Choosing your vessel

While we would never place any rules on how to arrange your flowers, there are tips on how to add presence with your stems.

Choosing a vessel to compliment your flowers and foliage can sometimes be a difficult decision, whether you have a lot of options or not. But we’re very much of the mind that as long as the vessel you use is stable and can hold water, there really is no reason not to use it.

If you already know what size arrangement you’re going to create, choosing a similar size vessel can help balance your composition. That being said, it’s always nice to play around with scale and height.

Vessels come in all shapes and sizes. Thanks to tools such as a kenzan or flower frog, the options are even more vast. Chicken wire is also a great tool and you really don’t need much to add some additional support.

Using a low and open vessel is an interesting way to display fewer stems. Adding a kenzan or small flower frog to your vase will add additional support.

Equally a taller vessel with a narrower opening can be a great support for a few delicate stems.

Choosing a medium height vase or coupe will accommodate more stems and prevent them from feeling overcrowded. If you feel like leaning into the overcrowded design, filling a vase to the brim with stems is a great way create natural support. A small amount of chicken wire can also help to add more support if the stems are too loose or need holding in place.

Sometimes stems fall or dangle and have a mind of their own. If you love embracing the natural structure of a stem, having a more narrow opening will help to ensure the stems don’t fall out or over completely.

For XL sized arrangements, making sure your vessel is stable is key, once you’ve added water and all your stems it will become heavy.

If you decide to use a very large vessel, adding chicken wire inside will give you more options when arranging. Holding the stems in place as you arrange.

If your vessel of choice is fragile, leaky or just very large, adding an internal, hidden vessel will provide a secure water source. This may be another vase you have that can fit inside or a recycled plastic pot that can easily be cut or trimmed to be placed discreetly inside.