Caring for your Amaranthine

Treat Amaranthine as two pieces in one: the orchids want care, the pampas grass wants to be left alone. Keep the orchid stems in clean, room-temperature water, topping up regularly, since orchids drink steadily and sulk quickly once their water runs low or turns cloudy. Recut their stems at a slant every few days and set the arrangement away from direct sun, draughts and any nearby fruit, whose ethylene gas ages orchid blooms fast. The pampas grass needs no water at all and is best kept dry and undisturbed; a gentle shake outdoors now and then is enough to keep its plumes full and clean.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
  • Pampas Grass — Keep the plumes dry and out of humidity, and give them a gentle shake on arrival to settle and fluff the fronds.

How long your flowers last

Expect this pairing to look its best for roughly two to three weeks, longer than most fresh arrangements thanks to its restrained, sculptural makeup. The orchids are the living element here and will fade first, holding gracefully for around two to three weeks before they begin to soften and drop. The pampas grass works on an entirely different timeline: dried by nature, it holds its form for several months and often years, which is why an Amicis Amaranthine can carry on as a quiet design piece long after the orchids have passed. The single most useful habit is to refresh the orchid water every two to three days and trim a little from their stems each time, which is what stretches that fresh window to its fullest.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Orchid

Origin

Tropical regions worldwide

Cultivated since

Prized in Asia for centuries; carried to Europe across the 18th and 19th centuries

Fragrance

Most cut varieties virtually scentless

Symbolises

Refinement, luxury & rare beauty

Among the largest plant families on earth, orchids took root across the tropics of Asia and the Americas, cultivated in Asia long before reaching the West. Victorian collectors then chased them across the globe, fuelling a famous European craze. Their arched stems and sculptural blooms bring quiet architecture to an arrangement, holding their form for weeks where softer flowers fade.

Pampas Grass

Origin

Southern South America (the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile)

Recorded

Reached European gardens in the 1800s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Softness, height & quiet drama

Named for the South American plains it sweeps across, pampas grass earns its place through feathered, silver-blonde plumes that catch light like spun silk. As a structural accent it lends an Amicis arrangement height and movement without colour, holding its form long after fresh stems have faded.