Caring for your Amoré / 13

Keep this bouquet in clean, room-temperature water and stand it away from direct sun, heat, and the ethylene that ripening fruit gives off. The roses and dahlias are heavy drinkers, so check the water level daily and top it up before it drops below their stems. The hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as well as its stem, so a light misting of its head will keep it from wilting prematurely, and the woody gladiolus and rose stems benefit from a fresh diagonal cut to reopen their channels. Handle the gerbera stems gently, as they bend easily and prefer shallower water to stay upright, and lift the pampas grass out to one side if you want to preserve it as the fresh flowers fade.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Dahlia — Cut the hollow stems at an angle and refresh the water every day or two, as dahlias drink heavily and wilt quickly when thirsty.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Gladiolus — Trim the stem and pinch off the topmost faded buds to push the remaining florets up the spike into bloom.
  • 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.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.

How long your flowers last

Expect this arrangement to hold for roughly 5–8 days at its peak, with the mix maturing in stages rather than all at once. The dahlias and hydrangea are the first to soften, typically fading around the 4–7 day mark, while the roses and gerberas follow close behind at 5–8 days. The chrysanthemums and gladioli are the long-distance runners here, often staying composed for 7–14 and 7–10 days respectively, and the pampas grass is effectively permanent once dried, so it can be lifted out and kept long after the fresh stems are spent. To get the fullest life from a bouquet like this, the single most useful habit is a fresh diagonal stem trim and a full water change every two days, which Amicis recommends for keeping the thirstier blooms drinking.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

Dahlia

Origin

Mexico and Central America

Cultivated since

Aztec gardens; reached Europe in the late 18th century

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Elegance, dignity & devotion

Declared the national flower of Mexico, the dahlia was grown in Aztec gardens long before it was first raised in Europe in the late 18th century, spreading widely in the decades that followed. In its ball and pompon forms, the densely layered florets curl into a near-spherical head — geometry that gives an Amicis arrangement a sculptural, architectural centre that holds the eye.

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.

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.

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.

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.