Christmas Table Centerpieces
Florists often use trays specifically designed to grip and secure the foam tightly and not allow the foam to slide around in the container.
Althought this tray looks like metal, it is actually a hard impact plastic with a metallic finish. It is available in gold, silver, and black. It is made specifically to hold exactly 2/3 of a brick of Oasis.
The foam is scored on the side to make cutting easy for a florist.
The depth is perfect as well. Your Oasis foam should rise above the lips of the container so that flower and greenery stems can be inserted from all sides.
Press down firmly with your hand to be sure the foam is deeply set into the bottom grooves built into the tray to hold the foam securely.
If you are using a container that doesn't have built in spikes or grooves, the professional florists uses a green (or white) waterproof tape and tapes across the wet foam to secure the foam into the container. Be sure the sides of your container are completely dry before attaching tape to it. Greening tape bonds well and holds up even when moisture is present.
Because of the grids on this centerpiece tray, however, I don't need to tape over the foam because it is already secured tightly into the container.
These trays are also available in silver. The same company makes a large assortment of containers in with this metallic sheen making them very popular for holiday and wedding work.
Oasis makes utility trays that are simply hard impact plastic with no metallic finish. They also have the bottom spikes to hold florist foam in place.
Professional florists often refer to these as utility containers or "no show" containers - meaning they are hidden from view by the overhanging greenery. They are lightweight, cheap to ship and work very well (especially if you are doing a large event where you need to keep down costs such as a wedding reception).
