How do I attach gumpaste flower sprays to cakes? Do I use flower pics or just insert the stems directly into the cake?

I was taught to first wrap the entire stem in floral tape and insert it into a water tube if you want to put it directly into a cake. Otherwise, you can insert the stems into a ball of fondant or gumpaste, as long as the stems don't directly touch the cake.

Personally I use flowers picks so that the flowers don't touch the cake, or I use a ball of paste on a 3" cake board/card as oasis, make an arrangementand then put that on the cake. I suppose it all depends on what design you're making.