Potatoes Are The Hack Your Floral Arrangements Need Desperately

While floral foam is the most common tool for creating flower arrangements, not everyone likes working with it, or always has it on hand. For those situations, there's a clever, eco-friendly alternative: Use a potato (any type of potato will work) as the base for your floral arrangement.

Potatoes are a surprisingly great alternative to floral foam. They are inexpensive, readily available, and sustainable. Floral foam, which is manufactured out of a water-absorbent plastic like phenolic foam, is not as eco-friendly. Its production relies on the use of synthetic petrochemicals and toxic chemicals like phenol and formaldehyde, and also contributes to microplastic pollution.

When you use this potato hack for floral arrangements, your flowers may actually stay fresh longer. Potatoes are moisture-rich, protect stems from air, and provide necessary hydration to the flowers and plants. They are a stable base for arrangements of any complexity. However, they work best with plants that have sturdier or heartier stems. Plants with long, delicate stems may not stand up as well with a potato base, though you might be able to make it work with some patience.

You don't need to worry much about specific potato characteristics when choosing which type of potato to use in place of floral foam. All you need to do is poke holes in the potato that are deep enough that the stems will support the weight of the flowers without bending or breaking. Once you have placed your flowers in the holes, put the potato in a vase or container. You can use leaves, moss, or flat glass marbles to cover up the potato in the same way you would cover up floral foam.

To use potatoes as the base for a centerpiece, seasonal door hanger, or festive floral arrangement, you will need potatoes, a knife, and a tool that can make holes in the potatoes, like a Phillips Head screwdriver, an ice pick, or an awl. You may also need other decorative elements that will enhance your arrangement and help you cover up the potato, like small pinecones, ribbon, or dehydrated fruit.

You can slice the potato in half if you need a flat surface; however, if you are creating a wreath or centerpiece, you might not need to. Choose a large enough potato to support all of the stems you plan on using, or use multiple potatoes for a table-length centerpiece or topiary. Use your sharp object to poke holes in each potato, making them deep enough to provide adequate support for your stems. Insert the stems of your flowers, evergreen boughs, and anything else you're using.

Once you have your flowers or stems arranged the way you want them, you can begin covering up the potato. If you're making a floral centerpiece, you can choose plants and leaves with shorter stems to fill in empty spots and hide the potato, or you can use non-living decorative elements. If you're making a seasonal door hanger, you can use season-appropriate decorations. For fall, use mini pinecones and acorns, foam pumpkins, maple leaves, and ribbons in fall colors. For winter, use cinnamon sticks, evergreen branches, frosted pinecones, and small glass ornaments in festive colors.