Photo by Edward Pond
Choosing the right vase
Mixing and matching flowers and vases is an easy and inexpensive way to express your creativity
Sometimes the perfect container is closer than you think. Heirloom treasures, quirky garage-sale finds, even vintage kitchenwares make delightful vases.
**Wonderfully Whimsical**
From left to right: An empty vintage champagne bottle is a dreamy backdrop for a Moroccan tea glass. We left these both empty, but you could put a single tall, slender flower in the bottle, or a small clustered arrangement in the tea glass.
Paired perfectly with a turquoise tin, delicate peach orchids will hold up for three to four weeks with an occasional misting.
A charming old tea canister is the perfect resting spot for beautiful and unusual proteas, native to Africa. Very long-lasting, proteas appreciate a bit of bleach in the water. Be aware that not every vessel is watertight: we set these in a glass that fit inside the canister.
Always gorgeous, roses are an excellent choice for creating small, clustered arrangements. Here we used a silver sugar bowl. Cut roses are very thirsty so top up the water regularly.
Placing exotic orchids in an old Mason jar creates an alluring study in contrasts. A solitary stem of star of Bethlehem complements the tones of a little green jug.
**Pairing Principles**
For pleasing arrangements every time, stick to four simple design principles.
**Focus:** flowers and containers should not compete for attention—make just one the star.
**Proportion:** balance all the visual elements, including scale and weight —step back and ask yourself, is the arrangement top-heavy or bottom-heavy, too tall or too short?
**Repetition:** repeating a colour or pattern helps create continuity in an arrangement.
**Subtlety:** remember, sometimes less is more.
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