Amethyst

Caring for your Amethyst

Keep this arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, since the roses are heavy drinkers and the delphinium fades quickly once it warms. Top up the water daily rather than weekly — the roses and amaranthus pull more than the rest, and a hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a light mist over its head keeps it from wilting. Give the woody rose and hydrangea stems a fresh angled cut every couple of days to reopen them, and handle the brittle delphinium and the slender craspedia stems gently when you do. The carnations and orchids ask for little beyond clean water, so let them anchor the display while you tend to the thirstier blooms around them.

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.
• Carnation — Cut stems cleanly between the swollen leaf joints rather than through them, as carnations draw water best when the node itself is left intact.
• 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.
• Delphinium — Keep the tall stems in deep, fresh water and out of draughts, as Delphinium drinks heavily and wilts quickly if the vase runs low.
• 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.
• Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.