Vase shapes for flower arrangements: matching flowers to the right vase

A bunch of rajnigandha (tuberose) that stands tall and graceful in one vase can slump to one side in another. A single rose can look lost in a big vase and just right in a small one. The flowers are the same; the vase is different. Its height decides how long the stems should be, and the width of its opening decides whether they stand upright or fan out.

Look at the opening first

Check three things, in this order:

1. The opening. A narrow mouth keeps stems close together and upright; a wide one lets them lean out, so it needs more stems or some support.
2. The height. This sets how long the stems should be (see the guideline below).
3. The base. A light, narrow vase can tip over under a heavy bunch, especially on a busy café table.

Vase shapes and what they do best

Money plant (pothos) vines root easily in water; cuttings in a bottle are a familiar sight on Indian windowsills. Keep the leaves out of the water and change it when it looks murky. If you have cats or dogs, keep money plant cuttings and vases of chrysanthemums, carnations or gladioli out of their reach: the ASPCA, a US animal-welfare organisation, lists all of them as toxic to cats and dogs.

Holding stems in place in a wide opening

• Tape grid. While the vase is still dry, stick clear tape across the rim in both directions to make small squares, then fill it and push a stem or two through each square.
• Pin holder (kenzan) or chicken wire. A pin holder, used in Japanese ikebana, is a heavy base of upright pins that grips each stem; the vase must be wide and flat enough inside to take it. A loose ball of chicken wire holds heavy stems well.
• Greenery first. Put in a few leafy stems before the flowers; they cross inside the vase and give the flowers something to lean on.

Cover whatever you use with leaves or flowers so it does not show.

The proportion guideline: 1.5 to 2 times the vase height

One common guideline, from a floral arrangement lesson on the UGC's e-PG Pathshala platform, is that the arrangement should stand about one and a half to two times as tall as the vase, closer to twice for a tall vase. Some guides, such as Brooklyn Botanic Garden's, treat 1.5 times as the upper limit, so start there and go taller only in a tall, steady vase.

Stems rest near the bottom of the vase, so the length you cut is roughly the final height: for a vase about 20 cm tall, cut stems of about 30 to 40 cm.

1. Hold a stem against the outside of the vase and slide it up or down until the flower sits where you like it: about 1.5 times the vase height for a compact look, nearer 2 times for a taller, airier one.
2. Cut it where it lines up with the bottom of the vase.
3. Use it to measure the rest, cutting a few slightly shorter so the flowers sit at different levels, not in one flat line.

The three Evelyn sizes show how quickly the numbers change (product data):

• Evelyn small, about 15.5 cm tall: flowers about 23 to 31 cm
• Evelyn medium, about 20.5 cm tall: flowers about 31 to 41 cm
• Evelyn big, about 26.5 cm tall: flowers about 40 to 53 cm

Evelyn small white

Small

In stock

Evelyn medium white

Medium

In stock

Evelyn big white

Big

In stock

When to bend the guideline:

• Dining tables: keep flowers low enough for people to see each other.
• Low, wide containers: build outwards as well as upwards.
• Slim, light vases: long stems make them top-heavy; stay near 1.5 times the height, or add a few clean pebbles for weight.

Fresh flowers: making them last

Gardening guides from two US universities, Penn State and the University of Florida, give much the same routine:

1. Start with a clean vase. Wash it in hot, soapy water and rinse it well.
2. Add flower food. If your bouquet came with a sachet of flower food (a powder or liquid that you mix into the water to help cut flowers last), mix it in as directed; you can also buy it separately, from some florists or online. Commercial flower food works better than home-made mixtures.
3. Strip the lower leaves. Leaves under water rot and cloud it, so remove them; leave the upper leaves, which help draw water up the stem. The guides differ on rose thorns: Penn State suggests removing any that would sit under water, while the University of Florida warns that removing thorns wounds the stem and lets microbes in. If you take any off, remove only those below the waterline.
4. Recut the stems. Take about 2.5 cm (an inch) off each stem at an angle with a sharp, clean knife or secateurs that will not crush it, under water if you can, and put the stems in quickly.
5. Choose a cool spot. Keep the vase out of direct sun, away from heat (a sunny window, the stove, warm appliances) and away from the fruit bowl: ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, which makes flowers age faster.
6. Keep an eye on it. Top up the water daily. Every few days, or as soon as it turns cloudy, empty and rinse the vase, add fresh water and flower food, and recut the stems.

Flowers in Indian weather

• In the hottest months (April to June in much of India), keep flowers in the coolest spot, away from afternoon sun, and check small vases daily, as they run low fast.
• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University's horticulture notes describe rajnigandha as an excellent cut flower for table decoration; its long, straight spikes suit tall cylinders and bottles.
• Penn State Extension lists chrysanthemums, carnations, sunflowers and zinnias among the flowers known for a long vase life.
• Genda is used mostly as loose flowers for decoration and puja; float the heads in an urli and you need no stems at all.

Artificial and dried flowers

Lasaki does not sell artificial flowers. With artificial or dried flowers and grasses, the same proportion guideline works, and a few things get easier:

• No water needed, so flat or very slim vases, and vases not made for water, all become options.
• Cut wired stems with wire cutters, since many artificial stems have wire inside, then bend each one slightly so the bunch does not look stiff.
• Hold them in place with dry floral foam, or fill a wide vase with crumpled paper, sand or pebbles for weight, hidden under a little dried moss.
• Dust them with a soft, dry paintbrush, weekly in a shop or café.

Choosing from the Lasaki vase range

Most vases in the Lasaki Flower Vases range are about 12.5 to 34 cm tall (product data). When you read the listings:

• Small, Medium and Big compare sizes within one design only. Evelyn small is about 15.5 cm tall; Arin, with no size label, is about 31 cm.
• Each round vase has one diameter figure, and the data does not say whether it is the opening or the widest part, so check the neck in the photos.
• Donut vases are listed by length, width and height, and are only about 3.5 to 6 cm from front to back, so they are flat. Their inch figure is close to both the height and the length: Donut 5 inch is about 13 cm tall and 13 cm long, Donut 10 inch about 26.5 cm tall and 24.5 cm long.

Ayla small vase antique

Small

In stock

Finlay small white

Small

Made to order – ships in 3 days

Apsara big white

Big

Made to order – ships in 3 days

Arin brown mughal vase

H 31 × Dia 10 cm

Made to order – ships in 3 days

Most designs come in several colours: Evelyn and Apsara each have 15 colour options. Browse the whole range, with heights and widths in cm, under flower vases.

Flower VasesSee the range

Styling ideas for homes, cafés and shops

• Group in threes. Three vases of different heights in one colour look planned rather than crowded; Evelyn's three sizes make this easy, with the tallest at the back.
• Repeat along a table or counter. A row of small vases with a stem or two each often beats one big bunch and is easier to refresh; on a café table, one stem leaves room for plates and cups.
• Entrances and reception desks. A tall vase of long stems or branches greets people first; place it where nobody will brush against it.

White vases suit almost any flower colour and are easy to repeat across a café, hotel or shop. See them all under white vases.

White VasesSee the range

Common mistakes and quick fixes

For florists, cafés, hotels and interior designers

Each Lasaki vase listing gives the height and width in centimetres, so you can plan stem lengths before you order. Retailers, florists, cafés, hotels and interior designers can request trade access to order from the catalogue. For anything a listing does not answer, such as whether a vase is made to hold water, ask us.