Caring for your Golden Charm

Sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so keep the vase generously filled and check the level daily, as their thick stems can empty it faster than you expect. Recut those stems on a sharp diagonal every couple of days and strip any lower leaves that would otherwise sit below the waterline and turn the water murky. The sunflower heads are weighty, so a vase with enough support at the neck helps them stay upright rather than nodding forward. The pampas grass needs the opposite treatment entirely: keep it dry and out of the water, give its fragile plumes a gentle shake outdoors if they shed, and handle it lightly so the feathery seed heads stay intact. Position the whole arrangement away from direct sun and cooling vents, which draw moisture from the sunflowers and brittle the pampas before its time.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Pampas Grass — Keep the plumes dry and out of humidity, and give them a gentle shake on arrival to settle and fluff the fronds.
  • Sunflower — Sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so use a tall vessel with plenty of water and top it up daily to keep the stems firm.

How long your flowers last

Golden Charm typically holds for around 6–12 days, with its lifespan shaped by the contrast between its two components. The sunflowers are the first to fade, lasting roughly 6–12 days before their petals soften and their heavy heads begin to droop. The pampas grass, by contrast, is the enduring element: dried and naturally preserved, it holds its form for several months to years, long after the sunflowers have been retired. To carry the fresh stems toward the upper end of their range, the single most useful habit is to refresh the water every two days and trim the sunflower stems at an angle each time, since their thick, thirsty stems draw heavily and cloud the water quickly. Once the sunflowers are spent, Amicis suggests keeping the pampas on display on its own as a lasting sculptural piece.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

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.