How to choose the right vase for your flowers
You've been there. You grab a beautiful bouquet at the grocery store or farmer’s market, but when you get home and put the flowers in a vase, they don't look like you imagined they would. Often the vase is too tall and large for a simple mixed bouquet of blooms. Arranging your fresh flower bouquet in the right vessel is key to allowing those blooms to really look their best.
Here are a few tips:
Hold the flowers next to the vase on the edge of the counter so you can determine how tall you’d like them to sit.
* If the flowers are spread too far apart when you put them in the vase, then cut everything shorter.
* If they're bunched up too close at the top of the vase, then choose a shorter vessel.
* Don’t be afraid of those vases with a narrower opening (about three inches) – often they are much easier to design in.
Have a few heights and shapes on hand:
It’s a good idea to have a variety of heights and shapes in your vase collection, and my two favorites would be a:
* medium height vase (5-8” tall) with a smallish opening (3” or so)
* bud vase
Often you can break up one bouquet between these two vases and spread the beauty around your house. Also, as an arrangement ages in the larger vase, pull out any stems that are starting to wilt, as these can bring the other flowers down with them. Then replace the water and recut the stems that are still going strong. As this process continues over the course of the bouquet’s life you may find that the larger vessel you started with is now too big for the few stems. Having a couple of bud vases on hand is great for arranging those last stems standing in a tiny arrangement and getting the most out of your blooms.
Josi Stone owns Wildly Floral Co. in South Orange where she designs nature-inspired flower
arrangements for all occasions.