How to choose the right vase for your flowers

Whether a blossom branch, a bunch of cheerful daffs or a delicate display of seasonal freesia stems, we give our best advice on which vase to choose from your shelf.

We enjoy seasonal flowers all year round here at Cox & Cox, with our plentiful array of faux varieties - but as spring brings out the fresh blooms and as Mother’s Day approaches, we thought we'd talk about our vases, and how they might best display your chosen cuts.

Create a dried flower display with bud vases

Bud vases are a great solution to display this season’s dried flowers - most effective when placed together displaying different tones and textures from a mixed dried flower bunch. Add the odd fresh addition from the garden, it will keep your display updated and interesting.

The right vase for lilies

Perfume scented lilies require a taller vase since it is the proportion of the flower that gives it its striking ornamental appeal - you do not want to take too much from the bottom of the stem with a short vase. For three or four stems, select a narrower mouth to keep your stems together - you want to avoid your bunch opening too wide and having an empty central void.

The right vase for pampas grass

An easy way to introduce nature to your interior as it continues to influence trends is with a cut branch or hardy stem, like eucalyptus or pampas grass. Choose a vase with a weighty form or one with a tall neck to stop the branch from toppling. The water in the vase helps, but this will rot the stem if you’re hoping to naturally dry your cutting.

The right vase for daffodils

Daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, are cheery blooms that are happy as a loose arrangement - their stems are not long so a shorter proportioned vase or a column vase and a vase with little or no neck, and a mouth of 8 - 12cm will give the best display depending on the number of stems. Why not give these spring blooms a contemporary edge with black glass?

The right vase for dried flowers

A balloon-shaped vase with a short stand neck and mouth of 8cm upwards will support a hand-tied bouquet and a dried flower bouquet well. The generous bowl allows the stems of the bouquet to sit wide, whilst the neck will prevent the blooms from falling too far out, ensuring the shape of the bouquet is enjoyed as the florist intended.

Vases are the perfect gift

Owning a variety of vases for flowers will serve you well since not one shape suits all. Remember to always stand ceramic vases on a protective surface as they cannot be proven to be watertight, and go for styles that will make a decorative addition to your space when not in use. With so many styles and finishes on offer, your various vases can be handsomely displayed about your home all year round.