So choosing the right vase or container is just as important as choosing the flowers. They should either contrast or harmonize with the container.

Proportions, size, shape and colour are all important when choosing a vase but remember the flowers are the real stars in the display. Any vase you choose should accentuate the flowers.

Before you chose your vase/container, you’ve got to decide what you want out of it, where you want to put it and what type of flowers you want to display. Here are some simple rules of thumb to help you choose the right vase.

· Proportions - Maintain the relative size of the bouquet at 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the flowers + vase combination.

· Colour - A safe bet when choosing the right flower vase is to use clear glass but if colour is what you want go for neutral or muted tones such as white, cream, light blue and light green. This will allow people to focus their attentions on the flowers, not the vase.

· Don't restrict your arrangement to custom made vases, look at various water proof containers like tumblers, bottles, cups and biscuit tins (waterproof them first with a sealant)

· Shape - Although there are many vase designs, the bulk of vases fall into the following categories:

Traditional - A traditional vase has a mouth that's wider than its base. Make sure that your flowers are abundant enough to fill the mouth of the vase. Hydrangeas and chrysanthemums (Pom Poms) are examples of flowers that look good in traditional style vases.
Bottle - A bottle-shaped vase has a mouth that's narrow and is best-suited for flowers that don't have a huge mass of blooms or foliage. Cherry and quince blossom, Bird of Paradise and Arum Lilies look excellent in bottle-shaped vases.
Cylinder - A cylindrical vase has straight sides and is the perfect shape for large blooming flowers such as tulips, roses and hyacinths.
Rectangular – tall or short these vases are great for flower suited for cylinder vases
Flat - In recent years, the flat, low vase has become popular. These vases are great for holding flowers with really short stems. Their wide, shallow bases are stable and allow you to fill the vase with lots of floating blooms. This is a great way to display Camellias
Tumblers and squat containers are great to display single buds or a bunch of flowers where you want to just display the flower heads.

Tips to care for your cut flowers:
· When buying the flowers make sure the petals are in good condition - they should have firm foliage and should not be yellowing.
· As soon as you get home, put them in a bucket of water and spray the flower heads with a water mist.
· Before placing them in vase cut flowers stems at angle, at least 2.5cm of the base, and remove any leaves that are below the water level in the vase.
· Filling the vase with water is the next important step. Often people over fill their vases.
   - Roses and carnations need at least 50ml of water
   - Gladioli, tulips and daffodils need a little less than that
   - Peonies and chrysanthemums need more water so making cuts around the stems helps in keeping them fresh for long.
   - A general rule is the water level should at least cover 1/3 of the stems
· It's very important to change water and clean out the vase daily.

Following these simple steps will allow you enjoy your flower display longer than you expect.