Caring for your The Crown

Keep The Crown cool and out of direct sun. The gerbera has a hollow stem and will bend at the neck once it runs short of water, so check it daily and re-cut it before the rest. Give the roses a fresh angled cut every two to three days and strip any leaf that sits below the waterline. The hydrangea benefits from a light mist on the head. The heliconia, anthurium and calla prefer a shallower water level than the roses, so keep the vessel topped to a moderate level rather than filled to the brim.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Rose — Roses drink heavily — re-cut the stems at an angle every couple of days.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Heliconia — Keep it warm; Heliconia bruises and blackens below 12°C, so never refrigerate or sit it in a cold draught.
  • 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.
  • Amaranthus — Recut the stems at an angle and keep the water shallow, as amaranthus drinks heavily and the lower stem softens quickly when submerged too deep.
  • Calla Lily — Re-cut the thick, fleshy stems on an angle and keep water shallow, as callas are prone to softening if stood too deep.

How long your flowers last

Expect roughly 7 to 14 days. The gerbera and calla lily are the first to soften, usually around day 5, and the red roses follow at day 7 to 9. The hydrangea depends entirely on hydration. The cymbidium orchid, anthurium, heliconia and pincushion protea are the long performers and frequently run past two weeks, which means the arrangement holds a strong tropical silhouette even after the roses are removed. Editing out the spent roses and gerbera at the end of the first week leaves a piece that still looks intentional.

The story behind these flowers

A closer look at the blooms gathered into this arrangement.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Heliconia

Origin

Tropical Americas (a few species Pacific/Indonesia)

Named

By Linnaeus in 1771

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Boldness, return & exotic beauty

Linnaeus named the genus after Mount Helicon, home of the Greek muses, and the flower lives up to the billing. What reads as a bloom is a fan of waxy bracts, lacquered in scarlet, gold and pink, that lends an Amicis arrangement clean tropical architecture and lines that hold from across a room.

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.

Amaranthus

Origin

Tropical Americas (Andes & Mesoamerica)

Cultivated since

For thousands of years by Andean & Mesoamerican peoples

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Immortality, unfading love & endurance

Grown across the Americas for millennia as both grain and ornament, amaranthus is best known for its long crimson tassels that spill downward in soft, trailing ropes. Its name comes from the Greek for unfading, a nod to blooms that hold colour and form even as they dry. In an arrangement it adds movement and weight, draping over the edge of a vessel to break a clean silhouette and lend an Amicis piece an unhurried, sculptural fall.

Calla Lily

Origin

Southern Africa

Cultivated since

Reached Europe in the 1600s

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Grace, purity & devotion

Native to southern Africa, the calla's signature is not a petal at all but a single furled spathe wrapped around a slender golden spadix. That clean, sculptural curve is why it reads as architecture rather than bloom – one stem lends an Amicis arrangement quiet, modern poise.