Caring for your Riverbank Blossoms

Keep this bouquet in a cool spot out of direct sun, drafts, and the heat of ripening fruit, since the Delphinium and Hydrangea fade fastest when they dry out. The Roses are heavy drinkers, so top up the water daily and recut their stems on an angle to keep the heads from drooping. Hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a light mist now and then revives it if it begins to wilt. Handle the woody Bird of Paradise and the more delicate Snapdragon and Delphinium spires gently when refreshing the water, and clear any spent lower blooms so the Orchid and Amaranthus can carry the arrangement through its final days.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Snapdragon — Trim the stems on a sharp angle and refresh the water often, as snapdragons drink heavily. The florets open from the bottom of the spike upward, so pinch away the lower blooms as they fade to keep the spire looking fresh.

How long your flowers last

Expect this arrangement to hold for roughly 5–7 days at its best, with the longest-lived stems carrying it well beyond that. The Delphinium, Hydrangea, and Rose are the first to soften, each settling around the 5–7 day mark and signalling when the bouquet has peaked. The Orchid and Bird of Paradise are the anchors here, often staying composed for two weeks or more, while the Amaranthus and Snapdragon bridge the middle at 7–10 and 5–8 days. The single habit that extends a mix like this is a fresh, angled cut every two days followed by clean, cool water, which keeps the thirstier Roses and Hydrangea drinking and lets Amicis arrangements look considered for longer.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Amaranthus

Origin

Tropical Americas (Andes & Mesoamerica)

Cultivated since

For thousands of years by Andean & Mesoamerican peoples

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Immortality, unfading love & endurance

Grown across the Americas for millennia as both grain and ornament, amaranthus is best known for its long crimson tassels that spill downward in soft, trailing ropes. Its name comes from the Greek for unfading, a nod to blooms that hold colour and form even as they dry. In an arrangement it adds movement and weight, draping over the edge of a vessel to break a clean silhouette and lend an Amicis piece an unhurried, sculptural fall.

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.

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.

Orchid

Origin

Tropical regions worldwide

Cultivated since

Prized in Asia for centuries; carried to Europe across the 18th and 19th centuries

Fragrance

Most cut varieties virtually scentless

Symbolises

Refinement, luxury & rare beauty

Among the largest plant families on earth, orchids took root across the tropics of Asia and the Americas, cultivated in Asia long before reaching the West. Victorian collectors then chased them across the globe, fuelling a famous European craze. Their arched stems and sculptural blooms bring quiet architecture to an arrangement, holding their form for weeks where softer flowers fade.

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.

Snapdragon

Origin

The western Mediterranean

Cultivated since

For centuries in European gardens

Fragrance

Soft and faintly sweet

Symbolises

Grace, strength & resilience

Named for the hinged bloom that opens like a dragon's mouth when pressed, the snapdragon climbs its stem in a tapering spire of colour. The florets open from the base upward, so the spire is always part open, part bud — a vertical line that gives an arrangement its height and architecture, drawing the eye upward and lending Amicis bouquets a quiet sense of movement.