How to arrange artificial flowers: stems, vases and quantities
As a rule of thumb, choose stems about one and a half to two times the height of your vase, and allow roughly 6–12 stems for a 25–35cm vase. Mix one main flower with fillers and foliage, and cut the wired stems to length with wire cutters. The table below lists every single flower stem we sell, with live prices and stock.
Compare every flower stem
Sort by height or price, or show only stems in stock. Heights are each stem's overall height as listed, before you cut it.
Live prices and stock. Heights are overall, from the bottom of the pot (or of the stem, for stem flowers and ferns) to the top of the leaves. Spreads are as arranged in our photos, and wired stems can be shaped wider or narrower.
How long should the stems be?
Measure your vase from the base to the rim. As a rule of thumb, choose stems one and a half to two times that height. A stem that stands on the bottom of the vase then shows between half and the full height of the vase above the rim, which keeps the flowers and the vase in proportion. For a 30cm vase, that means stems of about 45–60cm once cut.
Our own ready-made arrangements sit at the taller end of that range: as arranged in our photos, they stand about twice the height of their vases. A 28cm vase holds a 60cm arrangement, and a 50cm vase holds a 100cm one.
- Most of our flower stems are 55–100cm long, so for vases under about 50cm you'll usually cut them down.
- Our tallest stems, of 100–130cm, include blossom and magnolia sprays, gladioli and lilies. They suit tall vases of 50cm or more, or a large floor vase, without cutting.
- Short stems and bushes of 30–55cm suit low bowls, bud vases and table centrepieces.
When you mix stems of different lengths, cut the foliage a little shorter than the flowers, so the blooms sit on top and the leaves fill in around the rim.
How many stems does a vase need?
These are starting points, not fixed rules. Stems with several flowers fill more space than single-flower stems, so you'll need fewer of them.
- Vases up to 25cm tall: 3–6 stems.
- Vases of 25–35cm: 6–12 stems.
- Vases of 35–50cm: 9–15 stems.
The opening matters as much as the height. A narrow neck of 8–10cm holds a few stems upright by itself. A wide opening of 13–15cm lets stems fall outwards, so it needs more stems, or more foliage, to keep the arrangement full and upright. Our glass and metal vases are listed with their height and, for most, the size of the top rim.
A spray counts for more than a single stem. Each of our 60cm rose sprays, for example, has four flowers and three buds, so one spray fills about as much of the vase as two or three single roses.
What our own arrangements use
Our ready-made arrangements come with the vase and every stem, supplied loose for you to arrange. Their recipes show the rules above at work:
- 28cm gold-rim smoke grey vase (9.5cm rim): 3 yellow rose sprays and 3 green berry sprays, 60cm tall as arranged.
- 30cm smoke grey ridged vase (12cm rim): 6 white reflex chrysanthemums and 3 orange berry sprays, 50cm tall as arranged.
- 30cm silver dot vase: 6 red lily stems, 2 Himalayan maidenhair fern stems and 2 green berry sprays, 70cm tall as arranged.
- 31cm clear ridged vase (11cm rim): 6 purple starflower stems, 3 dark berry stems and 2 bamboo fern stems, 60cm tall as arranged.
Browse all of our flowers with vases to copy an arrangement or buy one complete.
Choosing a vase
The shape of the vase decides how the stems fall, so pick the vase and the stems together.
- Bottle and bubble vases have a wide body and a narrow neck. The neck holds stems close together at the rim and lets them fan out above it, so they suit a few tall stems, such as blossom sprays, lilies or palm leaves. Our 40cm grey smoke bottle vase is 34cm wide at its widest point but has a 9.5cm rim, and our own 100cm lily and chrysanthemum arrangements use it.
- Straight and ridged vases with an opening of 11–15cm take a fuller, rounder arrangement of mixed flowers and foliage.
- Tall, slim vases of 40–50cm suit long stems of 100cm or more, used at full length.
- Low bowls suit short stems and bushes for a table centrepiece that people can see over.
