Caring for your Amethyst

Keep this arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, as its tropical anchors — anthurium, heliconia and bird of paradise — hold up best away from heat while the tulips and gerberas wilt quickly in a warm spot. The woody stems of the protea need a clean diagonal cut and a deep drink to draw water up their dense fibres, and the hydrangea benefits from a full vase since it takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem. Gerbera stems are the most fragile here, so support them upright and keep the water shallow and clean to stop them bending or rotting at the base. Pull the hydrangea and tulips as they tire and the orchid, protea and anthurium will carry the composition on for another week.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Gladiolus — Trim the stem and pinch off the topmost faded buds to push the remaining florets up the spike into bloom.
  • Nerine — Keep the vase topped up but shallow, as Nerine stems are prone to softening if left in deep water.
  • 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.
  • Eryngium — Trim stems at an angle and keep the water shallow and clean, as Eryngium dislikes sitting deep and lasts longest in a cool spot.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold beautifully for roughly 7–10 days, with the timeline shaped by its quieter blooms rather than its architectural ones. The hydrangea is the first to soften, drinking heavily and fading around day 4–7, with the tulips and gerberas following close behind at 5–8 days. Holding longest are the sculptural elements — anthurium and orchid stretch to 2–3 weeks, while protea, heliconia and bird of paradise carry the arrangement's structure through 10–14 days. To get the most from every stem, recut the ends at an angle and refresh the water every two days; at Amicis we find this single habit does more than anything else to keep the Tropical Bloom looking composed.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Gladiolus

Origin

Southern Africa

In European gardens since

the 1700s–1800s

Fragrance

Lightly sweet to virtually scentless

Symbolises

Strength, integrity & remembrance

Named for the Latin gladius, or sword, after its tall, blade-like leaves. Each stem then stacks funnel-shaped blooms that open from the base upward, and that vertical line gives an Amicis arrangement its height and architecture, drawing the eye skyward where rounded flowers would settle flat.

Nerine

Origin

South Africa's Cape Provinces

Cultivated since

Grown in Europe for over 300 years

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Good fortune & rare grace

A South African native carried to Europe by the seventeenth century, where it took root on Guernsey and earned the name Guernsey lily, Nerine opens in autumn when most blooms have faded. Its spider-fine petals carry a faint shimmer that catches the light, lending an Amicis arrangement a jewel-like, late-season elegance.

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.

Eryngium

Origin

Coastal and temperate Europe and the Mediterranean, with kin across the Americas

Prized since

Antiquity; a celebrated European confection from the 16th–18th centuries

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Structure, attraction & independence

Often called sea holly, Eryngium answers to the steel-blue clusters and spiny collars that hold their colour even when dried. In an Amicis arrangement it works as architecture rather than bloom, lending edge and metallic depth that sharpens softer roses and peonies around it.