Caring for your Newborn Flower top

Keep this newborn arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, away from draughts and ripening fruit, and top up the vase generously because the roses and hydrangea are heavy drinkers that wilt quickly once they run dry. Give the rose stems a fresh angled cut under water so they take up moisture freely, and mist the hydrangea heads lightly, since it draws water through its petals as much as its stem. Handle the gerbera by its straight stem and support it where it meets the vase rim, as it tends to bend and tire before the others. Leave the orchid and the feathery asparagus fern largely undisturbed, removing only any lower foliage that would otherwise sit below the waterline and cloud it.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Craspedia — Give each stem a fresh diagonal cut and stand it in clean water; the bare stems need little else, and the golden heads hold for weeks.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold for roughly 5–8 days as a whole, with the softer blooms setting the pace. The gerbera, roses and hydrangea are the first to soften, the hydrangea especially sensitive once its water level drops, while the orchid is the quiet endurer here and can stay fresh for two to three weeks, with the chrysanthemum and lisianthus holding strong through the second week. Because the arrangement pairs short-lived romantics with long-lasting structure, the overall look will shift gracefully rather than fade all at once. The single most useful habit is to change the water every two days and trim a little off the stems each time, which keeps the thirsty roses and hydrangea drinking and lets the Amicis bouquet reach the top of its range.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Craspedia

Origin

Australia and New Zealand

Described

By science in the late 1700s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Good health, optimism & cheer

A wildflower of Australian grasslands and alpine meadows, Craspedia carries a single perfect sphere of densely packed golden florets on a slender, leafless stem. That graphic, button-round form brings rhythm and a flash of warm colour to an arrangement - and because it dries beautifully, it holds its shape long after the rest has faded.