Author Archives: Bronwynne Britt

British Alstro

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Now is as good a time as any to be proudly British.

Because, why not?

Also, with more interest in buying local and supporting smaller, homegrown companies closer to where we live, why not add Alstroemeria to that list?

British Grown

Some of us may remember a time when 90% of the flowers supplied in the UK were British grown. We were all going along swimmingly until a fuel price hike in the UK and Dutch government subsidies turned the tables in the 1970’s.

Up until a few years ago, the percentage of British grown flowers sold in the UK was less than 15%. And 90% of that was going to the supermarkets. But that is starting to change.

Although Dutch flower companies have been one step ahead in the flower industry since the 70’s, government subsidies have recently started being phased out which is having a impact on their production.

With many campaigns encouraging greater enthusiasm for British flowers, the demand for British grown flowers is steadily growing.

If you’re in England and buying Alstroemeria grown in British soil, there’s no doubt you’ll be getting a better quality plant. It makes sense to buy plants that don’t have to travel for weeks to get to your door.

Think about how we humans often feel after travelling a few hours on a plane.

Not a pretty sight...

British Bred

Although Alstroemeria originate from South America the first new varieties were bred in Spalding, Lincolnshire by plant breeder John Goemans, becoming known as 'the father of alstroemeria’. He was the first in the world to grow Alstroemeria commercially under glass, introducing the first Alstroemeria variety specifically intended for glasshouse growing in 1959.

By the late 60’s breeding really took off with his launch of pink ‘Ballerina’ - the first of about 50 new varieties he developed over the years for the garden and cut-flower industry. This led to Alstroemeria becoming one of the major glasshouse grown cut flower crops in the world today. In 2018 John Goemans’ company 'Parigo' was taken over by Alec White of Primrose Hall Peonies, where the growing and breeding continues.

There are now about 250 different varieties of alstroemeria available in Britain. We grow over 200 varieties on our 8 acre nursery based in rural Bedfordshire, including original British bred Parigo varieties (such as ‘Apollo’, ‘Friendship’ and the ‘Little Miss’ series), the ‘Colorita’ (‘Princess’) series, ‘Inca’ series, ‘Planet’ series and Inticancha collection. Some of our favourites are ‘Rock ‘n Roll’ and ‘Colorita Fabiana’ with their beautiful and unusual variegated leaves.

Alstroemeria are marvelous because of their comparatively long vase-life (up to 2-3 weeks) and have a long, prolific flowering season.

And strong stems & long bracts make British grown alstro a first prize choice. Also, known as a ‘dry’ and a ‘cool’ crop, they require very little watering or heating.

So they are a sustainability win too!

Gives us reason to be even more proudly British.

And that’s why we love ‘em.

Alstroemeria in June

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The unexpectedly cold weather we experienced in April has made our Alstroemeria afraid to show us their faces.

And understandably so. Those sub-zero temperatures were a shock to us too - we had to get all our winter woollies out of storage!

Like us, after the warm spell in March, you were probably all geared up to get to work on your garden over Easter. But with temperatures peaking in the single digits and snow in some areas during April, that just didn’t happen.

We hope those overnight frosts didn’t kill too much of your garden off!

Chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society, Guy Barter, said: “Overnight frosts in April are dreaded by gardeners. Magnolia and camellia flowers are ruined, fruit blossom and young fruitlets including pears and apples are spoiled and the tender tips of potatoes will be burnt off if they appear above ground. Gardener’s hearts are in their mouths through April as they anxiously scan the weather forecasts for frost warnings ready to rush out and cover vulnerable plants to ward off damage.”

FLOWERING SEASON

Alstroemerias are very easy to grow.

In the UK they flower from May to November but are usually at their finest in July or August.

Of course, with all the topsy-turvy weather we’ve experienced, the season has been a bit delayed. So although flowering season is technically upon us we are still waiting to see them flowers!

But we should see those cute little faces popping out within the next few weeks.

WHAT TO EXPECT

If you put some Alstroemeria on backorder with us and wait patiently for them to arrive, what can you expect when they do?

Your plants will arrive in a box with a specialist care guide, which includes planting instructions and maintenance tips for your new plants. They will be carefully packed in a recyclable blister pack to hold them in place and keep them safe.

