How to choose a vase

Whether you're wanting a vase to display flowers or just as a decorative object, our tips will help you choose the right one.

* Shapes and sizes
Plain glass is the professionals' favourite. Pick a vase with a heavy base to ensure stability. Key shapes to invest in are:


CLEAR GLASS TANK
Useful and versatile, a five- to six-inch square vase (12.5-15cm) is a good staple. It will hold a hand-tied bouquet, simple supermarket bunch or will look equally good packed with tulips, hyacinths, anemones or other short-stemmed flowers.


TALL CYLINDER
A tall, narrow cylinder keeps long-stemmed flowers straight and you'll only need a few blooms, a dramatic leaf or some simple foliage for an elegant look. Choose a neck of about four to five inches (10-12.5cm) in diameter to stop stems looking lost.


SMALL VASES
Invest in tiny tanks, small globes or tumbler-style vases which can be lined up down the centre of a table, or pushed together for one large display. Place them in a row along a shelf or mantelpiece, or dot around the house with one or two simple flowers for a splash of colour. Grouping vases containing different flowers in the same colour is popular. But a single stem in a bud vase can give as much joy as a mass of blooms in an oversized container.


GOLDFISH BOWL
Use a goldfish bowl-style vase to float individual flower heads, or make a knot of big summer blooms such as peonies or hydrangeas to sit on top.

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