A vase does not need flowers to earn its place. Cut flowers fade in a week, while a branch, a dried stem or a cutting rooting in water can sit happily for months, and a well-made vase looks good holding nothing at all. Here are fifteen ideas, grouped by what they need, with a note on matching each one to the shape of your vase.
Dried and natural: no water needed
1. Dried grasses
Pampas, bunny tails and wheat stems add movement and softness, and they last for months. One or three stems in a narrow vase look intentional; a bundle suits a wide mouth. Our guide to dried flower arrangements goes into more detail.
2. Dried eucalyptus or ruscus
Silvery eucalyptus keeps its colour well once dried, and bleached ruscus gives a pale, airy shape. Both suit a tall vase on a console or mantelpiece.
3. A single sculptural branch
Twisted willow, birch, a piece of driftwood or a bare winter branch turns a vase into a small sculpture. Choose a branch about one and a half to two times the height of the vase, and let it lean the way it grew.
4. Seed heads
Dried alliums, poppy heads, lotus pods and teasels have strong outlines that read well against glass, and they look as good in January as in September.
5. Cotton stems
A few cotton stems bring a soft, wintry look and need no water or care at all.
6. Feathers
Pheasant or peacock feathers, kept to a few, suit a slim vase on a shelf where they will not be knocked.
Living, but not flowers
7. Cuttings rooting in water
Pothos, tradescantia, monstera and many herbs root happily in water, and watching the roots grow through clear glass is half the charm. Top up the water as it drops, change it every week, and keep the wooden base of a vase on wood dry.
8. An air plant
A single tillandsia needs no soil and sits neatly in the neck of a vase. Soak it every week or two and let it dry upside down before you put it back. Our air plant care guide has the detail.
9. Moss
Preserved moss needs nothing at all, and a wide or low vessel shows it best. Living moss is happier in a closed terrarium than in an open vase.
10. Long-lasting leaves
A single monstera leaf, olive branches or fresh eucalyptus in water often last a couple of weeks, and they bring green to a room when flowers are expensive or out of season.
11. Fresh herbs
A bunch of rosemary or bay in water looks generous on a kitchen windowsill, smells lovely and lasts well. Snip what you need as you cook.
Objects and seasonal fillers
12. Pebbles, sea glass or shells
A layer in the bottom of a wide vase adds weight and texture, and it works on its own or holding a single dried stem upright.
13. Battery fairy lights
A string of battery LED lights coiled into a clear vase makes a soft glow for a shelf or windowsill on dark evenings. Use battery LED lights only: never put a candle or tealight inside a vase.
14. Pine cones and winter stems
Pine cones in the base with a sprig of fir or a dried hydrangea head above make an easy winter display, and a few baubles can take the place of the cones at Christmas.
15. Nothing at all
A sculptural vase can stand on its own. Hand-blown glass on wood catches the light whether it holds anything or not, so an empty vase on a mantelpiece or windowsill is a finished look rather than a missing one. For arranging around it, see how to style a mantelpiece.
Match the filler to the vase
- Narrow neck: one to three stems, a single branch or an air plant.
- Wide mouth: a bundle of grasses, a leafy cutting, or pebbles holding a stem upright.
- Tall vase: branches and long dried grasses, about one and a half to two times its height.
- Low or small vase: moss, an air plant or one short stem.
Caring for a glass vase on wood
Our vases are hand-blown glass fused onto wood, so keep the water inside the glass and the wood dry: top up carefully, wipe any spills straight away, and never stand the vase in water. Hand wash the glass with warm water and a soft cloth, and dry the wood at once if it gets wet.
Vases that suit these ideas
- The small flower vase on wood: one stem, a sprig of dried lavender or an air plant.
- The V-shaped vase, about 24.5cm tall and holding about 650ml: a single branch, or nothing at all.
- The hanging vase on wood: an air plant, a dried stem or a cutting by a window.
- The molten glass vase on wood: tall dried pampas or a eucalyptus branch.
- The small vase on whitewashed wood: a few bunny-tail stems.
- The extra large double centrepiece: tall dried stems in each glass for a hallway.
Browse every piece in our vases collection, or read how to style a glass vase for arranging fresh stems.
Common questions
What can I put in a clear glass vase instead of flowers?
Dried grasses, a single branch, cuttings rooting in water, an air plant, pebbles or sea glass, or battery fairy lights. Clear glass shows off anything with an interesting shape, roots included.
How do I make an empty vase look good?
Give it room. A sculptural vase on its own, where the light reaches it, looks deliberate. Group it with one or two objects of different heights rather than lining it up with others.
How long do dried stems last?
Kept out of direct sunlight and away from damp, most dried grasses and seed heads last for months. Strong sun fades them, so keep them out of a bright south-facing window.
Can I put fairy lights in a glass vase?
Yes, battery LED lights. They stay cool and need no water. Never put a candle or tealight inside a vase.
