Caring for your Scarlet Whisper

Keep the roses and gerberas generously watered, as both drink heavily and droop first when the vase runs low, so top it up daily. The gerberas have soft, hollow stems that can bend at the neck, making a tall, supportive vase and a clean angled cut worthwhile. Strip any lower foliage below the waterline so the gypsophila and chrysanthemums do not cloud the water, and recut the firmer lisianthus and ranunculus stems each time you refresh it. Set the arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct Dubai sun, away from air conditioning drafts and ripening fruit, and the ranunculus and lisianthus will keep opening for days.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Carnation — Cut stems cleanly between the swollen leaf joints rather than through them, as carnations draw water best when the node itself is left intact.
  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Gypsophila — Trim the wiry stems at an angle and keep water shallow and fresh, as the dense flower heads foul standing water quickly.
  • Lisianthus — Its stems are slender and easily bruised, so handle gently and recut at an angle before placing in clean, shallow water.
  • Ranunculus — Cut the hollow stems straight across, not at an angle, and keep water shallow and fresh, as these stems sit soft and bruise or rot easily when submerged too deep.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.

How long your flowers last

This blend of carnations, chrysanthemums, gerberas, gypsophila, lisianthus, ranunculus and roses has a realistic display life of 7–10 days when kept in fresh water and away from heat. The gerberas and roses tend to soften first, often fading around day 5–7, while the carnations are the quiet endurers and frequently hold for two to three weeks, with gypsophila and chrysanthemums close behind at 7–14 days. The ranunculus and lisianthus sit in the middle, opening over the first week before gently bowing out. The most useful habit is to recut the stems at an angle and change the water every two days, which keeps the thirsty gerberas and roses drinking and lets your Scarlet Whisper from Amicis reach the longer end of that range.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

Carnation

Origin

Mediterranean region

Cultivated since

Antiquity, over 2,000 years

Fragrance

Sweet and clove-like

Symbolises

Fascination, distinction & love

Crowned in wreaths and garlands across the ancient Mediterranean, the carnation has been cultivated for more than two thousand years. Its tightly ruffled, fringed petals hold their form for weeks, lending an arrangement quiet structure and a warm, clove-edged scent that lingers without overwhelming.

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.

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.

Gypsophila

Origin

Central & Eastern Europe to Central Asia

First described

By Linnaeus, 1753

Fragrance

Faintly sweet and green, turning musky as it ages

Symbolises

Innocence & everlasting love

A cloud of tiny white blooms on fine, branching stems, Gypsophila is the quiet architecture behind a fuller arrangement — softening edges and lending air between heavier flowers. In Amicis work it rarely leads, yet it gives roses and peonies room to breathe and a sense of effortless volume.

Lisianthus

Origin

Prairies of the southern United States and Mexico

Cultivated since

The 20th century, refined by Japanese breeders

Fragrance

Virtually scentless, clean and unobtrusive

Symbolises

Appreciation, charisma & lasting bonds

Native to the open prairies of the southern United States and Mexico, lisianthus grew wild until Japanese breeders coaxed it into the ruffled, rose-like bloom we know today. Its layered petals open in slow succession, giving an arrangement a gentle, unfurling movement long after the first stems have peaked.

Ranunculus

Origin

Eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia

Reached Europe

In the 1500s, via Ottoman gardeners

Fragrance

Faint to virtually none

Symbolises

Charm, radiance & allure

Each bloom holds dozens of tissue-thin petals layered into a near-perfect sphere, a structure that opens slowly from a tight bud into something almost rose-like. That gradual unfurling makes Ranunculus a quiet anchor in an Amicis arrangement - sculptural when closed, generous and full once it relaxes open.

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.