Caring for your Cute Blink

Keep Gardenia in cool, fresh water and check the level daily, since the sunflowers and hydrangea together will empty a vase faster than you expect. Change the water every two days and re-cut the roses and sunflowers on a slant. Mist the hydrangea head lightly when you refresh the water. Do not let the cascading orchid spray rest against the box edge, as pressure will bruise the blooms. The teal pampas is dyed and preserved and should be kept dry.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Sunflower — Sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so use a tall vessel with plenty of water and top it up daily to keep the stems firm.
  • 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.
  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Pampas Grass — Keep the plumes dry and out of humidity, and give them a gentle shake on arrival to settle and fluff the fronds.

How long your flowers last

Gardenia typically holds for 7-10 days. The phalaenopsis orchid and anthurium will outlast the rest by a wide margin, often two weeks or more. The chrysanthemums give a solid 8-10 days and the delphinium 6-9 as it opens up the spike. The sunflowers are heavy drinkers at 6-8 days, and the garden roses, which open fully rather than staying closed, give around 5-7. The hydrangea is the thirstiest stem in the arrangement.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Sunflower

Origin

North America

Cultivated since

Several thousand years ago by Indigenous Americans

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Adoration, warmth & loyalty

Among the oldest flowers cultivated on the continent, the sunflower was domesticated in North America several thousand years ago, grown for its seeds long before its face became a symbol of summer. Its broad golden head turns toward light, and in an arrangement it brings height, openness and an unmistakable sense of generosity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pampas Grass

Origin

Southern South America (the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile)

Recorded

Reached European gardens in the 1800s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Softness, height & quiet drama

Named for the South American plains it sweeps across, pampas grass earns its place through feathered, silver-blonde plumes that catch light like spun silk. As a structural accent it lends an Amicis arrangement height and movement without colour, holding its form long after fresh stems have faded.