Tag Archives: #alstroemeriaselect

Questions About Alstro – Part 2

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As per our first post on this subject, we continue to answer some of your most pressing questions about alstroemeria.

Are Alstroemeria Annuals or Perennials?

Alstroemeria are tuberous perennials with deep, thick roots and are repeat flowering plants that grow back every year.

They are able to do this even though the stems die over winter as the roots remain healthy, allowing the plant to regenerate the following year.

Which brings us nicely on to the next question:

Are Alstroemeria Hardy Plants?

Alstroemeria are not just perennials, they are considered ‘hardy perennials’.

As long as the roots are established and deep enough (usually around 2 years after planting) alstroemeria are capable of surviving intense frosts – at times down to -50C.

However, we recommend that you mulch them in their first winter.

Do Alstroemeria Spread?

Alstroemeria form in clumps and the roots will proliferate and spread as time goes by. You will never be short of alstroemeria in the garden because of this. One of the many reasons we love them!

To spread the love more evenly you can divide them every two or so years.

What Diseases can Alstroemeria get?

  • Pythium Root Rot – A fungi that causes weak stems, wilting and stunted growth. It creeps in if the soil is too heavy and sodden for a long time. This can be rectified or prevented by making sure the soil is well-draining. However, once they're infected you’ll need to get rid of all affected plants.
  • Rhizoctonia Root Rot – Signs of this fungi are wilted leaves and dried stems that don’t get any better with watering. Once again, this is likely due to soil that isn’t draining​ well.
  • Botrytis Blight – Also known as ‘grey mould’ for good reason as it appears as furry, grey-brown spores when the weather is humid. It spreads on wet plants, so make sure there's sufficient space between them to help with air circulation. You’ll also want to irrigate them from beneath, concentrating water only on the roots, and remove old or damaged plant debris.
  • Viruses – If you see lines and/or spots on the leaves, you probably have a case of tomato spotted wilt virus or Hippeastrum mosaic virus on your hands. If so, unfortunately it is terminal and all affected plants will need to be destroyed.​ Aphids and thrips are responsible for the spread of this killer so you’ll want to try and keep those critters under control.

 

Do Alstroemeria like being in Pots?

Alstroemeria do very well in pots and the shorter dwarf varieties are particularly suitable.

All our alstroemeria plants are sold in 9cm pots, ready to be potted on into larger pots. They will grow quickly, easily filling a 3-litre pot within 6-8 weeks in growing season.

Some transferring tips:

  • Mix fertiliser evenly into good, fresh, multipurpose compost
  • Put some of this mix into the bottom of the new pot and place the well watered plant onto it
  • Put more compost around it. The compost should finish level with the top of the rootball, 1-2cm below the rim of the new pot (to allow for watering space)
  • Water fairly lightly from a watering can with a rose
  • Place in a warm, sunny position to grow on for 6-8 weeks in spring/summer, or over winter, until the roots have reached the bottom of the pot
  • Water lightly but frequently (the compost should dry out on the surface between watering)

And there you have it!

If you still have questions that are going unanswered, please feel free to let us know on one of our social media platforms.

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.

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?