We’ve mentioned before that traditional floral foam (still widely used in the floristry industry) is a toxic, environmentally disastrous product. You can read more about what floral foam is in our previous blog post here.
We’re super excited that AgraWool, a company from the Netherlands, has created a natural floral foam alternative called Sideau! So we thought we’d ask two of our sustainable florists, Tahnee from Miller Rose Botanic and Donna from The Freo Florist, for an honest review.
Agrawool straight out of the box – in brick form
Floral foam is made from phenol, formaldehyde polymers, surfactants, and a wetting agent. What is agrawool made from?
Miller Rose Botanic: Sideau is a 100% natural product made from Earthwool (which is made of basalt, a volcanic rock fibre). They also use Ecose as a binder which is a made from vegetable raw materials like sugar beet or cane sugar.
The Freo Florist: While Basalt is a natural product and is good for adding to soil, when it comes to disposing of the product, we need to be mindful that it is a finite resource – something that comes from the Earth. Sideau is also imported into Australia, so it has a high carbon footprints, so it’s not a magic solution. I think we need to be diverse and think resourcefully whenever we choose how to hydrate flowers, there is no one solution.
How does it compare in price?
Miller Rose Botanic: I’ve never used floral foam so had to look this one up but it looks like you can get Oasis foam for just over $1 a block, Sideau is just under $5 a block. However, Sideau can be reused multiple times so I feel the price is quite comparable.
The Freo Florist: I’ve also never used floral foam and I don’t let the cost comparison come into my decision making.
Floral foam could hold water, keeping flowers hydrated. Does Sideau hold water?
Yes is does! Sideau holds water just like traditional foam.
Miller Rose Botanic: When using it for hanging arrangements you will get a bit of run off when you first hang it but it still holds plenty of water to keep the flowers fresh for 24 hours (I haven’t been able to test for longer yet).
The Freo Florist: Sideau can be re-used a few times, but I’ve found it almost a bit spongy so that when it’s re-wet the holes from the old flowers can be slightly closed up again. It can also be used again for dry arrangements, and it can be put into the garden to break down as a dose of mineral goodness for the soil.
The AgraWool Sideau product is so safe to use, Tahnee from Miller Rose Botanic lets her young daughter help her break it up for composting
AgraWool Sidea broken down and mixed with basic soil to make great soil for planting
Floral foam, being made from toxic microplastics, should be discarded into general waste destined for landfill. How should Sideau be disposed of?
Miller Rose Botanic: Sideau is 100% biodegradable, the only product that remains when it breaks down is basalt sand. Basalt sand has been found to boost crop production, improve soil health and increase nutrient availability.
Once you have finished using your block of Sideau you can break it up into little pieces, pour hot water over it and mix into soil for a soil improver. Alternatively you can shred it and put in your home compost bin. Check with your local council before putting it in your green waste bin as it may not be compostable because of the basalt.
Floral foam could support floral stems in the desired position when the stems were poked into the floral foam brick. How does the Sideau product compare?
Miller Rose Botanic: I have never used floral foam so I can’t compare the two. For me, the Sideau holds stems really well. I’ve used it in a hanging arrangement and had stems coming out of it upside down and it held perfectly. I found it sturdier than trying to get stems to stay in chicken wire that’s for sure!
The Freo Florist: For florists coming from formaldehyde foam they will find they have less control with Sideau – so it will take some getting used to. I use a lot of robust natives and they need support, so I pretty much always wrap my agrawool in either chicken wire, or I just criss-cross bind it with string onto a biodegradable base plate (available even at the supermarket). This stabilises it beautifully and we use a “poking stick” to pre-make holes, and you need to make sure that the stems you’re using have a good sharp angle cut.
Floral foam bricks could be cut to shape, can you cut and shape the Sideau product?
Miller Rose Botanic: Yes you can very easily cut Sideau with no mess. It doesn’t crumble and is easily cut with any serrated knife.
The Freo Florist: Yes, you can cut it but I find the fibres can be a bit irritating so it’s probably best to wear gloves. I find it softer than formaldehyde foam.
An arbor floral piece from the back – The Freo Florist held her Sideau together with chicken wire to get the desired shape
You can purchase a hard plastic guard that fits around the traditional floral foam brick like a cage, used for table centrepieces and other event creations. What is the alternative for the Sideau product?
Miller Rose Botanic: I use these exact hard plastic cages for sideau, It’s the same size and foam so fits perfectly. I reuse the cages over and over for all of my weddings so they aren’t getting thrown out after each one. Alternatively you can wrap them in chicken wire.
The Freo Florist: As mentioned above, I pretty much always wrap it with chicken wire or bind it like a shoe lace pattern with string.
Miller Rose Botanic used Sideau to create this floral arbor piece for a wedding
You’ve used Sideau for event florals, what were the honest results?
Miller Rose Botanic: The first time I used Sideau was for an arbour arrangement for a wedding. It isn’t recommended for hanging use as apparently the water run off can be quite bad, but this is the main reason I would use a foam alternative so wanted to give it a try.
We took a watering can with us and soaked the blocks on site, we then drained off as much water as we could outside before bringing them inside and surprisingly we had no run off.
For arbour arrangements I usually use a base of chicken wire and the time it saved me using Sideau was crazy! It honestly saved me hours of time and made the process so much easier.
I used lots of delicate flowers in this arrangement like veronica, delphinium and scabiosa and had no problem getting the stems in (I didn’t have to recut any holes) and they all still looked great the next day when I went to pack up.
A full video of the first time I used it, as well as footage of what the flowers looked like the next day can be seen in this Instagram post.
I also like that you can reuse Sideau multiple times so it isn’t a single use product. I’ve used it on both sides (one wedding each) and then wrapped in chicken wire for a third use.
The only thing that hasn’t worked when testing Sideau is using it in a vertical position with no cage or chicken wire around it (I was using it in a ground arbour). When I placed some stems in the top of the block the whole thing blew out so I won’t be doing that again
The stems were very chunky delphinium stems though so that might have had something to do with it!
The Freo Florist: There is more preparation required for Sideau in comparison to floral foam, and Sideau may require rewatering if the flowers are needed for prolonged use (over a few days), or for hot summer days – but I think that’s totally reasonable. Most events don’t require such longevity.
I think florists should not think “how can I find an exact replacement for floral foam?” but instead ask ourselves “how can I support myself to be courageous and have time to learn new skills? How can I communicate expectations with customers, re-learning and re-educating and replacing some techniques and materials I’ve been scared to try. How can I be patient, persistent, and kind to myself while I adjust to what might become a new aesthetic in my work, one that’s less perfect and more organic”.
If ever you’ve been a painter, it’s like the difference between acrylic paint and water colours. Or kids building with natural materials after being used to building with Lego. Agrawool is a great stepping-stone product that is like floral foam because it’s a handy, hydrating block format. But it’s just the first step – you’ll be tapping into the resourceful part of your brain that starts to embrace change and alternatives rather than avoiding them or leaving it to others. This industry is co-created by all of us, and if we all decide to make change then we can all learn together, which is faster and easier than doing it alone.
THANK YOU!
Big thanks to Tahnee from Miller Rose Botanic, and Donna from The Freo Florist for taking the time to review this product for us. We thank you for your honesty and for leading the way in sustainable floristry!
You can check out more from Miller Rose Botanic here: https://www.millerrosebotanic.com.au/
You can check out more from The Freo Florist here: https://www.thefreoflorist.com/
Photo credits: Red Eclectic
