Ilex Studio Acorn Vase
Last updated: 18 October 2026
The Acorn Vase is a small glass bottle for sprouting an acorn into an oak seedling on a windowsill, with the roots on show through the glass. Ilex Studio, a London design studio founded in 2018, makes the Acorn Vase in borosilicate glass, 10 x 10cm, with a 36-page growing handbook. The clear version costs £30 with an acorn included, or £28 without, from Ilex Studio's own shop.
How the Acorn Vase works
You sit an acorn in the narrow neck with its base touching the water. The root grows down into the round glass belly, and a shoot grows up and out of the top.
Ilex Studio says the young oak can live in the vase for up to a year, feeding on the acorn, before it needs planting outside. The handbook walks you through germinating the seed and includes an oak tree field guide.
Ilex Studio was set up in London in 2018 by Ed Spurr and Amy Hall Browne, and showed at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in 2025.
Key facts
- Size: 10 x 10cm, about the size of a large orange
- Material: borosilicate glass, the heat-resistant type used for lab glass and teapots
- In the box: the vase and a 36-page handbook, with an acorn if you choose that option
- Packaging: recycled card and paper
- Colours: clear, plus tinted versions such as Grass Green, Rose Pink and Blue Jay at the same price, and holographic Cosmic versions at £34
- Price: £30 with an acorn, £28 without
Who it suits
- Flat dwellers: a way to grow a tree with no garden, at least for the first year.
- Children: the roots and shoot change week by week, in full view.
- New homeowners: a small, living housewarming present.
For more ideas for people with green fingers, see our gifts for gardeners guide.
The limits
Not every acorn germinates. If the first one fails, you will need another, and the "without acorn" option assumes you can find your own in autumn.
The oak outgrows the vase within about a year, so you need a garden, a large pot or a friend with land to plant it out.
The water needs topping up and the glass needs cleaning, as with any plant kept in water.
Where to buy it in the UK
Ilex Studio's shop sells every colour. The RHS published Ilex Studio's Chelsea Flower Show 2025 press pack, which covers the studio and the vase.
FAQs
How much is the Ilex Studio Acorn Vase?
£30 for the clear vase with an acorn, or £28 without. The Cosmic versions cost £34.
How long can an oak grow in the Acorn Vase?
Up to about a year, according to Ilex Studio, before it should be planted outside.
Does it come with an acorn?
You can choose. The £30 option includes an acorn, and the £28 option is the vase and handbook only.
What size is it?
10 x 10cm, made from borosilicate glass.
Is the Acorn Vase on Amazon UK?
I could not find Ilex Studio's own vase on Amazon UK, only lookalike propagation vases from other brands. Buy it direct from Ilex Studio.
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I checked the prices and stock on Ilex Studio's shop on 18 October 2026.
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