I am no expert in flower arranging, but I did read a book many years ago, which pointed out that some vases were not very good for showing flowers off to their best advantage, whilst some items not intended to display flowers make fabulous vases. I love cut flowers and freqently buy a small bunch from a local florist (see my guide on buying a fabulous bunch of flowers for a fiver!) and I have found this statement to be true. 

So, what should you look for in a vase? The most important thing is to have a selection of them. I currently have four - 1 tall crackle vase one with a diameter of about 4" which cost £8 in a charity shop, 1 tall cut glass one with a narrower neck, which cost £5 in a charity shop, 1 denby grey one, which is a bit smaller than the rest, cost £3 at an auction, and one bigger ceramic one, whcih cost £3 at an auction. These display the vast majority of my flowers fantastically. I brought the taller one as my florist made me up a bunch of flowers that were taller. The advantages of glass ones, is you can see when the water is running out!

I live in a house share and we also have a tall, wide glass vase, which needs a huge bunch of flowers, and a tall bright green one, which draws all the attention to its colour, rather than the flowers. I looked in M&S yesterday and saw loads of vases which would also need a large bunch of flowers, which limits their use. (why should people have to spend a fortune on flowers, when a small bunch of flowers in the right vase may be prettier!) Needless to say, I haven't used any of these for my flowers!.

Other ideas for vases are jugs, which you can pick up at boot fairs, auctions etc, for very little and often look fab! You do not have to spend a lot of money on a vase!

The importance of having a selection of vases was brought home to me when I was invited to lunch by someone and when I gave her a small bunch of flowers, she put them in a huge vase, which drawfed them. Space is not an issue in this particular household, so it would be well worth her investing in a few more vases. Needless to say, I will think twice before buying her flowers again!

I hope this is helpful.