Elevate your flower arrangements with these 6 expert

Any time you’re hosting family and friends for dinner, whether it's for a holiday meal or a summer barbecue, making the table look beautiful is worthy of a spot on the to-do list. That, of course, includes adding decorative centerpieces. There are lots of options: gourds, candles, fruit and more. But it's hard to go wrong with the tried-and-true beauty of fresh flowers.

The key to a good arrangement, though, is not necessarily the blooms; the vessel you put the bouquet in can make or break a floral display. Yes, you can grab the nearest water glass, plop your flowers inside and call it a day. Flowers, after all, are flowers. But to really elevate the look of an arrangement, it pays to take care when choosing the container.

A tall vase works on a mantel, a sideboard or an unused table, where it's not blocking conversation at a dinner table. Lower vases, by contrast, work well almost anywhere. And bud vases can be used alone or in groups for smaller arrangements, creating a cohesive, intentional look.

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"Repetition gives a really luxurious look without breaking the bank," says Alison Higgins, owner of Grace Flowers Hawaii.

And although the right vessel can make your arrangement sing, it's important to choose something that won't upstage the flowers. "The rule of thumb is to have a neutral vase and then go crazy with the blooms or the foliage that you’re using," says Gina Lett Shrewsberry, a florist and owner of Inspirations by Gina in California. (If your style is more-is-more, though, don't hesitate to use colorful or patterned vases.)

We asked Higgins, Lett Shrewsberry and Cynthia Zamaria, the Toronto-based author of "House and Flower: Reviving Forgotten Homes and Gardens," to share their favorite flower vessels. Consider this your capsule wardrobe of vases.

Higgins says that, although many people overlook the bud vase, it's often the vase you need the most. "I was buying bigger vases, beautiful antiques," she says, "but I realized that, a lot of times, you want something a little bit smaller." And a bud vase is ideal when children pick something sweet for you. Higgins loves the handblown versions from Little Tomato Glass in Portland, Ore., such as the amber bud vase, which comes in three shapes: tall, round or squat ($44, littletomatoglass.com).

Zamaria also likes a bud vase. "You only need to add the most simple spray of blooms or dried grass to make a gorgeous statement," she says. One of her favorites is the 6.25-inch concrete bud vase by Studio50 Living ($37, studio50.ca). Zamaria recommends scattering or snaking multiple small vases in a similar color, texture or pattern down the table, so "everyone gets to enjoy them."

When you’re looking for height, such as on a mantel, Lett Shrewsberry suggests Crate & Barrel's Direction vase, which is 11 inches tall and made of glass ($24.95, crateandbarrel.com). Zamaria loves tall vases such as this one for "longer-stemmed, leggier flowers and impressive displays."

"A six- to eight-inch vase that works with decor in your home is good for when you get a few blooms from a local florist," Higgins says. British designer Ilse Crawford conceived the Konstfull ($17.99, ikea.com), a 6.25-inch green-brown glass vase with ridges in the bottom to support loose stems, such as roses. "Any vase with built-in mechanics that make arranging easier is a bonus," Zamaria adds.

Lett Shrewsberry, whose work was featured in the book "Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers and Florists," used terra-cotta pots for arrangements on the tables at a recent wedding. Magnolia's small textured Adrienne vase is a perfect midsize vase ($24, magnolia.com). Dried or faux stems won't require a liner, but live flowers in water will.

Zamaria likes floral supply company Afloral for all types of vase shapes. "They have a simple, classic compote or coupe-shaped vase in ceramic, which is just the right size to fill with an avalanche of blooms," she says. The small white ceramic compote in white is 3.75 inches tall but 6.5 inches wide ($34, afloral.com). Use a floral frog to hold the stems in place, and include plenty of blooms to fill its wide opening, Zamaria says.

Lindsey M. Roberts is a freelance writer in North Carolina.