Caring for your Parasol Twist

Keep this trio in clean, fresh water and away from direct sun, fruit and air-conditioning draughts, all of which shorten the show. The roses are thirsty and drink heavily, so check the water level daily and top it up before it drops below the stems. Gerberas have soft, easily bent stems that bruise and bend toward the light, so handle them gently and give them support from the surrounding blooms. The allium asks for little beyond fresh water, but its hollow stems crush easily — recut cleanly rather than crushing, and the whole arrangement will read sharper for longer.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Allium — Change the water often and keep it fresh, as Allium stems can release a faint onion odour into the vase.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • 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 6–9 days, with its peak in the first five. The roses and gerberas fade first, both settling around 5–7 days, and the gerberas in particular will signal the end as their stems soften. The allium is the quiet endurer here, often carrying its sculptural seed-head form for one to two weeks after the rest have gone. To stretch the display, change the water every two days and trim a centimetre from each stem at an angle when you do — it is the single habit that most reliably extends the life of an Amicis bouquet.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this 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.

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.

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.