Caring for your Cute Blink

Place Elysian where it has room to be seen from a distance, out of direct sun and away from air conditioning vents, which dry the tropical stems faster than heat does. Wipe the anthurium and monstera leaf with a soft damp cloth to keep their shine. The gerbera stems are hollow and bend easily, so keep the water level higher for them and re-cut on a slant every couple of days. Refresh the water every two days and pull any spent delphinium florets from the bottom of the spike, which keeps the rest of the stem opening cleanly.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Bird of Paradise — Recut the woody stem at an angle and refresh the water often, as this thirsty flower drinks heavily and lasts longest in a deep vase.
  • 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.
  • Eremurus — Stake or support the tall stems and keep them upright, as the heavy flower spike will bend toward the light if left to lean.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Monstera — Wipe the leaf clean and recut the stem on an angle, keeping it in fresh, shallow water to hold its sheen.

How long your flowers last

Elysian typically holds for 7-12 days, with the range set by the mix of tropical and garden stems. The anthurium and bird of paradise are the long-lasting anchors, often holding two weeks or more and outlasting everything around them. The delphinium and eremurus open gradually up the spike and usually give 6-9 days, while the gerbera is the first to tire at around 5-7 days as its hollow stem is prone to bending. The hydrangea drinks heavily and will show its thirst before the rest.

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.

Bird of Paradise

Origin

South Africa

Described

By science in the late 1700s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Freedom, joy & magnificence

Named for its likeness to a tropical bird in flight, Strelitzia reginae was carried from the South African coast to Kew in the late 1700s and dedicated to Queen Charlotte. Its orange crest and blue tongue give any arrangement an architectural lift, holding their shape long after softer blooms have faded.

Delphinium

Origin

Native across the Northern Hemisphere, through Europe and Asia

Cultivated since

In European gardens for centuries

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Openness, lightness & positivity

Named from the Greek for dolphin, after the shape of the flower itself, Delphinium carries blooms in graduated spires of cobalt, violet and white. That vertical line is what makes it indispensable in an arrangement - it draws the eye upward and gives an Amicis design its sense of height and architecture.

Eremurus

Origin

Western and Central Asia

Cultivated since

Brought into European gardens in the 19th century

Fragrance

Faint and honeyed

Symbolises

Endurance, stature & grace

Native to the dry, rocky slopes of Western and Central Asia, Eremurus is known as the foxtail lily for its towering spire of hundreds of tiny star-shaped florets that open slowly from the base upward. In an arrangement it brings vertical drama and architecture, drawing the eye skyward and giving an Amicis design its sense of scale.

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.

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.

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.

Monstera

Origin

Tropical rainforests of southern Mexico through Central America to Panama

Named

By 18th-century botany

Fragrance

Fresh and green

Symbolises

Structure, scale & quiet drama

Monstera takes its name from the Latin for the monstrous or unusual, a nod to the dramatic splits and perforations in its leaves rather than their size. Those natural holes evolved to let light and wind pass through the rainforest canopy. A single glossy leaf gives an Amicis arrangement architecture and shade, framing softer blooms with a calm, sculptural line.