DIY | Alternative to Floral Foam – Spring Arrangement with Clay

Today I show you how to create a spring-like arrangement with tulips, roses, ranunculus, freesia, larch branches and lichen in a wooden box. I use clay as the sticking base for this. This is a natural, more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional floral foam. I have answered general and frequently asked questions about floral foam in a floral foam FAQ on sustainability, disposal, microplastics, etc.

Tools

Here you can see what tools I used for the spring arrangement. You need a pair of household scissors, gardening shears, gardening pruners and disposable gloves.

Werkzeug	Suche auf…
Scissors	*
Gardening pruners	*
I use the Japanese gardening pruners Okatsune 103	*
Gardening shears	*
I use the Japanese gardening shears Okatsune 304	*
Disposable gloves	*

Materials

These are the materials I used for the flower arrangement: A wooden box, clay as floral foam alternative, foil to line the wooden box, Icelandic moss lichen, larch branches and the following spring flowers: pink tulips, pink ranunculus, white freesia and also white roses.

Material	Search on…
Wooden box	*
Clay	*
Transparent foil	*
Icelandic moss lichen	*
Larch branches	*
Tulips (pink)	*
Ranunculus (pink)	*
Freesias (white)	*
Roses (white)	*

Guide

Step 1: Lining wooden box with foil

The first step is to line the wooden box with the transparent foil. I do this to protect the wooden box. Moreover, I can get the clay out better after the lifespan of the flower arrangement.

Cut the foil to fit your wooden box with household scissors and then place it inside.

Step 2: Fill wooden box with clay

The second step is to put the clay in the lined wooden box. I use potter’s clay, as this clay is very soft and the flowers are easy to put in.

Put on gloves if necessary and press the clay to the bottom.

Step 3: Cut flowers

Now I prepare the fresh flowers for the arrangement. To do this, I remove all the leaves and cut the flower stems with the gardening shears to about five centimeters

Step 4: Cut larch branches

I use the shears to cut the larch branches. I want to put the branches later wild into the clay and leave them a little longer than the flower stems.

Step 5: Fill clay

Now you can put the floral elements into the clay.

First, I lay a larch branch across the wooden box.

Then the white roses are inserted.

Next are the pink ranunculus.

Now I put the pink tulips in the clay.

Then follow the white freesias.

In the next step, I put the larch branches between the early bloomers.

In the last step, I cover all the gaps that are still visible with the lichen. This protects the clay from air and ensures that it does not harden as quickly. I also add a little water to the clay every day so that the surface stays soft and the flowers are taken care of. Thus, the arrangement remains fresh for a few days.