Beautifully bi-coloured and veined, these deer resistant, and scented flowers are a must-have for any cut-flower enthusiast as they are a common bouquet filler. The plants are rhizomatous perennials. Once the seed has formed a rhizome the young plant starts growing from the main rhizome. Each year another 5 to 7 rhizomes form from the main rhizome, giving it the ability to send up between 50 to 70 flowering stems per year once established. This seed is not certified but grown in the same garden.

Start indoors anytime or plant directly outside in March. Sow 1 to 2 cm deep. Plants are frost hardy but need protection in colder months. (Cover with organic material) Germination occurs in 15 to 50 days. These beauties prefer well-drained fertile acidic soil. Although Alstroemeria is drought tolerant, if you are growing for the purpose of cut flowers, it is important to keep them watered well for optimum production. They do not perform well in clay-based soils and prefer full sun with some shade location for best results. Will naturalize well under a tree or on a sloping hillside.

The Alstroemeria prefer a well-drained, fertile and slightly acidic soil. They prefer the warmth of full-sun but will tolerate part-shade in warmer climates. In hotter months Alstroemeria benefits from mulching at the base to protect from extreme heat and to hold moisture. Alstroemeria will flower anywhere between late spring and early summer. They also benefit from regular feedings with a certified organic liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks during its bloom period. If you are not in zone 5 or 6 you should grow your Alstroemeria in pots and move the pots indoors for the winter months. This will protect them from freezing temperatures that will damage the tubers. If you are in a zone 5-6 or higher it is advised to mulch around the base of the plant in summer months for protection from extreme heat, especially for young first-year shoots.

Commonly called the Lily of the Incas or Peruvian Lily. Alstroemeria is native to South America but the Dutch collected them and worked with them by selective breeding to produce the strong plants we see today. The genus was named after the Swedish baron Claus von Alstroemer 1736 - 1794. Klas von Alstroemer was a pupil of Linnaeus.