Caring for your Pumpkin Spice

Keep Citric Charm in a cool spot away from direct sun and any nearby fruit, and top up the water daily, since the roses drink heavily and the hydrangea takes up moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a quick mist or a brief upside-down soak revives a wilting head. The woody gladiolus and bells of Ireland stems benefit from a clean diagonal cut to open up their drinking surface, while the hollow, slightly fragile snapdragon and gerbera stalks should be handled gently and given clean, shallow water to keep them upright. Strip any lower foliage that would otherwise sit below the waterline, as the carnations and chrysanthemums are sensitive to the bacteria it breeds. As the hydrangea and gerbera begin to fade, lift them out and re-cut the remaining anthurium, carnation and gladiolus into a tighter vase to carry the colour forward.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Protea — Strip any foliage below the waterline and refresh the water every two to three days, as protea leaves foul water quickly and shorten the bloom's life.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Gladiolus — Trim the stem and pinch off the topmost faded buds to push the remaining florets up the spike into bloom.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold for roughly 5–8 days as a complete arrangement, with its character shifting as the more delicate blooms give way to the structural ones. The hydrangea and roses are the first to soften, hydrangea typically fading within 4–7 days and the roses following at 5–7, while the anthurium and carnations are the long-distance runners, often keeping their form for two to three weeks after the rest have been edited out. The bells of Ireland, gladiolus, gerbera, chrysanthemum and snapdragon sit in between, lasting somewhere from a week to a fortnight depending on warmth and water. The single most useful habit is a fresh diagonal cut and clean water every two days, which is what lets the longest-lasting stems carry the piece well past the point where most Amicis bouquets of this scale would normally close.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this 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.

Protea

Origin

South Africa's Cape Floristic region

Described

By Linnaeus, mid-1700s

Fragrance

Faint and honeyed

Symbolises

Resilience, diversity & courage

Named for Proteus, the shape-shifting sea god, the protea answers to a genus so varied it seems to change form at will. Its architectural bracts and sculptural silhouette bring weight and structure to an arrangement, holding the eye as a single, deliberate focal point.

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.

Gladiolus

Origin

Southern Africa

In European gardens since

the 1700s–1800s

Fragrance

Lightly sweet to virtually scentless

Symbolises

Strength, integrity & remembrance

Named for the Latin gladius, or sword, after its tall, blade-like leaves. Each stem then stacks funnel-shaped blooms that open from the base upward, and that vertical line gives an Amicis arrangement its height and architecture, drawing the eye skyward where rounded flowers would settle flat.