How to Choose the Right Vase for Your Flowers

Buying, receiving, or cutting an arrangement of fresh flowers can be a real pleasure. They bring brightness, interest, beauty, and sometimes scent to your home. It’s a lovely thing. But it can occasionally bring a problem too – finding the right vase. Because choosing the right vase for your flowers can not only provide them with the support they need, it can enhance their beauty and ensure they last longer. So, how do you know which vase is right for your arrangement?

Six Tips for Choosing the Right Vase for Your Cut Flowers

Consider the type of flowers

Different flowers need different things from a vase. If you have flowers with short, softer stems with larger heads, like tulips, you need to look for a vase that is short and wide, that will allow the flowers to open fully without being constrained. While flowers with longer and stronger stems, will typically do better in a tall, slender vase that will provide the support necessary to keep the stems upright. Wildflowers can be trickier to manage, but will usually work best as a small posy, or in a wider vase that allows them to spread naturally.

Think about the vase size

Choosing the right vase size can be a bit like working with Goldilocks.  If you cram too many blooms into a small vase, it can impact the amount of time they last. But if a vase is too big, it won’t provide the support your flowers need, so they will flop, the arrangement will lose its shape, and the flowers won’t last as long as they could. If a vase is too short, flowers will also either flop or fall out. While a vase that’s too tall will prevent you from seeing the flowers fully and won’t give them space to spread out.

Consider vase shape

The shape of a vase can influence the support given to the flowers, and how they sit. It can also influence the aesthetic.

As a general rule:

• Round or bulbous vases are best for a full, round bouquet, such as peonies or hydrangeas.
• Tall and narrow vases are ideal for flowers with long, straight stems, such as roses or lilies.
• Cylinder vases work brilliantly for both single-stem flowers, such as orchids or lilies, as well as compact bouquets.
• Asymmetrical or decorative vases can often detract from the beauty of the flowers, so are best used for simpler arrangements, with a single flower type.

Choose your material

Vases are made from all sorts of materials. We favour glass, because it allows you to easily monitor the health of the flower water. You can see when water is low, or when it needs replacing. However, ceramic or porcelain vases work well for a more rustic aesthetic.

While metallic vases can provide a sleek, contemporary look, as a general rule we’d advise against their use for your cut flowers. Some metals will react with the water, making it acidic. This can cause the flowers leaves to ‘burn’ and reduce their potential lifespan.

Think about flower care

The type of vase you choose will directly impact the health of your flowers. And when you have an arrangement as beautiful as Flaming Fiesta or Tutti Fruitti, you want it to last as long as possible. By choosing a vase with a narrower neck, you can provide extra support to weak-stemmed flowers. However, it’s also important that your vase is easy to clean, as bacteria in the vase will make your flowers fade far more quickly.

Order an arrangement in a vase

If all of that seems a little overwhelming, you can go for the easy option and order your flowers in a vase! Featuring 12 large headed white roses hand-tied with thlaspi and pistache, presented in a clear swirl glass vase, Chalky Charm is one of our most popular arrangements. But you can also order a bespoke flower arrangement delivered in a vase, if you have something special in mind.

Selecting the right vase for your cut flowers helps to ensure that they stay fresh and vibrant for as long as possible, while helping them to look their best. So, next time you’re lucky enough to have a fresh flower arrangement at home, don’t just shove them into the first vase you can lay your hands on!

Visit Blue Florist for your next cut flower arrangement.