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Ode to Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily)

edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,331
in Plants
Just sharing my joy with this plant. It's not something I would choose myself (got it with the house), orange is my least favourite colour, but:

- It has a very long flowering season. Last year ended in November, this year started in mid-May.
- It had no watering in the last 10 months (ok, maybe once or twice), no feeding, no deadheading, no extra care.
- It's perfectly hardy, in my garden it even keeps some leaves over the winter.
- It has beautiful dark foliage, healthy, no pests, no problems.
- It makes a good cut flowers.

I have to look into more varieties. I checked a specialist website and there are tens or even low hundreds of possibilities... all colours... some nice reds, purple, white with a bit of pink, some of them very nice and no too colourfull. Some small, perfect for pots, some bigger for borders.

If you grow it, which are your favourite varieties?


Posts

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 3,867
    You might have added another "plus" to your long list, viz unlike hostas it doesn't get eaten by slugs. 
    You are invited to a virtual visit of my garden (in English or in French).
  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 511
    I'm a alstromeria fan too @edhelka. I have Indian Summer like you. I also have Polka and Serenade which perform as well as Indian Summer I think. I grow mine in large pots, I don't really have the border space for them to go into the garden so don't know how they behave in the ground.
    A friend has alstromeria Charm which I admire, but it grows very tall and then flops .
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,041
    I have a number of Alstroemerias which I also grow in pots as they might not like my clay soil. Instead of dead-heading them I pull out each stem when it finishes flowering to encourage new growth. I like Indian Summer and also Rock 'n' Roll for their different leaf colours.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,331
    @Papi Jo Exactly. There's a slug trap behind the hosta, it works quite well but snails are not attracted to it. I do snail hunts but it is still impossible to keep the hosta without holes. At least they don't eat too many other things, it works as a sacrificial plant.

    @lilysilly and @Alan Clark2 in Liverpool Thank you for the tips.

    I have it in a brick raised border, it is very well draining sandy soil enriched with compost, in a sunny spot. I have well-draining acidic soil and it looks like they like it. Although I read that they like rich and fertile so maybe I should feed it occasionally :) I am a lazy gardener, I rarely feed or deadhead or cosset plants, I like when they care for themselves.
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