How to Choose the right Vase
Every flower arrangement starts with a vase - it’s the foundation of your creativity. When you first think about it, a vase probably sounds like the easiest part, the bit that you don’t have to think about and just grab before the actual work begins. However, choosing the right vase can have a big effect not just on the longevity of your flowers, but can play an integral part in creatively arranging your bunch. While we could probably write a whole book about this, take this guide as your starting point.
It All Starts with a Glass Vase…
Luckily for you, we’ve got your bases covered with our three Freddie’s Flowers vases. Classic and timeless, each one is designed to match the size of our arrangements perfectly; pair your letterbox flowers with our cut-down vase and your classic and showstopper bunches with our classic and showstopper vases - it can be so easy!
Glass vases are super versatile and useful for most types and styles of arrangements - they’re visually light and understated so that your flowers can truly pop. A handy tip is to make sure you keep them clean. The key to a long and healthy flower life starts with a clean vase. You can easily polish them with a tea towel for a dazzling look.
Finding your Style
Choosing the right vase is an evolving process and there isn’t one perfect vessel for each arrangement. Rather, you want to look at your flowers as ever-changing opportunities of creativity - don’t be afraid to switch it up. With that mindset and your bases covered, let’s talk about some more considerations that go into finding your flower display style.
1: Consider your flowers
This is arguably the most obvious step, but starting with your flowers is essential. Have a good look at them; their shapes, lengths, colours. Much like when arranging, you want to consider the heights, silhouettes, and how the stems play together in your composition to see how this can inform your choice of vessel.
We mentioned the size of the arrangement earlier - the more stems, the bigger your vase should be to give them enough water and space. A narrow neck vase, however, can be great when you are displaying fewer stems. You can use the belly of our vase to help spiral your stems and the neck to support them.
2: Consider your space
Then, of course, you want to have a good look at your space and take into account where you want to display your arrangement. Think about other objects in the room - their height, form, colours, or how the light filters in through the window or which way your eyes wander when you’re sitting on the sofa. Where would your flowers sit?
A bigger vase is the perfect dining table centrepiece, but if you’re planning to display your bunch on a narrow mantelpiece or against a wall, you may need a smaller vase or arrange your flowers to be front-facing.
3: Consider switching it up
Remember, you’re not stuck with one vase for one arrangement. If you want to extend the vase life of your flowers, keep re-cutting older arrangements and find a new look. Don’t be afraid to cut them too short - it can be beautiful for them to flow out of the vase neck. Otherwise, you can group them low or mix them through bud vases around the house, and refresh your taller vases with long stems or foliage to make them pop on their own.
Bud and Bulb vases
Bud vases are a great way to spread out your flowers throughout your home - dot them around your favourite corners and wherever you please - one a small shelf in the hallway and one in the bathroom, a few around little side tables, others lined up on your windowsill or mantelpiece. There is something lovely about the aesthetic of having them scattered throughout your home for your eye to spot them. They also work nicely as part of a considered tablescape to tell a colour story and create a beautiful scene.
Consider unconventional options
Anything goes…
The best advice is to play around and try things out - both within your space and with different vases. You will have a natural feel for what works where once you see it in place. And naturally, live out your wildest hoarding dreams and collect all kinds of vase sizes and types for different occasions! There’s no limits to what can be a fun vessel. Your old Perello-tin? Keep it. That nice jam jar from the farmer’s market? Add it to the collection.
The same creativity applies to the shapes and patterns, even on more classic vessels. You can make it match your flowers or decor, or go the opposite way and play with contrast.
Try a frog!
Another great way of displaying your flowers in a more sculptural and intentional way is to use a flower frog. These incredible tools allow you to anchor stems in shallow vessels rather than vases, and be very considerate and precise with the heights and positioning of your stems. It also allows for a more playful approach to the vessel you’re using. Anything that can hold the frog and allow it to be just covered with water, will work well if you regularly refresh your water!
The truth is that choosing your vase or vessel should start with practical consideration for the quality of life for your flowers first, but after that, it really shouldn’t be prescriptive at all - it should be all about your space, your taste, and most importantly, about having fun with it.
To get you started, you can find our three glass vases and the flower frog on our website - simply add them on as an extra to be delivered with your next bunch.
