Caring for your Rosé Rhapsody

Keep this mix in a clean vase of cool, fresh water and refresh it often, as the roses are heavy drinkers and the tulips will keep growing and reaching toward the light. The hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a light misting or a brief dip of the head revives it quickly if it begins to droop. Trim the woody protea stems on a sharp diagonal to help them draw water, and handle the more fragile tulip and alstroemeria stems gently when you recut them. Strip any foliage that would sit below the waterline to keep the water clear, and move the arrangement away from direct sun, draughts and ripening fruit to hold the colour true.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Alstroemeria — Strip any lower leaves below the waterline, as its foliage wilts well before the blooms and clouds the water.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • Tulip — Tulips keep growing in the vase and lean toward light, so use a tall, supportive vessel and turn it daily to keep the stems straight.

How long your flowers last

Expect this arrangement to stay at its best for roughly 5–7 days, with the gradient shifting gently as the shorter-lived blooms soften first. The hydrangea is the first to tire, holding around 4–7 days, while the roses and tulips follow a similar 5–7 day window. The alstroemeria, chrysanthemum and protea are the long-stayers here, the protea and chrysanthemum lasting 10–14 days and the alstroemeria carrying on for close to two weeks, so the bouquet keeps a presence even after the roses have been edited out. Every Rosé Rhapsody leaves Amicis freshly conditioned, and the single most effective habit to extend it is changing the water and giving the stems a fresh diagonal cut every two days.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Alstroemeria

Origin

Andes of South America

Described

By Linnaeus, 1762

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Friendship, devotion & prosperity

Named for Swedish botanist Clas Alströmer, who sent its seeds to Linnaeus from South America in the mid-18th century, the Peruvian lily is no true lily at all. Its speckled, orchid-like throats and many-headed stems lend an arrangement quiet movement and an unusually long life, which is why it threads through so much of what we build at Amicis.

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.

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.

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.

Tulip

Origin

Central Asia, long cultivated across the Ottoman world

Cultivated since

The 1500s in Europe

Fragrance

Faint and fresh, often nearly scentless

Symbolises

Perfect love, elegance & spring renewal

Native to the mountains and steppes of Central Asia and prized in the Ottoman court, the tulip reached Europe in the 1500s and later fed a Dutch trading frenzy in which the rarest bulbs could rival the price of a house. Its clean, sculptural cup and quiet colour make it a study in restraint - a flower that keeps growing and bending toward the light long after it is cut, giving any Amicis arrangement a living, unhurried grace.