Flowers are the perfect gift to say so many things:
Thank you!
I love you!
Please forgive me.
Thanks for inviting me!
No matter the occasion, you can never go wrong with flowers. We give them, we get them, and we always appreciate them.
Although any gift of flowers will be well received, an arrangement might be the better option over a bouquet wrapped in paper. Why? Because the recipient won’t be put in the position of having to find a container to put them in (if they even have one available). And if they start down that path, scissors come out, stems start flying and a craft project ensues, leaving a mess to clean up. So, why not help the recipient avoid all that, and give them an arrangement already assembled?
+
There are so many creative ways to present flowers, beyond the standard glass vase. Below are 25 container ideas you may, or may not, have considered before.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase with the links I provide, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
1. The Classic Glass Vase
You certainly can’t go wrong with the classic glass vase, whether holding a single stem or an elaborate arrangement. They come in all shapes, sizes, textures and colors. Your stems will show, so clip any extra leaves that may fall below the water line. They can be found in thrift stores, online and in your own home. You have probably received an arrangement or two in the past. Perhaps it’s time to re-gift one of those vases to someone new.
2. Coffee Mugs
Look around your house, you may have an old forgotten mug tucked away in the back of a kitchen cabinet or packed up in a box in the attic. Mugs can be classic and beautiful in their simplicity or can have a motivational or humorous saying printed on them. Colorful bouquets will work well in solid colored (or textured) mugs, while a simple monotone or neutral bouquet might work best in a mug with a decorative pattern on it. Tall mugs allow for longer stems, while squat mugs will only accommodate the shortest of stems. Have fun with this, but make sure the mug is clean and without dents and scratches. This is a great way to repurpose (and re-gift) an old mug. If you don’t have one to spare, thrift stores have them by the hundreds, and usually cost only a dollar or two.
3. Water Glasses, Cocktail Glasses and Beer Mugs
How many drinking glasses do we cycle through in a lifetime? We bring home a set, use it for years, but inevitably, one of the glasses drops, chips or cracks, leaving us with an incomplete set. We can’t find a replacement, so we pack up the remaining glasses to donate. Thrift store racks are filled with individual glasses looking for a new home or purpose. These are the perfect vehicle for a modest arrangement. Like mugs, the short ones are best for short stems, and the taller ones are better for longer stems. A tall carafe also works well, especially for straight, thick stems. In the same vein, beer mugs, steins and pilsner glasses are great options to consider as well.
4. Salt and Pepper Shakers and Spice Jars
A petite arrangement would work well in a salt or pepper shaker or spice jar, sans the lid. There are so many cute ones out there, online as well as in antique shops and thrift stores.
5. Glass Jars
When you finish off that jar of pickles or preserves, take a quick look at it before you toss it into the recycling bin to see if it has any nice features in the way of engravings or writing. Labels can be removed by soaking them in water overnight. Filled with a small bouquet of flowers, these jars are perfect vessels for a sweet thank you gift. Mason jars, which can be purchased online, are great for flower gifts, even with their lids in the open position. If you buy a set of them, you’ll have them on hand for the next event that pops up in the future.
6. Tin Cans
A used tin can is a great flower container to use IF (and this is important) there are no sharp edges that remain after opening them. The industrial ribbed material contrasts nicely with the delicate nature of flowers. Like the glass jars above, labels can be removed by soaking them in water overnight.
7. Pails and Buckets
If you intend on gifting a bigger arrangement, pails and buckets are a nice option. As with tin cans, their rustic material is a nice contrast to the flowers it holds.
8. Tea Pots and Kettles
Tea pots with their spouts and handles, are great options for holding flowers. Flowers that dangle over the edge are best for this type of arrangement, as opposed to rigid, straight stemmed flowers such as roses.
9. Test Tubes and Beakers
Even items from a science lab can be used with flowers. Artisans are using test tubes in their handmade stands to hold a series of single stems. Even beakers have a great shape to them, and are already meant to hold liquid.
