Caring for your Sparkle Holidays 02

Keep the roses well watered, as they drink heavily and are the first to show stress when the vase runs low, so check the level daily and top it up. Recut every stem on a slant before arranging, paying particular attention to the woodier pine and ruscus, which take up water slowly and benefit from a fresh, clean cut. Strip any chrysanthemum or fern foliage that would otherwise sit below the waterline, since submerged greenery clouds the water and shortens the life of the whole arrangement. Set the bouquet away from direct sun, heat, and the draught of an air conditioner, and the evergreen pine and ruscus will hold their colour long after the roses have had their moment.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Fern — Keep fronds out of direct sun and mist them occasionally, as ferns lose moisture through their leaves faster than most cut greenery.
  • Pine — Recut the woody stems on an angle and keep the foliage misted, as pine holds best in cool, draught-free air away from heat sources.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • Ruscus — Strip any cladophylls that would sit below the waterline, as submerged foliage clouds the vase and shortens the life of the flowers around it.

How long your flowers last

Expect this arrangement to hold for roughly 5 to 10 days overall, with each bloom fading on its own clock. The roses are the first to soften, usually beginning to bow within 5 to 7 days, so they set the early limit on how the bouquet reads. The chrysanthemums and fern sit in the middle of the range at 7 to 14 days, while the pine and ruscus are the quiet endurance of the design, staying green and structural for 2 to 3 weeks. The single most useful habit is to recut the stems at an angle and refresh the water every two days, the same care the Amicis studio uses to keep a mix like this looking composed rather than tired.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

Fern

Origin

Worldwide, in shaded woodlands and wetlands

Recorded

In the fossil record for hundreds of millions of years

Fragrance

Faint and green

Symbolises

Texture, depth & natural movement

One of the oldest plant lineages on Earth, ferns flourished long before the first flowering plant unfurled. In an arrangement their feathered, architectural fronds soften hard edges and lend a quiet woodland depth, the green foil that lets Amicis blooms read clean and considered.

Pine

Origin

Northern Hemisphere forests

Recorded

In use for centuries

Fragrance

Fresh, resinous and green

Symbolises

Longevity, endurance & resilience

An evergreen conifer that has framed gatherings for centuries, pine carries a cool, resinous scent and holds its needles the year round. As cut foliage it brings deep evergreen colour and architectural lines, anchoring an Amicis arrangement with texture and a quiet sense of permanence.

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.

Ruscus

Origin

Mediterranean and adjacent regions, from Macaronesia east toward Iran

Described

By Linnaeus in 1753

Fragrance

Virtually unscented

Symbolises

Structure, endurance & quiet form

What read as leaves on Ruscus are flattened stems called cladophylls, which is why each glossy arch holds its shape long after softer greenery fades. In an Amicis arrangement it does the structural work - drawing the eye through a bouquet and giving roses and peonies a deep green frame to settle against.