Caring for your Classic Bloom

Keep this arrangement cool and out of direct sun, and give it more water than you might expect — the roses are heavy drinkers and the hydrangea takes up moisture through its petals as well as its stem, so a quick mist over the hydrangea head on warmer Dubai days keeps it from wilting prematurely. Recut every stem on a slant before placing them, paying particular attention to the woodier rose and chrysanthemum stems, which open up to water far better with a fresh angled cut. The ranunculus and lisianthus stems are more delicate and a little hollow, so handle them gently when you top up the vase and avoid crushing them against the rim. Change the water every couple of days, clear away any leaves sitting below the waterline, and the mix will stay clean and open for as long as the blooms allow.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Lisianthus — Its stems are slender and easily bruised, so handle gently and recut at an angle before placing in clean, shallow water.
  • Ranunculus — Cut the hollow stems straight across, not at an angle, and keep water shallow and fresh, as these stems sit soft and bruise or rot easily when submerged too deep.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold for roughly 5–9 days in the vase, with the bloom changing character as it goes. The hydrangea is the first to soften, drinking quickly and beginning to relax within four to seven days, and the open roses follow close behind at five to seven. The chrysanthemums are the quiet endurance of the arrangement, often lasting seven to fourteen days, with the lisianthus and ranunculus holding steadily in the seven-to-ten range and opening further as the days pass. To stretch the display, the single most useful habit is to refresh the water every two days and trim a little off the stems each time — a small ritual the Amicis team relies on to keep an arrangement looking considered rather than tired.

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.

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.

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.

Ranunculus

Origin

Eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia

Reached Europe

In the 1500s, via Ottoman gardeners

Fragrance

Faint to virtually none

Symbolises

Charm, radiance & allure

Each bloom holds dozens of tissue-thin petals layered into a near-perfect sphere, a structure that opens slowly from a tight bud into something almost rose-like. That gradual unfurling makes Ranunculus a quiet anchor in an Amicis arrangement - sculptural when closed, generous and full once it relaxes open.

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.