Clear glass shows the stems, while coloured, smoked or metal vases hide them. If you're new to arranging, an opaque vase with a narrow neck is the most forgiving.
Focal flowers, fillers and foliage
Most arrangements are built from three or four kinds of stem. Choosing one or two from each group is the simplest way to a balanced vase.
- Focal flowers are the large blooms people notice first. From our range: lilies, peonies, roses, sunflowers, reflex chrysanthemums, dahlias, poppies, protea and phalaenopsis orchid stems.
- Tall line flowers add height and shape: delphinium, gladioli, and blossom and magnolia sprays.
- Fillers fill the gaps between focal flowers: gypsophila, starflower, craspedia, bottle brush and berry sprays.
- Foliage frames the flowers and hides the stems at the rim: eucalyptus, ferns, palm leaves and leafy sprays.
Our own arrangements usually pair six stems of one main flower with two to five stems of foliage or berries. Find greenery in our foliage stems and artificial eucalyptus collections, and focal flowers in artificial roses and artificial peonies. For flowers and foliage together, browse all flower and foliage stems.
Building the arrangement
- Start with foliage. Place two or three stems so they lean out over the rim and form a frame.
- Add the tallest line flowers towards the centre, or towards the back if the vase will stand against a wall.
- Add the focal flowers at different heights, turning each one to face a slightly different direction.
- Finish with fillers to close any gaps, then step back and check the shape from where people will see it.
Choosing colours
Keep to one or two flower colours plus green, at least to start with. White flowers with green foliage suit almost any room. Berries add a darker accent and texture, and a single colour in several shades, such as pale and dark pink, looks richer than one flat shade. Match the vase to the room rather than the flowers: clear or smoked glass goes with most colours. Artificial stems can be reused, so you can change an arrangement with the seasons: swap the focal flowers and keep the same vase and foliage.
Cutting and shaping wired stems
Most of our flower stems have a wire core, which lets you bend them into shape. It also means you should cut them with wire cutters, not scissors.
- Hold each stem against the vase and decide where to cut it. Cut it a little longer than you think you need, because you can always trim more.
- Cut the longest stems first, then step the rest down so the flowers don't all sit at one level.
- Bend stems gently so they curve outwards over the rim, rather than standing straight up.
- Open out the petals and leaves, which are often flattened in the box.
If a stem is only slightly too long for an opaque vase, you can bend its base over inside the vase instead of cutting it. That keeps the full length in case you want to use it in a taller vase later.
Keeping stems in place
Don't add water. Artificial flowers don't need it, and it can rust the wire inside the stems. You usually don't need floral foam either: a vase with a narrow neck holds stems in place by itself. In a wide-mouthed vase, make a grid across the opening with clear tape, and push the stems through the squares. Dry floral foam helps in a bowl or an opaque vase, where it won't show. If a tall arrangement makes a light vase top-heavy, put pebbles or sand in the bottom of the vase first.
In a clear glass vase the stems are on show, so remove any leaves that would sit below the rim and keep the stems neat.
Where to use your arrangement
- Dining tables: a low, rounded arrangement that looks good from every side, kept low enough to see over.
- Sideboards, consoles and hallway tables: taller, one-sided arrangements, with the tallest stems at the back against the wall.
- Floor vases: a few long stems of 100–130cm, such as blossom, magnolia or gladioli, used at full length.
- Reception desks and bars: a compact arrangement in a heavy vase, so it isn't easily knocked over.
Artificial flowers are pet-safe (non-toxic) and allergy-friendly, as they have no pollen, so they suit bedrooms, kitchens and homes with pets. Most of our flower stems are for indoor use or a covered spot out of direct sun. The only UV-stabilised stems in our single-stem collection are the 30cm red and white flower bushes, which are guaranteed against fading for one year.
For ideas on where to put a finished vase, see our guide to styling artificial plants. If orchids are your main flower, our artificial orchid guide compares potted orchids and orchid stems, and our guide to the most realistic artificial plants explains what makes flowers look real up close.
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