Sweet Lilac gathers a dozen lavender roses at its heart, packed tight so the colour reads as a single mass rather than as individual stems. Above them, four purple allium globes rise on clean bare stems, and three pale pink pompon chrysanthemums sit between the two, softening the join.
Rose, which travelled to us from China, Persia and the Mediterranean, carries its long association with love and admiration lightly here; in lavender rather than red it reads as affection rather than declaration, and it brings the warm honeyed scent that the rest of the arrangement lacks. Allium, from Central Asia and the Mediterranean, answers with pure geometry, and its meaning of unity and patience suits a piece built almost entirely from one family of colours.
The movement comes from the sides. Long trails of dusty-pink amaranthus fall from the upper left in a heavy curtain, well past the edge of the box. Peach and green eremurus spires shoot upward at sharp angles. Pink nerine opens in small starry clusters, purple agapanthus and dark chrysanthemum add depth at the right, and a magenta phalaenopsis orchid trails low. Fine bear grass drops to the floor on one side only.
Wrapped in lilac organza and set in a cream Amicis box, it is generous without being loud. It suits birthdays, anniversaries and thank-you gestures, and reads particularly well as a gift for someone who chooses pink and lilac over brighter palettes.
Roses drink the most in this arrangement and should be recut every two to three days, ideally at a sharp angle and under running water. Allium holds well but turns the water faintly oniony, so change it rather than topping it up. Amaranthus dries in place and can be kept long after the fresh stems have gone, as can the eremurus. Keep the arrangement out of direct sun, which fades lilac and dusty pink faster than any other colours in the range.
