Caring for your Ardour

Keep Ardour in cool, fresh water and out of direct sun, which will lift the plum tones toward grey. Change the water every two days and re-cut the rose, stock and calla stems on a slant. Stock stems in particular foul the water quickly, so a clean vase matters more here than usual. Handle the dyed fern with dry hands. The calla lilies are the most delicate element and bruise if handled at the bloom, so lift them by the stem alone when rearranging.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Allium — Change the water often and keep it fresh, as Allium stems can release a faint onion odour into the vase.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • 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.
  • Calla Lily — Re-cut the thick, fleshy stems on an angle and keep water shallow, as callas are prone to softening if stood too deep.
  • Stock — Strip any lower leaves below the waterline and refresh the water often, as Stock's thick stems quickly cloud it and shorten the vase life.
  • 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

Ardour typically holds for 7-11 days. The chrysanthemums are the backbone and will comfortably give 10 days or more, and the allium holds its shape even as it dries. The anthurium outlasts everything. The calla lilies give a steady 7-10 days, the roses around 5-8, and the stock is the shortest-lived of the group. The dyed asparagus fern is preserved rather than fresh and will hold indefinitely.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Calla Lily

Origin

Southern Africa

Cultivated since

Reached Europe in the 1600s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Grace, purity & devotion

Native to southern Africa, the calla's signature is not a petal at all but a single furled spathe wrapped around a slender golden spadix. That clean, sculptural curve is why it reads as architecture rather than bloom – one stem lends an Amicis arrangement quiet, modern poise.

Stock

Origin

Mediterranean coast, Spain to Greece

Cultivated since

the 16th century, an Elizabethan favourite

Fragrance

Sweet, clove-like and warm

Symbolises

Lasting beauty & affection

Native to the rocky Mediterranean coast and grown in European gardens since the 16th century, when Elizabethan herbalists prized it, Stock carries a clove-sweet scent that earned it the old name gillyflower. Its dense, ruffled spires bring height, soft colour and a lingering fragrance to an arrangement, filling the spaces between focal blooms with quiet texture.

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.