Smithers-Oasis

Smithers-Oasis is a company specializing in floristry products. The company created water-absorbing foam in 1954 and leads manufacturing and marketing of various products in the global florist industry.^[1]

History

Products

Wet floral foam

Oasis is a trademarked name for wet floral foam, the spongy phenolic foam used for real flower arranging.^[2] It soaks up water like a sponge and acts both as a preservative to prolong the life of the flowers and a support to hold them in place. The foam's structure is similar to that of plants and has capillary action to move water to the surface and up the stem.^[2] It is often green, but is also available in many other colours, such as purple, red, yellow, and brown.^[3] It usually is supplied in a brick shape, but can be bought in spherical shapes.^[4] Oasis can be bought wholesale^[5] or in arts and craft and gardening stores, particularly ones that feature large faux flower collections for creating artificial arrangements.

Dry floral foam

Sahara and Sahara II are the trademarked names for dry floral foam produced by the Smithers-Oasis and used for supporting arrangements of artificial flowers. The company also offers products using Dow's Styrofoam and molded urethane.^[6]

References

1. ^ "About Us". Sona.oasisfloral.com. http://sona.oasisfloral.com/about_us/about_us. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Smithers Oasis Resource Center". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20080407213030/http://www.smithersoasis.com/res_techfacts.php. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
3. ^ "Rainbow Foam". Sona.oasisfloral.com. http://sona.oasisfloral.com/products/oasis_floral_foams/rainbow_foam. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
4. ^ "Oasis Brand Floral Foams". Sona.oasisfloral.com. http://sona.oasisfloral.com/products/oasis_floral_foams/oasis_brand_floral_foams. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
5. ^ "Where to Buy". Sona.oasisfloral.com. http://sona.oasisfloral.com/where_to_buy/where_2_buy. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 
6. ^ "Oasis Dry Floral Foams". Sona.oasisfloral.com. http://sona.oasisfloral.com/products/oasis_dry_foams/oasis_dry_floral_foam. Retrieved 2010-10-21. 

External links

• Technical facts
• MSDS containing a competitor's a similar product