Caring for your The Bloom Accent

Keep this arrangement somewhere cool and out of direct sun, away from fruit and any draught, since the roses, hydrangea and dahlia are the heavy drinkers and will wilt fast if the water runs low. Top up daily and check the level often — the hydrangea takes in moisture through its petals as much as its stem, so a light misting on a warm Dubai day helps it stay full and firm. Give the woody rose and hydrangea stems a fresh diagonal cut every couple of days to keep them open and drinking, and handle the lisianthus and orchid gently, as their slender stems and fine petals bruise more easily than the rest. Strip any leaves that sit below the waterline so the gerbera and stock stay clear of bacteria, and the bouquet will read clean and composed for longer.

A note on your specific blooms

  • Anthurium — Anthurium prefers warmth — keep it away from the cold and wipe the leaf gently.
  • Chrysanthemum — Chrysanthemum is sensitive to murky water — strip the lower leaves and refresh it often.
  • Dahlia — Cut the hollow stems at an angle and refresh the water every day or two, as dahlias drink heavily and wilt quickly when thirsty.
  • Gerbera — Gerbera has fragile stems — use shallow, clean water and support the heads.
  • Hydrangea — Hydrangea takes up water through its petals — mist the heads and keep the vase topped up.
  • Lisianthus — Its stems are slender and easily bruised, so handle gently and recut at an angle before placing in clean, shallow water.
  • 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.
  • Stock — Strip any lower leaves below the waterline and refresh the water often, as Stock's thick stems quickly cloud it and shorten the vase life.

How long your flowers last

Expect this mix to hold for roughly 5–7 days at its peak, with the longer-lived blooms carrying it past the first week. The dahlia, hydrangea and rose tend to soften first — the dahlia and hydrangea within four to seven days, the roses around five to seven — so they signal when the arrangement is starting to turn. The anthurium and orchid are the endurance flowers here, often staying crisp for two to three weeks, while the lisianthus and chrysanthemum hold their own for seven to fourteen days. At Amicis we find the single most useful habit is a fresh diagonal cut and clean water every two days, which keeps the thirstier stems drinking and stretches the life of the whole bouquet.

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.

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.

Dahlia

Origin

Mexico and Central America

Cultivated since

Aztec gardens; reached Europe in the late 18th century

Fragrance

Virtually scentless

Symbolises

Elegance, dignity & devotion

Declared the national flower of Mexico, the dahlia was grown in Aztec gardens long before it was first raised in Europe in the late 18th century, spreading widely in the decades that followed. In its ball and pompon forms, the densely layered florets curl into a near-spherical head — geometry that gives an Amicis arrangement a sculptural, architectural centre that holds the eye.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stock

Origin

Mediterranean coast, Spain to Greece

Cultivated since

the 16th century, an Elizabethan favourite

Fragrance

Sweet, clove-like and warm

Symbolises

Lasting beauty & affection

Native to the rocky Mediterranean coast and grown in European gardens since the 16th century, when Elizabethan herbalists prized it, Stock carries a clove-sweet scent that earned it the old name gillyflower. Its dense, ruffled spires bring height, soft colour and a lingering fragrance to an arrangement, filling the spaces between focal blooms with quiet texture.