Caring for your Orchid Cascade

Keep this cascade in a cool spot away from direct sun, draughts and the heat of ripening fruit, all of which shorten the life of the Lily and Stock in particular. The Lily and Calla Lily prefer clean, shallow water rather than a deep fill, so top up little and often and wipe the stem ends if they turn slippery. Lift any Lily pollen sacs away gently as the blooms open, since the stamens can stain both the petals and the Orchid below them. The Orchid and its stems are the most delicate element, so handle the cascade by its base when moving it and let the trailing Amaranthus drape rather than pressing it back into shape. As the softer Stock begins to tire, simply remove those stems and the longer-lasting blooms will carry the arrangement on.

A note on your specific blooms

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Lily — Gently pinch out the orange pollen-bearing anthers as blooms open to protect petals and linen from staining.
  • Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
  • 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.

How long your flowers last

Expect this arrangement to hold for roughly 7–12 days under typical Dubai indoor conditions. The Stock will be the first to soften and fade, usually around the 5–7 day mark, while the trailing Amaranthus follows not long after at 7–10 days. The Lily and Calla Lily sit comfortably in the middle, and the Orchid is the quiet endurer here, often staying composed for two to three weeks after its companions have been edited out. The single most useful habit is to recut the stems on an angle and refresh the water every two to three days, which keeps the whole Amicis cascade drinking cleanly for as long as possible.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

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.

Lily

Origin

Temperate Northern Hemisphere, richest in East Asia

Cultivated since

Over 3,000 years across Asia and the Mediterranean

Fragrance

Sweet and heady

Symbolises

Purity, devotion & renewal

Few flowers carry their architecture as openly as the lily, its petals curving back from a clear, sculptural throat. Painted on the walls of the Aegean Bronze Age more than three millennia ago, it has long stood for purity and devotion. In an Amicis arrangement a single stem sets the height and rhythm, its buds opening in sequence over days.

Orchid

Origin

Tropical regions worldwide

Cultivated since

Prized in Asia for centuries; carried to Europe across the 18th and 19th centuries

Fragrance

Most cut varieties virtually scentless

Symbolises

Refinement, luxury & rare beauty

Among the largest plant families on earth, orchids took root across the tropics of Asia and the Americas, cultivated in Asia long before reaching the West. Victorian collectors then chased them across the globe, fuelling a famous European craze. Their arched stems and sculptural blooms bring quiet architecture to an arrangement, holding their form for weeks where softer flowers fade.

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.