Caring for your Atelier

Water the thirsty Hydrangea and Lilac; keep Lily pollen off petals.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Amaranthus — Recut the stems at an angle and keep the water shallow, as amaranthus drinks heavily and the lower stem softens quickly when submerged too deep.
  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Calla Lily — Re-cut the thick, fleshy stems on an angle and keep water shallow, as callas are prone to softening if stood too deep.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Lilac — Lilac drinks heavily and wilts fast, so trim the woody stems on a sharp angle, strip lower leaves, and refresh the water daily.
  • Lily — Gently pinch out the orange pollen-bearing anthers as blooms open to protect petals and linen from staining.

How long your flowers last

Seven to ten days; Hydrangea and Lilac fade first, Anthurium holds longest.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Amaranthus

Origin

Tropical Americas (Andes & Mesoamerica)

Cultivated since

For thousands of years by Andean & Mesoamerican peoples

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Immortality, unfading love & endurance

Grown across the Americas for millennia as both grain and ornament, amaranthus is best known for its long crimson tassels that spill downward in soft, trailing ropes. Its name comes from the Greek for unfading, a nod to blooms that hold colour and form even as they dry. In an arrangement it adds movement and weight, draping over the edge of a vessel to break a clean silhouette and lend an Amicis piece an unhurried, sculptural fall.

Anthurium

Origin

Rainforests of Colombia & Ecuador

Documented

By botanists in the 1870s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Hospitality, confidence & beauty

The anthurium's glossy, sculptural 'bloom' is in fact a modified leaf, with a poised tropical architecture few flowers can match. It lends Amicis designs a clean, modern edge — and one of the longest vase lives in the bouquet.

Calla Lily

Origin

Southern Africa

Cultivated since

Reached Europe in the 1600s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Grace, purity & devotion

Native to southern Africa, the calla's signature is not a petal at all but a single furled spathe wrapped around a slender golden spadix. That clean, sculptural curve is why it reads as architecture rather than bloom – one stem lends an Amicis arrangement quiet, modern poise.

Hydrangea

Origin

Japan & the Americas

Cultivated since

Reached European gardens in the 1700s

Fragrance

Very light, fresh and green

Symbolises

Heartfelt emotion & gratitude

Named from the Greek for 'water vessel', the hydrangea carries full, cloud-like heads that shift colour with the soil — from blush and cream to deep blue. Its generous volume gives Amicis bouquets their soft, romantic fullness.

Lilac

Origin

The rocky hills of the southern Balkans

Cultivated since

Reached Europe in the 16th century

Fragrance

Sweet and heady

Symbolises

First love & renewal

Native to the Balkan hillsides and carried into European gardens through the Ottoman court at Constantinople in the late 16th century, lilac became the herald of late spring. Its dense panicles bring soft volume and that unmistakable perfume to an arrangement, lending an Amicis bouquet a romantic, garden-gathered ease that few flowers match.

Lily

Origin

Temperate Northern Hemisphere, richest in East Asia

Cultivated since

Over 3,000 years across Asia and the Mediterranean

Fragrance

Sweet and heady

Symbolises

Purity, devotion & renewal

Few flowers carry their architecture as openly as the lily, its petals curving back from a clear, sculptural throat. Painted on the walls of the Aegean Bronze Age more than three millennia ago, it has long stood for purity and devotion. In an Amicis arrangement a single stem sets the height and rhythm, its buds opening in sequence over days.