An Introduction to Vases

If you’re like many of us, you have a collection of floral vases and containers of varied sizes and shapes that you've accumulated over the years. It’s great to have these options on hand, but sometimes that wide variety can be intimidating. We have ideas to match your personal style and flowers perfect for each type of vase. Today, we start with two common and versatile vases: the cube vase and vases that feature a narrower opening than their base.

Cube Vase 

Low and lush arrangements are the perfect fit for the versatile glass cube. Because the opening is so wide, a variety of mechanics can be used to help anchor the flowers, such as a small curly willow ball, a puff of Hydrangeas, even a small square of floral foam, which can be concealed with leaves or other materials in the base of the vase. Or a simple grid of clear tape makes an invisible mechanic into which to arrange a large number of blooms.

For a modern twist, small posies or a few graceful feature flowers (such as callas or tulips) can be simply set into the cube at an angle while additional materials or a single outstanding bloom grace the base of the vase. Swirls of grasses are another design element that can be used to create movement in the design, soften the square lines and mask any mechanics in the vase.

Cube vases also can be customized in myriad ways to fit different moods and decorating schemes, by covering the sides of the cube with fabric or burlap, ribbon, or even beautiful papers. The possibilities are endless.

Vase with Narrow Opening, Wider Base

From the tiniest bud vases to towering vessels, some containers offer a large receptacle with a much narrower opening at the top. At first glance, this would seem to limit design options, but in fact, these vases are some of the easiest in which to craft beautiful arrangements. The smaller opening helps to hold a large grouping of florals in a compact arrangement, whereas larger openings require other mechanics to help the stems maintain their cohesiveness.

As a general rule, flowers extend to a height about one-and-a-half times that of the vase’s height. While that certainly can work with these vases, rules are made to be broken, and these narrow openings often lend themselves to designs that turn that rule on its head.

A garden like collection of loose and flowing flowers looks beautiful spraying from these vases, as do diminutive posies of a few gorgeous blooms, or even a single outstanding blossom accessorized with a bit of foliage. While larger vases and arrangements can stand on their own, the smaller bud vases make wonderful composite arrangements employing odd-numbered groupings.

Don’t let those vases sit idle. Now that you know a few of the possibilities, bring us your vases and we’ll create something beautiful for you to take home! We have something for every style sensibility.