We keep our 9cm plants compact to ensure that all the energy is going into the roots of the plant to make sure they will thrive in their next home.

All our plants are picked over before shipping to remove any flower spikes and excess growth, ensuring they travel to their new home with as little damage as possible. This could mean that your new plants may have very little visible green shoots above the soil. This is not detrimental to the plant at all and does not mean that your plant is dead. Alstroemeria are extremely fast growing and will begin to shoot within a couple of weeks once planted.

There may be loose soil in the blister pack once you remove the plants, again this is not a problem -  we would expect some soil to loosen on its journey. This can either be discarded or added when the Alstroemeria is planted in to the garden or a larger pot.

Shipping Update

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The frostiest April in 60 years, the wettest May since records began and also the coldest in 25 years means that as growers we have had a real struggle getting our crop to behave “normally”.

As a small independent specialist nursery who grow our plants in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way, our nursery people care for the crop without extra heat and wait for mother nature to kick in and do what she does best – make things grow. This ensures strong healthy garden ready plants. We feed and nurture the crop until they are fully rooted and strong enough to make the journey from the nursery to their new garden forever homes.

Unfortunately for 2021 this has meant we have had to wait an extra 4 weeks to be able to start sending our alstroemeria to our wonderful customers. We so appreciate your support during this unprecedented year and wanted to thank you for your patience while waiting for your plants.

We are trying to ship as many plants as possible, diverting members of our small team to assist with shipping so we can clear the back log, we hope to have all pending back orders shipped within the next 15 days.

We do understand that everyone is excited to receive their new alstroemeria and eager to find out where their orders are and as a result we are receiving hundreds of calls, emails (sometimes multiple from the same person) and social media messages every day. We are doing our best to reply to everyone but we would prefer to get the orders shipped and get your peonies to you as quick as possible.

Please bear with us, we are not ignoring you, you will get a reply within 7-10 days, sooner if we can, and notification of shipping will take place 24 hrs before your plants arrives as we only use a next day courier service. Our system does not allow for earlier notification at this stage.

Other than that once again thanks to our customers without your support we could not grow the alstroemeria we do.

The Alstroemeria Select team. (All 13 of us) 🌸

Caring for your Alstroemeria

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It could be said that Alstroemeria are a bit like Goldfish. Such an easy pet. You just sprinkle a few flakes at them everyday and keep those air bubbles going and there you have it. Much ado about nothin’!

Well, in a similar way Alstroemeria are such vigorous bloomers they don’t need much encouragement to keep going and growing.

But how much care does an Alstroemeria really need?

Here are some guidelines to help you along:

Feeding

Alstroemeria are hungry little creatures, so regular weekly feeds through growing season from May to September is recommended and will encourage them to flower well and repeatedly. A high potash fertiliser is recommended such as our Alstroemeria Feed.

Mulching

All of the Alstroemeria plant varieties we grow are garden winter hardy but, for the first couple of winters while they are establishing, it will be best to mulch well to make sure your new plants are protected until they are well established and can get through the winter without any assistance.

Watering

Alstroemeria are reasonably drought tolerant but will need regular watering during the summer months. If your Alstroemeria are planted in containers these tend to dry out quicker so make sure to keep the ground moist but don’t over water.

Alstroemeria need free draining soil. This is essential for them to grow well and establish in the normal way. The root system doesn’t like to be waterlogged as this can cause the roots to rot and likely cause it to die.

Picking Flowers

Alstroemeria are fabulous flowers in a vase and can last many weeks. A few tips for picking your own Alstroemeria are as follows:

Pick at the point when the buds are not yet open but have colour and looking ready to pop. They will last longer in the vase if picked at this point.

You’ll want to get hold of the stem about halfway down and give it a gentle twist followed by a sharp tug which will pull out the stem. This ensures that there are no pieces of stem left to rot which can cause fungal disease to build up on the root.

Pulling the flowering stem at the base and ripping it from the ground also encourages the plant to re-flower as it produces another bud under the ground. They‘ll then keep producing an endless supply of flowers for every vase in the home throughout the Summer.

It is best to allow the plant to become firmly established (so at least one Summer to pass after planting) until employing this method. You can still have fresh flowers by cutting them instead until the roots have had time to establish.