10. Bathroom Storage Containers
You might not think to meander into the bathroom section of a home store to find a container for a flower arrangement, but it actually makes sense if you think about it. Items for the bathroom need to be water resistant to begin with, so they make great containers. These may be intended to hold items like cotton balls, makeup brushes, and the like. The lids won’t be necessary, but you could always provide them to the gift recipient anyway. That way when the flowers are dead, they will be left with a second gift to be enjoyed and used as they see fit. Test the container overnight in a sink to test if any water leaks, or seeps, through the material.
11. Cast Iron Pots
Cast iron pots are not just massive, ten-ton pots we used to make soup for 20 in. They come in petite sizes now and everything in between. They are heavy, but sturdy. Its bright colors make for a great container, if you’re no longer using it.
12. Food Storage Canisters
Kitchen and pantry glass canisters for flour, sugar, pasta, cereal, coffee, and the like make great containers for flowers. So do candy and cookie jars. Add utensil holders to the list. If made of ceramic or glass, you’re all set with housing the water element. If the container is made of wood, metal, marble or has decorative openings, you’ll want to place a container inside to house the water.
13. Sugar and Creamer Sets
Sugar containers and milk/creamer pitchers also make for sweet flower containers. Whether it’s a delicate piece from an heirloom China set, or modern, and all white, with sleek lines.
14. Pitchers and Carafes
A small pitcher used at breakfast, or a large one used at a summer block party, both work for arrangements.
15. Watering Cans
Watering cans—used for watering plants both inside and outside the home—have come a long way from the clunky metal ones I grew up with. Today, they come in great styles and sizes, and are beautiful enough to hold their own as a piece of room décor. Recipients are left with a useful tool for future use.
16. Wine Bottles, Decanters
Wine and beer bottles are great heights for a single floral stem, with or without the bottle’s original labels. Liquor bottles usually have more character in their shape and texture… Amber, blue and dark green glass is a great place to start.
17. Ink, Perfume and Vintage Medicine Bottles
There’s not a lot of room to work with these, but an ink, perfume or medicine bottle can be perfect for a single stem, or a few wildflowers picked from the backyard. Lavender cuttings work great in bottles like these, and they’ll smell good too. Mix and match several of these bottles (of differing heights or sizes) and present them together as one gift.
More Unusual Containers for Flower Gifts
18. Baskets
Baskets are already made from materials from nature, so they are the perfect complement to fresh-cut flowers.
19. Wood Boxes, Crates and Vintage Drawers
Wood boxes are beautiful on their own, but adding flowers is extra special. You’ll need to add a water component/container inside. Abandoned drawers from a vintage chest can also be repurposed.
20. Cookie Tins
Who doesn’t have a cookie tin or two lying around? They can be repurposed for an arrangement as well, but be sure to check inside to make sure it can hold water before gifting it.
21. Paper Boxes and Bags
Paper boxes and bags with a container inside to hold water, is another way to present flowers in a fun way. Round hat boxes with the added (decorative) rope handle can work. A minimalist glass vase inside a decorative wine bag or vertical wood box will too.
22. Rubber Boots
You’ll find cute arrangements all over Pinterest using rubber boots as a container for flowers. If boots keep water out, they certainly will keep it in. But if you want to be safe, or preserve the boots, place a tall glass vase (liner) inside.
23. Hollowed Pumpkins
There really is no limit to what you can use, including a hollowed out pumpkin (real or plastic), if it contains a vessel for water inside. Be sure to cut the bottom of a freshly-picked pumpkin so it has a stable, level base. You’ll need to include a glass plate underneath to protect any surfaces from decomposition.
24. Vintage Tins
Found in antique stores, these vintage tins usually come with printed or painted labels, and once contained products like oil, spices, and tea bags. In this case, I recommend keeping the labels affixed, and find flowers that complement the colors on the outside of the tin.
25. Jewelry Boxes
Whether mass-produced or made of wood, metal, resin, silver, copper, bamboo, or brass, jewelry boxes can be great options for flowers too, if the box is deep enough to house a water element inside.
+
If you have other creative ideas for floral containers, I would love to hear them. Please post them in the comment section below.
Leave a Reply