Caring for your Sweet Love

This mix asks for a generous vase, since the roses and the broad hydrangea heads are heavy drinkers and will wilt quickly if the water runs low. Top up daily and mist the hydrangea, which takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem, to keep the heads full. The bird of paradise and sunflower carry thick, woody stems that drink best with a clean diagonal cut, while the delphinium and gypsophila are more fragile and bruise easily, so handle them by the stem rather than the bloom. Keep the whole arrangement out of direct sun and away from ripening fruit, and the anthurium and orchid will reward you by holding their form long after the softer flowers have gone.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Aster — Strip any leaves below the waterline, as aster foliage fouls the water quickly and shortens the life of the bloom.
  • Bird of Paradise — Recut the woody stem at an angle and refresh the water often, as this thirsty flower drinks heavily and lasts longest in a deep vase.
  • 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.
  • Delphinium — Keep the tall stems in deep, fresh water and out of draughts, as Delphinium drinks heavily and wilts quickly if the vase runs low.
  • Gypsophila — Trim the wiry stems at an angle and keep water shallow and fresh, as the dense flower heads foul standing water quickly.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Orchid — Keep orchid stems in cool, clean water away from ripening fruit, whose ethylene gas makes the blooms drop early.
  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • Sunflower — Sunflowers are heavy drinkers, so use a tall vessel with plenty of water and top it up daily to keep the stems firm.

How long your flowers last

Expect Sweet Love to hold for roughly 5–10 days, with its longest-lived blooms carrying the arrangement well past its more delicate ones. The hydrangea and delphinium fade first, typically softening within 4–7 days, while the roses and sunflowers settle into the middle of that window. The anthurium, orchid and carnation are the quiet endurers here, often staying composed for two to three weeks after the rest have been edited out. To stretch the life of the whole mix, recut every stem on a slant and refresh the water every two days — the single habit that does the most for a bouquet this varied, and the one Amicis recommends above all others.

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.

Aster

Origin

Eurasia and North America

Cultivated since

Grown in gardens for centuries

Fragrance

Faint and green

Symbolises

Love, patience & light

Named for the Greek word for star, the aster opens in a fine spray of slender rays around a golden eye. That starry, daisy-like form lends an arrangement texture and a sense of scatter - softening the structure of roses and lilies with something looser and more wild.

Bird of Paradise

Origin

South Africa

Described

By science in the late 1700s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Freedom, joy & magnificence

Named for its likeness to a tropical bird in flight, Strelitzia reginae was carried from the South African coast to Kew in the late 1700s and dedicated to Queen Charlotte. Its orange crest and blue tongue give any arrangement an architectural lift, holding their shape long after softer blooms have faded.

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.

Delphinium

Origin

Native across the Northern Hemisphere, through Europe and Asia

Cultivated since

In European gardens for centuries

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Openness, lightness & positivity

Named from the Greek for dolphin, after the shape of the flower itself, Delphinium carries blooms in graduated spires of cobalt, violet and white. That vertical line is what makes it indispensable in an arrangement - it draws the eye upward and gives an Amicis design its sense of height and architecture.

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.

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.

Orchid

Origin

Tropical regions worldwide

Cultivated since

Prized in Asia for centuries; carried to Europe across the 18th and 19th centuries

Fragrance

Most cut varieties virtually scentless

Symbolises

Refinement, luxury & rare beauty

Among the largest plant families on earth, orchids took root across the tropics of Asia and the Americas, cultivated in Asia long before reaching the West. Victorian collectors then chased them across the globe, fuelling a famous European craze. Their arched stems and sculptural blooms bring quiet architecture to an arrangement, holding their form for weeks where softer flowers fade.

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.

Sunflower

Origin

North America

Cultivated since

Several thousand years ago by Indigenous Americans

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Adoration, warmth & loyalty

Among the oldest flowers cultivated on the continent, the sunflower was domesticated in North America several thousand years ago, grown for its seeds long before its face became a symbol of summer. Its broad golden head turns toward light, and in an arrangement it brings height, openness and an unmistakable sense of generosity.