Alstroemeria

Florists would be at a loss to find an alternative to Alstroemeria which they use as a cut flower over many months of the year. The many forms that they sell are hybrids, various crosses between winter growing Chilean and summer flowering Brazilian species. Those we sell are much simpler, and in British gardens are more successful in a sheltered sunny site. Whilst they have a reputation for being difficult to transplant these young plants seem to grow reasonably easily, unlike old woody tubers which tend to be difficult. Germination of old seed can also be tricky. The A. ligtu forms will have been potted into 9 cm pots in the late autumn and each pot contains a number of individual tubers, the flowers of which will all vary in colour. As a result each pot of the A. ligtu will probably provide a mixture of colours. They tend to grow away early when in pots where we provide protection from harder frosts so they may appear a bit ‘leggy’ on arrival, but plant them deeply, hardening them off gently if the weather is still cold.