Simply put, vintage flower frogs are support systems that sit at the bottom of a vase to help hold flower arrangements in place.
They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but are typically dome shaped elements, made of glass, metal, or ceramic.
The most common ones we see today resemble a honeycomb, a cage, or sometimes a "bed of nails" with their sharp spikes sticking straight up from the base.
All of these structures are designed to hold flower stems in place in an arrangement.
Their original design has been traced back as far as the 16th century, however the modern versions we are discussing here, became widely popular in the United States in the early 1900's.
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Most Common Vintage Flower Frogs
1. Glass Flower Frogs
Pictured below is an example of two glass flower frogs. These particular frogs are made of carnival glass and are from around the 1940's.
Glass flower frogs are made in a wide variety of vintage glass types, shapes, and sizes.
Photo: TinButtons on Etsy
2. Metal "Cage" Flower Frogs
Metal, or "cage" flower frogs from the 1970's, such as the ones pictured below, are also a popular find amongst vintage collector's.
Photo: LarrysLoot an Etsy
3. Spiked Flower Frogs
These malicious looking spiked flower frogs from the 1950's (pictured below) posses the same purpose as the previously mentioned holders.
Flower stems are easily placed in between the spikes as a means to stay in place. These were usually made of metal.
Photo: MeghanDrago on Etsy
Decorative Flower Frogs
Most of these glass, caged, and spiked flower frogs were considered common in their day, but the market boasts a rare and unusual selection of flower frogs, too.
Decorative flower frogs are typically made of glass, ceramic, or other such materials.
They were designed to hold flower buds, or short cut stems, and left to be exposed for their beauty rather than tucked away inside a vase.
Motifs such as birds, animals, and nude statues were widely used and are collected today.
1. Ceramic Nude Flower Frog
Photo: MyriadOfVintage on Etsy
2. Ceramic Duck Shaped Flower Frog
Photo: MyFrenchTexas on Etsy
3. Ceramic Bird Flower Frog
Photo: TheVintagePorch on Etsy.
Identify by Characteristics
Even the most unusual flower frogs can be identified by their common characteristics.
If you discover an unusual piece you suspect could be a flower frog, consider the characteristics among the ones mentioned above.
- Is it made of a non-porous, sturdy material?
- Are there wide holes, or spikes?
- Does it resemble a cage?
- Is it small enough to fit inside of a vase? (standard ones only)
- Does it look like a weird salt and pepper shaker with extra large holes?
- Is it a decorative box, or figure with any of these characteristics?
Use Your Imagination
With a basic understanding of flower frogs, you will be able to identify them more easily while out vintage shopping or perusing online sales.
There are infinite possibilities for using these little treasures in projects or around the home for decor.
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Thanks for Reading!
Thank you so much for reading, and please leave me a comment below to let me know if you enjoyed this article!
Take care, as always! - Hallie ❤️️
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