One of the perks of being a floral designer for the last ten years is having an in-home inventory of containers and vases to decorate with. As seasons and my tastes have changed so has my collection but unsurprisingly there are a handful of my vessels that have stood the test of time! In this post I’m going to share some of my personal favorite vessels but also a selection of beauties online currently for you to add to your collection. These containers are perfect for flowers from your garden or a local grocery store bouquet purchase.

And while obvious it needs to be said! Flowers are such a delight whether they’re a part of your career like they are for me, hobby that brings you joy, or once-in-a-blue-moon way to decorate your home and enhance your hosted gatherings. My hope is this post will inspire you to infuse more of them into your life thanks to my flower tips, reflections, and notes on the varieties you’ll see through the photos shared here. As always, the gorgeous imagery is courtesy of my talented friend, Samantha James Photography.

Some of my favorite vessels are from places like Accent Decor (where you have to have an account to shop since it’s a resource geared towards retail owners and professional designers), Target, Amazon, and vintage shops in the Grand Rapids area. I also have a few treasured containers like that tall fluted blue and white floral-print number that are belonged to my Nan many moons ago. Many of my favorites fall in the pink depression glass / blue and white ceramic / naturals aesthetic categories as these styles coordinates well with our home and tastes but truly the flowers are the pieces that always steal the show regardless of the vase.

So let’s talk flowers and what’s currently blooming here in the Bosse home!

In my beloved Nan’s flower vase I dropped a bunch of soft peach butterfly ranunculus. A sister of the popular ranunculus flower, butterfly ranunculus are a little daintier with fewer petals and more visible center stamens, but multiple blooms (sometimes up to 12!) both big and small per stem. They come in 10-stem bunches from most wholesalers and I’ve used them before in more muted tones like pink, peach, yellow, and white but they also grow in more vibrant colors like orange and red. They are really whimsical and a treat to find each spring in the cooler. When bloomed to and past their peak they have an anemone or poppy-like quality to them.

Below you’ll find me cutting the first hellebore bloom from our garden! Isn’t it beautiful?

With the colder spring temperatures we’ve had these last few weeks I was surprised to see how early they blossomed this season. They are one of my most favorite flowers to design with not only for their charming petal structure and multiple blooms on each stem, but those small leaves found up close to the flower head always gives a romantic and garden-like feel to my designs. Knowing I have these in my garden – even if in a very small quantity and in a short window of time – feels special!

In the photo below on the right you’ll see two different types of green foliage with small flowers. The taller wispier foliage is called boronia and this particular variety offers little blooms in a mellow yellow color. The shorter foliage to the right is called tweedia and it’s one of my favorite flowers to use when a client requests the color blue! There is also a white tweedia variety and it’s a-go to for a dainty white filler in things like bouquets and centerpieces. It’s a bit finicky to keep alive but I fall for it every time I find it at the market.

And finally, there’s a green foliage with tiny white blooms in the mix here, and it’s called eriostemon. Just scroll back two photos and you’ll see it in the background of the photo on the left sitting in a glass hurricane vase! It’s a highly underrated product in the design realm and a lovely and robust way to add both a foliage and floral touch to any container in just one swoop.

The next flower you’ll see here is called pink stock. Stock is a cost-efficient, 10-stem bunch, flower option available year round from most wholesalers around the world. And they are grown in a bevy of different hues, too making them versatile and popular. The ‘pink’ variety looks very lavender in real-time just like the photo shows but this is indeed how the pink looks! If you are wanting a true pink stock bloom ask for ‘peach’ and you’ll get more of a true pink with yellow undertones.

The bright pink panicle-looking flowers are easily recognizable as hyacinths. You likely have these in your own garden or know someone – maybe a mom or a grandmother – who does! They grow from bulbs often planted in the autumn and are similar in their nostalgic quality and make up to tulips and daffodils. While these did not come from my own garden as I wanted to enjoy seeing mine from my living room window, they are usually available in our wholesaler’s cooler in the early spring months. It’s always a treat to see piles of thick-stemmed hyacinth bunches in pastel-hued tones of lavender, pink, yellow, and white sitting on the cooler shelves. The colors remind me a little of Cadbury Mini Eggs. Perhaps this is where my penchant for these stems from (IYKYK).

Hyacinths aren’t the easiest to work with when designing because of their thick and short stems but a handful of these look striking in a small julep type vase. They always goes the distance on a bathroom counter, small entry way table, vanity edge, or a kitchen island. If anything, the smell of hyacinths will permeate the entire room their placed in making them a true pillar of spring-time!

The yellow flowering branches are a familiar spring-time sight called forsythia. Chances are you’re familiar with it if you live in zones 5 to 9 where this is often used in commercial and residential landscaping and gardening. In the language of flowers, forsythia means ‘anticipation,’ which feels quite fitting as it’s usually the very first sign of spring, and a bright cheery one at that! Those yellow blooms are impossible to miss making it an easy road-side forage option. There are two huge bushes of it in the field behind our home!

And finally, I’m sure you recognize those bright yellow flowers as tulips! No explanation is needed except for tulips are one of the most iconic spring-time flowers. Picking my tulip bulbs each fall for planting before the first frost is always a reminder that beautiful things take time to cultivate. I’m especially reminded of this come April with the tulips start to shoot up out of the cold hard Michigan soil.

What I love about a collection of smaller vases and vessels like this is, is the ability to cluster them together on a space with lots of real estate like a large coffee table, dining room table or large kitchen island. The different heights of the flowers and branches contrasted with the variance in their petal shape and fullness is such a beautiful sight and really brings life to the room they’re in. These photos were taken on a Wednesday afternoon and by the time of writing (Sunday night) the forsythia, tulips, boronia, tweedia, and hellebore are still looking beautiful. Even with a light blanket of forsythia yellow on the table as the flowers have dropped and green leaves have taken their place, the gathering of containers feels effortless but elevated. Spring is truly a season full of anticipation, hope, and goodness.

Here are some of my favorite vases and vessels for you to pick up!

1. Blue Bud Vases / 2. Rattan Hurricane / 3. Floral Pitcher
4. Pink Ceramic / 5. Wicker / 6. Blue and White
7. White Pitcher / 8. Blue Rattan / 9. Glass Bud Vases
10. Pink Depression Glass / 11. Painted Flowers / 12. Jade Pitcher

Which flower and which vase is your favorite? Are you a fresh-flowers-in-the-house kind of gal? I’d love to know below! Xo

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