Caring for your Housewarming Hamper Plain

Keep this arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, away from the draft of an air-conditioning vent, since both roses and tulips fade quickly in heat. Roses are thirsty drinkers, so check the water level daily and top it up; tulips will keep drinking and growing in the vase, which is why they shift and bend toward the light over the first few days. Trim a centimetre from each stem at an angle every two days and strip any leaves that sit below the waterline, as submerged foliage clouds the water and shortens the life of both flowers. Change the water entirely rather than simply adding to it, and the rose-and-tulip mix will stay clean-stemmed and upright for longer.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • Tulip — Tulips keep growing in the vase and lean toward light, so use a tall, supportive vessel and turn it daily to keep the stems straight.

How long your flowers last

Expect this rose-and-tulip pairing to hold for roughly 5-7 days, a tight window since both blooms sit in the same range rather than staggering their decline. The tulips usually show their age first, softening at the petal edges and continuing to grow and lean toward the light even after cutting, which gradually loosens the form. The roses tend to hold a day or two longer, keeping their shape as the tulips relax around them. To stretch the display, recut the stems at an angle every couple of days and refresh the water completely; clean, cool water is the single habit that does most of the work in keeping an Amicis arrangement looking composed through the week.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

Tulip

Origin

Central Asia, long cultivated across the Ottoman world

Cultivated since

The 1500s in Europe

Fragrance

Faint and fresh, often nearly scentless

Symbolises

Perfect love, elegance & spring renewal

Native to the mountains and steppes of Central Asia and prized in the Ottoman court, the tulip reached Europe in the 1500s and later fed a Dutch trading frenzy in which the rarest bulbs could rival the price of a house. Its clean, sculptural cup and quiet colour make it a study in restraint - a flower that keeps growing and bending toward the light long after it is cut, giving any Amicis arrangement a living, unhurried grace.