin frog in  a small container. Use it in small vases for miniature or minimal arrangements.



Candle cups are used for holding taper candles in floral foam when making centerpieces. Use floral clay at the bottom of your candle when placing in the candle cup to assure it stands straight.

Continue from "Working with Fresh Flowers" to Floral Containers: Preparing them and Creating your own containers for the flowers