Dead heading

Once all the flowers in a cluster head have faded and died, remove the whole stem with a gentle tug, the same method as picking. This encourages further flower stems to sprout and keeps the plant looking neat and tidy. It also prevents it from wasting energy on producing seeds at the expense of more flowers.

 

So a little more care and maintenance than a Goldfish but totally worth it!

How to Plant your Alstroemeria

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The Alstroemeria you ordered has just arrived at your door.

Now what?

Do you leave it in the pot it came in? Or pop it straight into the garden? Or in another pot?

Alstroemeria are quite easy-going plants. The most important thing is that they have a healthy root system when planted on.

If you’ve ordered your Alstroemeria from us it will come in a 9cm pot, ready to be potted on into a larger one and they are fast growers so will easily fill a 3 litre pot within 6-8 weeks in growing season.

Read on to find out how you can help your new Alstroemeria establish well and grow into a strong healthy plant that flowers from June to November.

In Containers

Alstroemeria are repeat bloomers through the Summer which makes them great choices for containers in the garden or a sunny balcony or patio. The short and Inticancha varieties such as ‘Noah’, ‘Little Miss Roselind’ and ‘Inticancha Navayo’ make fantastic container plants as they are nice and compact.

Here's how to get them in the pot:

  • Place some broken pottery ,tiles or gravel loosely at the bottom of your pot or container
  • Add good quality, fresh compost, mixing in some slow release fertiliser
  • Free-draining soil is essential
  • Place the well-watered plant onto the compost. Put more compost around it. The compost should finish level with the top of the rootball, 2-4cm below the rim of the new container (to allow for watering space)
  • Once in place, pat the compost down firmly but gently so as not to damage the stems – you want the plant to be secure but the compost should still be light and airy, not compressed too much
  • Water in lightly
  • Whenever the compost is getting a little dry give it a drink. If the very top of the compost is dry that’s healthy, but the compost needs to be moist around the roots
  • Remember to feed regularly once your alstroemeria starts flowering, use a liquid feed high in potash

In the Garden Border

Alstroemeria make wonderful border plants especially the medium and tall varieties such as ‘Marguerite’, ‘Pandora’ and ‘Apollo’.

Their rainbow colour selection make alstroemeria a bright, eye catching feature that will keep producing flowers for up to 4 months a year, flowering from early Summer into Early Autumn.

Here’s how to plant your babies into garden borders:

  • Mix fertiliser and organic matter into the soil around where you want to plant: bonemeal or blood fish and bone are good choices
  • Make a planting hole in this soil to the depth that the top of the plant’s root ball is level with the top of the soil
  • If the soil is dry, fill the empty hole with water and leave it to drain
  • Place the plant in the hole, filling around it with the soil and organic matter mixture. Add the plant and firm with your hands or a lightly applied foot
  • Water well, even if rain is forecast – this helps settle the soil
  • You can add a layer of mulch to help keep the roots moist but be careful not to let the mulch pile up against the stem
  • Water occasionally and thoroughly for a month or three, until the roots get established. Occasional deep watering is better than a frequent sprinkle.

 

Once you’ve followed these instructions for Alstroemeria in pots or in the garden, you’ll be guaranteed flowers ‘til the cows come home (or at least the first frosts in the Autumn).

Just make sure that when the cows come home your Alstroemeria aren’t in a place they can be trampled...

And please pop us a message on social media and let us know how your planting goes, we’d love to hear from you!

Alstroemeria as Cut Flowers

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Spring is just about springing and we are looking forward to enjoying the joy of Spring soon!

If you have Alstroemeria in your garden right now or perhaps some overwintering snugly in a pot in your greenhouse, all those fresh new shoots are getting ready to jump out the ground as we speak! And once they get going again you can pick, pick, pick away for months and they’ll just keep giving you more and more flowers.

For cut flowers the taller varieties of Alstroemeria go a LONG way. Those with 60cm+ stems have a stately, elegant look that’s just perfect for the vase. If you have some tall varieties in your garden right now such as Alstroemeria 'Friendship', ‘Bauge’ or ‘Lucca’ you can look forward to gathering up some great cut flowers over the next few months.

