Caring for your Crimson Stillness

Keep Crimson Stillness in a cool spot away from direct sun, draughts, and ripening fruit, and top up the water daily, since the hydrangea drinks through its petals as well as its stem and will flag quickly if it runs dry — a brief mist or a full-head dip in cool water brings it back. The anemones and ranunculus have soft, fragile stems that bruise easily, so handle them gently and trim with a sharp blade rather than crushing the ends. The gloriosa's slender, climbing stems are delicate too and prefer a little room rather than being crowded, while the anthurium and orchid are the most forgiving and simply ask for clean water. Recut every stem at an angle each time you refresh the vase, and lift out any spent anemone or hydrangea blooms so the longer-lasting anthurium and orchid can carry the arrangement on.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Anemone — Keep anemones in cool, shallow water and out of direct heat, as the stems drink quickly and the blooms open wider each day.
  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Gloriosa — Handle stems with care and keep them away from pets and children, as every part of the plant is toxic if ingested.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
  • Ranunculus — Cut the hollow stems straight across, not at an angle, and keep water shallow and fresh, as these stems sit soft and bruise or rot easily when submerged too deep.

How long your flowers last

With this mix, expect roughly 5–8 days at its best, with the arrangement evolving rather than fading all at once. The anemones and hydrangea are the first to soften — anemones at around 5–8 days and hydrangea at 4–7, as it is the thirstiest stem in the group. The anthurium and orchid hold longest, often lasting 2–3 weeks after the rest have been edited out, while the chrysanthemum, gloriosa, and ranunculus sit comfortably in between at 7–14, 7–10, and 7–10 days. The single most useful habit is changing the water every two days and recutting each stem on the diagonal as you do, the one step Amicis recommends above all others to keep Crimson Stillness looking its best.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Anemone

Origin

Mediterranean region

Cultivated since

Antiquity, rooted in Greek myth

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Anticipation, protection & sincerity

Named from the Greek for wind, the anemone has been grown since antiquity, its poppy-like petals encircling an inky black eye. That single dark centre gives an arrangement its quiet point of focus — graphic, composed, and unmistakably modern against softer blooms.

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.

Chrysanthemum

Origin

East Asia — China & Japan

Cultivated since

Over 3,000 years in China

Fragrance

Soft, earthy and herbal

Symbolises

Longevity, joy & well-wishing

One of the oldest cultivated flowers, prized in China and Japan for three thousand years and honoured with its own festival. Its dense, textured heads bring depth and a long, dependable life to an arrangement.

Gloriosa

Origin

Tropical Africa and Asia

Described

By Linnaeus in 1753

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Glory, boldness & passion

Also called the flame lily, Gloriosa is a tendril-climbing plant whose reflexed petals curl backward into a flickering wave of red and gold. That swept-back, almost weightless form gives an Amicis arrangement movement and a single point of drama that few other blooms can match.

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.

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.

Ranunculus

Origin

Eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia

Reached Europe

In the 1500s, via Ottoman gardeners

Fragrance

Faint to virtually none

Symbolises

Charm, radiance & allure

Each bloom holds dozens of tissue-thin petals layered into a near-perfect sphere, a structure that opens slowly from a tight bud into something almost rose-like. That gradual unfurling makes Ranunculus a quiet anchor in an Amicis arrangement - sculptural when closed, generous and full once it relaxes open.