Best Vases

How to Choose Vases

A vase can be a vessel for flowers or an object of beauty on its own. The right vase elevates grocery store bouquets; the wrong one makes expensive flowers look like an afterthought.

Vase Shapes and What They Hold

Cylinder: Most versatile. Works for everything—tall flowers, branches, candles, filler. Get multiple heights.

Bud vase: For single stems. Best clustered in groups of 3-7. Perfect for farmers market stems or garden clippings.

Urn/amphora: Wide body, narrow neck. Good for round arrangements. Creates that "tumbling" flower look.

Pitcher/jug: Wide opening, farmhouse casual. Easy arrangements—just plop flowers in. No skill required.

Bottle/narrow neck: For branches, single tall stems, or decorative alone. Hard to arrange flowers in.

### Material Considerations

Clear glass: Classic, shows stems, works everywhere, requires clean water
Colored glass: Adds color, hides stems, can clash with flowers
Ceramic: Opaque (hides messy stems), comes in textures/colors, often not waterproof
Metal: Modern industrial, hide stems, check if rust-resistant
Concrete/stone: Heavy, textural, modern/industrial, waterproof varies

### The Empty Vase Question

Good vases look good empty. They're decor objects, not just flower holders. If you only like a vase when it's full, keep looking.

### Size for Arrangements

Vase should be 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the total arrangement
- Wide arrangements need stable, wider-based vases
- Narrow vases need height to balance
- Heavy glass prevents top-heavy arrangements from tipping