Grow a stunning garden of alstroemeria by following these +6 tips

Alstroemeria, also known as Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, is a staple flower found in many arrangements for sale in grocery stores, online, and through local florists. Their blooms can easily last up to two weeks and come in a wide palette of colors which makes them so popular as accent flowers in cut arrangements. Due to great advances in breeding these long-lived perennials can now be grown in home gardeners across a range of growing zones.
These beautiful flowers are finding their way into more and more gardens since they produce such great cut flowers with the following minimal care.
Advertisement
1. Sunny garden spots
To get the best floral display from your plants, make sure to put them in a bright sunny location in your garden or flower beds. Alstroemeria prefer full sun locations that receive at least 6 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight daily.
2. Well drained soil
Like many other perennial plants that propagate through tubers, alstroemerias do not like to hang out in soggy soil. These fleshy tuberous roots will rot if left to sit in too much water. To improve the drainage in your soil, amend with 2-3" or organic materials (peat moss, compost, and decomposed manure all work well) prior to planting.
3. Plant at soil level
Plants with tuberous roots should not be planted very deeply in the soil. When planting alstroemeria plants make sure the top of the root ball is even with the soil surface in your planting bed.
4. Water generously
Yes, they don't like their tubers and roots to be swimming in water but alstroemeria do need a good amount of water during the growing season to flourish. They will produce the greatest number of blooms when their water requirements are satisfied.
5. Support stalks
As plants get taller it's best to support the stalks with stakes or another method. Gardener's Supply Company explains how to choose flower supports for the plants in your garden that get top heavy and try to flop over.
6. Pull flowers for arrangements
It's true that these beautiful flowers are known for their longevity in cut arrangements, but surprisingly the blooms should not be cut from the stem like you would with other flowering plants. Instead grab the stem towards the base and pull firmly to remove the entire stalk from the tuber. This will encourage the tuber to produce new shoots. If you're not quite sure how to do this, Sarah Raven has a quick video that shows you the best technique.
Advertisement
7. Protect in winter
In warmer areas -- growing zones 7-10 -- it's okay to leave your plants outside during the winter months. You may even see periodic bursts of blooms. But in areas where the winter climate is harsher either place 3-4" of mulch over top of the tubers or carefully dig them up and store them someplace cool and dry for the winter.