For Beautiful Cut Flowers

One thing to note is that they won’t be ‘cut’ flowers. Technically speaking, instead of cutting you’ll be doing more picking, plucking or (what feels like) ripping.

You’ll want to get hold of the stem about halfway down and give it a gentle twist followed by a sharp tug which will pull out the stem.

It will feel a bit like you’re hurting your Alstroemeria but never fear! They love it!

This encourages more flowering and makes sure there are no pieces of stem left to rot which can cause fungal disease to build up on the root.

You’ll want to pick them at the point when the buds are not yet open but have colour and looking ready to pop. They will last longer in the vase if picked at this point.

Unlike earlier hybrids, many of the recently bred varieties flower for months, repeat flowering multiple times during the season from March/April to October/November in the UK. Most importantly, the newer cultivars iwll not rampage through your garden. So keep picking, tugging or, indeed, ripping and they’ll keep rooting, growing and shooting up more and more blooms.

By choosing a reliable variety and taking good care of it you can enjoy flowers from the same plant for 20 – 30 years!

Ideally your alstroemeria was planted late last summer for it to be ready for picking this spring. If you planted them around the end of August they will have had the whole of autumn and winter to establish their roots so they can withstand the rigours of the picking action described above.

Putting them in a Vase

  • Remove leaves that will be under the water. This will reduce the bacteria formation in the water which will extend the vase life, but leave some leaves above water as they help the plant to draw the water up
  • Cut about 2cm off the stems at an angle whilst immersed in water as they will then absorb water immediately. Alternatively you can dip the stems in a hydrating solution after trimming and before putting them in the water which will open the cells and lengthen vase life
  • Use flower food in the water and change the water, giving the stems a fresh trim every 2 days
  • Position in a cool place away from direct sunlight and drafts

 

These are a few of our favourite ‘tugged’ flowers (pictured right) blooming from Jun – November, all of which enjoy a sheltered position in part shade or full sun:

Indian Summer

Copper-orange golden yellow with dark, almost black, foliage

Height: 70cm

Etna

Deep red with a yellow throat

Height: 90cm

Evening Song

Burgundy-red with yellow marking and dark streaks

Height: 70cm

Dana

Soft pink with a blush and yellow speckled throat

Height: 70cm

Maze

Pure white

Height: 80cm

Bonanza

Bright pink flowers with flecked, yellow-marked inner petals

Height: 90cm

Friendship

Cream with yellow speckled throat

Height: 60-120cm

Pandora

Lovely deep purple/mauve

Height: 90cm

Alstroemeria in February

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Remember those happy alstroemeria dancing in their rainbow colours in the summer breeze only a few months ago?

Now all is a-slumber in your wintery garden. Everything covered in white icy fluff.

You may have last seen your Alstroemeria blooming away up until October which feels like an age ago now. But thanks to the long flowering season you can expect to see some flowers popping up come March/April already, so it's not much longer to wait now.

But perhaps you’re wondering what your alstroemeria are up to while they’re not busy flowering and if there’s anything you need to do to help them along.

Well, with alstroemeria’s being perennials, dying back in winter, they need a period of cold weather in order to stimulate shoot growth, so you can rest assured they are doing their thing underground.

Let’s look at what you can do to support your alstroemeria during this period of hibernation so they can spring exuberantly out the ground when the time is right!

Alstroe in garden beds

Although the alstroemeria varieties we grow are garden winter hardy, withstanding soil temperatures as cold as -10°C, it is a good idea to mulch new plants well for the first couple of winters while they are establishing. This ensures they are protected until they have grown up enough to stand on their own two feet (or many roots).

It is best to apply a thick layer of leafy or peat-free mulch in Autumn. Read about our peat-free policy here. Composted bark is also a good option. Make sure to leave about a 5cm gap between mulch and stem otherwise they may get a bad case of root rot.

Alstroe in containers

Keep your potted alstroemeria indoors after September when the frost could start appearing outdoors.

You can move them to a location that is free of frost for the winter, such as a sheltered porch or greenhouse. This is because the roots are more exposed to low temperatures when in pots than they are growing in the ground.

Amazing how in spite of being seemingly more exposed, being in the garden bed is actually warmer. Just shows – nature knows best!

