Use A Pool Noodle Hack To Make Arranging Porch Flowers A Breeze

Whether you're looking to spruce up your home in the springtime with tulips and lilies or decorating your front porch for fall with mums and sunflowers, presentation is everything. And if you want to take your floral arrangement game to the next level, all you'll need is a classic summer staple: foam pool noodles. They're easy to use, very affordable, and can be a shortcut to keeping those blooms upright and dazzling.

There are two ways you can use them with your porch flowers: they can either help make tall, voluminous potted arrangements or you can install them in a low-lying window box planter. We'll walk you through how to do both. Both versions only require some pool noodles, scissors, and a bundle of faux flowers and greenery of your choice. Don't fear the artificial stems! We have some tricks that make artificial flowers look real. The only other thing to keep in mind when gathering your supplies is that the pool noodle may show through slightly, so you'll want to buy a color you won't mind peeking through or grab a can of spray paint to give your pool noodle a makeover. 

For the planter pot hack, you're going to use the pool noodle as supportive columns for each faux sprig of flowers. Choose your planter pot and measure the length from the bottom of it to the top rim — this is the length you want to cut your pool noodle. You can use any craft scissors or a knife to segment the noodles. Pack them in vertically so there's only a little wiggle room. Once they're in place, you simply slide the faux flowers into the pool noodles until you have your desired shape, and that's it! You'll have a perfectly bountiful flower pot. 

If you want a more eclectic style potted plant display, head to your craft store and look through the artificial flower aisle. You can find a ton of bouquet fillers that are attached to stems like pinecones from Hobby Lobby for less than $2, golden baby's breath on Amazon for $10, and even little signs that say anything from "Welcome" to "Happy Holidays." With a few of these elements, you'll be able to create your own seasonal flower pot displays for a fraction of the cost of the premade ones you'll find in craft stores. You'll also be able to make it exactly how you want it, personalizing the arrangement to your liking.

For the second hack, the pool noodle acts more like floral arrangement foam that you'll stick the flower stems directly into. First, cut the pool noodle to the length of your porch's window box or over-the-rail planter, then start poking your flowers and greenery directly into the foam. Make sure you have plenty of filler flowers and leaves so the pool noodle doesn't easily show through. Once you're happy with the arrangement, just pop the noodle into your planter box. You can glue moss to the noodle as well or wrap faux greenery around it to cover up any foam showing through. One of the best parts of this method is that you can also take the pool noodle display from the box and put it on the dinner table to make a stunning DIY centerpiece.

For springtime, this pool noodle hack would be perfect for an array of artificial daisies and tulips, and you can even add toy eggs to the garland with some hot glue for Easter. For a festive autumn display, stick artificial fall-blooming flowers like mums in and attach foam pumpkins, available at Dollar Tree for $1.25, for a darling display. During the winter, you could wrap faux pine garland around it, show off poinsettias, or stick pine cones onto the noodle. If you have any pieces of foam left over, check out our other ingenious pool noodle hacks for around the house.