Caring for your Amethyst

Keep The Icon out of direct sun and away from an air-conditioning vent, since the gerbera and delphinium lose water fastest and will bow at the neck first. The hydrangea drinks through its petals as well as its stem, so a light mist every couple of days keeps both heads full. Give the allium and anthurium a fresh angled cut every three days so the woody stems keep drawing water. Handle the phalaenopsis orchid by the stem rather than the flower, and top the vessel up daily rather than replacing all the water at once.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Sunflower — Sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so use a tall vessel with plenty of water and top it up daily to keep the stems firm.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Allium — Change the water often and keep it fresh, as Allium stems can release a faint onion odour into the vase.
  • Lisianthus — Its stems are slender and easily bruised, so handle gently and recut at an angle before placing in clean, shallow water.
  • 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.
  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • 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.
  • Asparagus Fern — Mist the delicate fronds and keep them out of direct sun, as the fine foliage dries and yellows faster than the flowers it accompanies.

How long your flowers last

Expect roughly 7 to 12 days from this mix, with the arrangement shifting character as it goes rather than fading all at once. The delphinium, eremurus and gerbera soften first, usually around day 5 to 7, and the hydrangea follows shortly after. The phalaenopsis orchid and anthurium are the long performers here, frequently holding 2 to 3 weeks, with the allium and amaranthus close behind. Because the tall stems fade before the base, the piece is worth editing after the first week: lift out the spent delphinium and eremurus and the remaining orchid, anthurium and hydrangea will read as a tighter, still elegant arrangement.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this 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.

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.

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.

Allium

Origin

Central Asia, the Mediterranean and the temperate Northern Hemisphere

Cultivated since

Ornamental use spread through Europe from the 1800s

Fragrance

Faintly oniony, otherwise clean

Symbolises

Unity, patience & strength

A member of the onion family, the Allium opens into a perfect sphere of tiny star-shaped florets held high on a bare stem. That clean geometry brings rhythm and altitude to an arrangement, drawing the eye upward and lending structure to softer, rounder blooms around it.

Lisianthus

Origin

Prairies of the southern United States and Mexico

Cultivated since

The 20th century, refined by Japanese breeders

Fragrance

Virtually scentless, clean and unobtrusive

Symbolises

Appreciation, charisma & lasting bonds

Native to the open prairies of the southern United States and Mexico, lisianthus grew wild until Japanese breeders coaxed it into the ruffled, rose-like bloom we know today. Its layered petals open in slow succession, giving an arrangement a gentle, unfurling movement long after the first stems have peaked.

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.

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.

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.

Asparagus Fern

Origin

Southern Africa

A florist staple since

The Victorian era

Fragrance

Fresh and green

Symbolises

Softness, depth & airy texture

Not a true fern at all, but a southern African relative of the edible asparagus, its feathery sprays became a fixture of the European florist trade from the nineteenth century onward. The fine, cloud-like fronds soften an arrangement and add depth between blooms, which is why Amicis reaches for it as a quiet structural foil rather than a focal point.