Alstroemeria have tuberous, fleshy roots so they require sheltering and good drainage. This will prevent the compost getting too soggy with the winter rains which can also cause the dreaded root rot.

Water lightly but frequently.  The compost should dry out on the surface between watering.

When Spring springs

If you take good care of your alstroemeria in these ways, when the days start lengthening those shoots will start flowering prolifically.

They are quite hungry plants, especially if kept in a container, so remember to feed with a high potash, liquid feed regularly in the growing season. We also use a slow release feed - our Alstroemeria Spring Feed - which can be applied at the beginning of the growing season (March) to give a steady feed throughout the early part of the growing season.

Once flowering begins, mature hybrids will keep producing flowering shoots until the soil temperature rises above 15°C for extended periods.

What varieties do you have in your garden that you’re looking forward to seeing in flower again?

Alstroemeria – An Introduction

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These lovelies just epitomise joy, don’t you think?

They most definitely are the party animals of the garden with their happy faces dressed up in a roar of delightful hues from white, yellow, orange and bronze, to pink, red and purple as well as bi-coloured. They just love blooming, jiving about with their flowers throughout the whole of spring and summer. From May to September!

Despite their lily-like appearance and being known as Peruvian Lily and Lily of the Incas, alstroemeria are not true lilies. They belong to the Alstroemeriaceae family and grow wild in South America under extremely varied conditions - from high up in the snow-capped Andes down into the damp forests and dry deserts along the coast. Some have become naturalised in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

First grown in Peru, Brazil and Chile, they were named after Baron Clas Alströmer who collected these seeds from Spain and brought them over to Europe.  Alströmer was a Swedish naturalist and student of the distinguished botanist and classifier Carl Linnaeus. From 1760 to 1764 he traveled throughout Southern Europe, collecting plants for Linnaeus. According to The Linnean Society of London, Alströmer sent a box with a list of plants numbered 1 to 243 from Spain on 6 September 1760.

An interesting and unusual characteristic of Alstroemeria’s leaves is “resupination”. This originates from the Latin word “resupinus” which means "bent back with the face upward". So their leaves twist 180 degrees from the base as they unfurl and what we see as the upper leaf surface is in fact the lower surface.

Alstroemeria is a genus of around 60 species of herbaceous perennials and modern hybrids originating primarily from the Aurea, Ligtu, Pelegrina, Pulchra and Violacea species.

There are more than 200 hybrids and cultivars of Alstroemeria available, some popular varieties being “Apollo”, “Friendship” and “Inticancha ‘Dark Purple’”.

The first new varieties were bred by plant breeder John Goemans, becoming known as 'the father of alstroemeria’. He was the first in the world to grow Alstroemeria commercially under glass, introducing the first Alstroemeria variety specifically intended for glasshouse growing in 1959. He had a whole collection by the mid 1960's leading to Alstroemeria becoming one of the major glasshouse grown cut flower crops in the world today. John Goeman's company 'Parigo' was taken over by Alec White of Primrose Hall Peonies in 2018, where the growing and breeding continues.

They are a popular choice because of their comparatively long vase-life (up to 2 weeks) and have a long, prolific flowering season.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Alstroemerias for orchids as they can be divided into two main classifications: orchid-type and butterfly-type. This describes their flowering habits.

The orchid-type is mostly used for cut flowers. They have 3-5 months of major flower production in the spring, with little or no flowering during the rest of the year.

The butterfly-type are more suited as potted plants. They will flower for 9-12 months each year, depending on the cultivar and environmental conditions. Butterfly types have shorter growth habits and larger, more open flowers than the orchid-type.

The varieties we sell include the original British bred Parigo, the Colorita (Princess), Inca and Planet series as well as the Inticancha collection. We’ve sorted them into Short, Medium and Tall varieties as well as the types that are best as cut flowers or containers, so you’ll know exactly what to look for depending on your needs.

The short varieties are great at the front of the border and make excellent container or patio grown plants which, if pruned correctly, can flower in the garden from June to November. Medium and tall varieties are excellent flowering plants for garden borders or allotments and will repeat flower from May to November. Tall varieties also make excellent cut flowers.

Which Alstroemeria is your favourite?