Caring for your Eclipse 14

Keep the vase generously filled, as the Roses and Hydrangea in this arrangement are heavy drinkers and will fade quickly if the water runs low. Hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as well as its stem, so a light mist on warm Dubai days helps it stay full and crisp. Re-cut the woody Rose and Hydrangea stems at a sharp angle every couple of days to keep them drawing freely, and handle the slender, brittle Craspedia and Ranunculus stems gently when you refresh the water. Set the bouquet away from direct sun, air conditioning, and ripening fruit, and the sturdy Anthurium and Chrysanthemum will anchor the display long after the softer blooms have had their moment.

A note on your specific blooms

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • 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.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold beautifully for 5–8 days, with the Hydrangea, Rose, and Gerbera setting the pace as the first to soften and the Anthurium and Chrysanthemum carrying the arrangement well past the others. The Hydrangea is the most delicate of the group, drawing down after 4–7 days, while the Roses and Gerberas follow closely at 5–8 days. At the other end, the waxy Anthurium can last two to three weeks and the Chrysanthemum holds for up to a fortnight, so the bouquet shifts in character as the softer blooms recede and the structural ones remain. To stretch its life, the single most useful habit is a fresh, cool drink of water every two days with a clean diagonal cut to the stems, which keeps the thirsty Roses and Hydrangea supplied and the whole Amicis arrangement looking composed for longer.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

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.

Gerbera

Origin

South Africa

Described

By science in 1889

Fragrance

Barely scented, lightly fresh

Symbolises

Cheerfulness, warmth & innocence

The gerbera daisy brings open, sunlit colour and a graphic simplicity to a bouquet. Native to South Africa and loved worldwide, its clean single bloom adds brightness and a friendly, contemporary note to Amicis designs.

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.

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.

Rose

Origin

Asia — China, Persia & the Mediterranean

Cultivated since

Over 5,000 years

Fragrance

Warm and sweet, of honey & tea

Symbolises

Love, gratitude & admiration

The most storied flower in the world, grown and gifted for five millennia. Its layered petals and soft scent have made it the universal language of affection — and the quiet anchor of almost every Amicis arrangement.