Flowers come in many forms, including huge, robust ones, thin, long stemmed roses and the like and the small, beautiful and delicate. The art of arranging them is not a simple one, at least not arranging them effectively to bring out their beauty to the fullest.

Flowers today are most often given as gifts, delivered to your door and, while well arranged, not often in a vase of their own but wrapped in paper, in a cardboard box or some other packaging to help protect them on their journey.

The job of presenting and arranging them falls to the recipient and, we’re sorry to say, many do a bad job! Through no fault of their own, we might add, but there are certain ‘rules’ you can follow to make the most of your flowers.

Here are some tips to help you arrange your flowers effectively.

When it comes to choosing your vase always remember that a simple yet stylish glass vase will ensure that the flowers are the centre of attention, not the vase itself. If you choose a brightly coloured or flamboyant vase your flowers will not look as beautiful as they could. These type of vases are best used as ornaments on their own.

Retailers of designer glassware offer a wide range of vases, from the simple and elegant to the loud and garish, by a number of different art glass designers like Kosta Boda. Browse their websites for inspiration.

The size and shape of vase you choose should suit the flower arrangement in question, both to accentuate its beauty and offer good support. Large, full bouquets should be placed in a wide, thick vase while tall, thin, long stemmed arrangements – like Vantine’s Day roses for example – should be placed in a tall, thin vase to keep the flowers together and, again, well supported.

Basically, the vase should come to just above halfway up the stem of your flowers unless they have heavy heads, in which case about three quarters of the way up the stem will be required.

If your partner / husband / admirer / stalker has been especially generous and flower bouquet is huge, then choose a vase that is wide and heavy bottomed for to stop it tipping over.

Once you’ve placed your flowers in the vase step back and look at them. You will be able to tell if you need a taller or shorter, thicker or lighter vase.

The colour of your vase is going to pay a big part in how your flower arrangement looks as well. A bright, loud colour will clash with your bouquet unless it is equally as loud and colourful. Whites, creams and beiges will work with almost any flowers but for a truly stunning look consider crystal or glass.

Designer glass vases can also have hints of colour in them that won’t overpower the flowers themselves but compliment them instead. Designers like Kosta Boda have a wide range of vases in all sizes, shapes and colours that you can choose from to suit your flowers.

Or what about not using a vase at all? Sounds like a crazy idea, but think about this – a single red rose in an old wine bottle, country flowers in an old jug or spring flowers in a freshly washed milk bottle. Not all that crazy after all, is it.

Have fun with your flowers.

Author Bio: Ian Grainger is writing on behalf of Pyramid Designer Glassware & Gifts (http://www.pyramid-glass.co.uk), retailers of Kosta Boda designer glass vases.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: flowers, vases, flower arranging, designer glass