Garden Alstroemeriais a group of varieties of the popular Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria) characterized by increased frost resistance. Thanks to this, alstroemeria, known mainly for flower bouquets and floristic compositions, can now also decorate a garden or terrace. Meet thevarieties of garden alstroemeriaintended for outdoor cultivation and learn aboutgrowing and wintering alstroemeriain the garden. We also suggest a proven way to propagate this plant.
Garden alstroemeria - Alstroemeria
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Alstremeria - appearance description
Alstremeria(Alstroemeria) is a rhizomatous perennial plant belonging to the Alstroemeriaceae family. The natural habitat of alstroemeria is the area of South America, from Mexico to Chile. She came to Europe with the Spanish conquistadors in the 17th century.
Alstromeria is a herbaceous plantwith upright stems. Depending on the variety, it reaches a height of 30 to 150 cm. Lancet, light green leaves with parallel veins densely cover the branched stems.
Alstroemeria flowersresemble lilies in shape, hence the other names of the plant - Peruvian lily and Inca lily. The funnel-shaped flowers are small and gathered in loose clusters. Flower colors cover the entire color palette: yellows, oranges, reds, purples and pinks. Some varieties of alstroemeria can be bi- or tricolor and have dots or stripes.Alstroemeria blooms in late spring or early summer The root system of alstroemeria is a highly branched, spindle-shaped rhizome.
Alstremeria - application
Most often, alstroemeries are grown as cut flowers, but there are also some for growing in pots. Few of the varieties, wintering in the ground, are offered asgarden alstroemeriaThey work well as plants for borders or elements of a flower bed. Taller garden alstroemias can be planted in the back of the bed or in groups against the background of the lawn.
Garden alstroemeria - Alstroemeria
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Garden alstroemeria - varieties
There are severalvarieties of garden alstroemeria available for sale, which can withstand temperature drops down to -15 ° C . Thanks to this, they can be grown in rebates. They belong to the SUMMER PARADISE group. These are the following variations:
Garden Alstroemeria INDIAN SUMMER 'Tesronto'- reaches 80-100 cm in height and impresses with three-color, red-orange-yellow, spotted flowers and chocolate-maroon leaves.
Garden Alstroemeria SUMMER BREEZE 'Tessumbre'- reaches 80-100 cm in height, with yellow-orange flowers, and chocolate-burgundy leaves with a dark green border.
Garden Alstroemeria SUMMER RED 'Tessumred'- grows up to 50-60 cm tall and is distinguished by red-yellow spotted flowers and lush green leaves.
Garden Alstroemeria SUMMER SKY 'Tessumsky'- grows up to 80-100 cm in height and is distinguished by creamy-yellow spotted flowers and intense green leaves.
Garden Alstroemeria RIVER VALLEY 'Tessumriver'- is a dwarf variety, reaching 30-40 cm in height. The two-color, magenta-yellow flowers have darker spots inside, and the green leaves draw attention with a contrasting cream border.
Garden Alstroemeria TIMES VALLEY 'Tessumtime'- this medium-tall variety grows up to 50 cm high. Its flowers are tricolor: cream-pink-yellow and speckled, and the leaves are lush green.
Garden alstroemeria - Alstroemeria
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Garden alstroemeria - cultivation
A warm, sunny or semi-shaded place is an idealplace for growing alstroemeriaA sheltered place from the wind will prevent plants from breaking. Alstromeria does not have high soil requirements, it can grow in slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5-6.5), light and fertile. It does not tolerate very heavy and wet surfaces.
Chooseastremeria growing sitecarefully, because the fragile roots of this plant do not tolerate transplanting. After planting astremeria, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the plants to prevent water evaporation and suppress weeds. Peat, pine bark or sawdust can be used as mulch.
Remember that the recommendedspacing for planting astremeriaPlant plants at a distance of at least 50 cm from each other.
Garden alstroemeria - watering
Alstromeria does not tolerate too dry or too wet soil. Therefore,alstroemeria should be watered regularly(1-2 times a week), but in moderation. Do not overdo water as the root system is sensitive to flooding and can rot.
The soil should always be slightly moist at a depth of about 2 cm. Otherwise, alstroemeria loses its decorative qualities - it blooms less and the flowers are less intense.Watering garden alstroemeriashould be combined with soil loosening, because alstroemeria likes light and airy surfaces.
Garden alstroemeria - fertilization
Garden alstroemeria requiresfertile soil and regular fertilization. As a result, it grows vigorously and blooms.
Therefore, every year, in spring or autumn, it is worth using a dose of compost. It is best to spread it on the ground in the fall. Then the compost will be a layer of mulch that protects the plant against frost. However, in the spring, using a rake or a hoe, gently mix the compost with the top layer of soil.
Additionally, during the growing season, we feed the plants every 2 weeks with multi-component mineral fertilizers. It can be, for example, granular fertilizer for flowering plants or liquid fertilizers diluted with water for irrigation. You can also use liquid organic fertilizers, such as eg biohumus.During the development of shoots and foliage of Alstroemeria, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are the best. During the period of the appearance of buds and flowers, the fertilizer should contain higher doses of phosphorus.
Garden alstroemeria - Alstroemeria
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How to extend the flowering of alstroemeria?
In order to enjoy the view of alstroemeria flowers for as long as possible, it is recommended to regularly remove faded inflorescences. This will stimulate the growth of new buds and encourage the plants to flower more abundantly.
Garden alstroemeria - wintering
Alstroemeria is a thermophilic plantand to enable it to survive in our conditions, it must be properly protected from frost. Before the onset of cold weather, cut the shoots above the ground and mulch the soil coarsely with peat or dry leaves.
Alstroemeria in a pot
Low, dwarf varieties of alstroemeriacan be successfully grown in containers and pots. They are a beautiful decoration for balconies and terraces.
For growing alstroemeria in a potwe choose large pots with a capacity of approx. 10 liters, equipped with drainage holes in the bottom. The vigorously growing rhizomes of alstremeria must have enough space so as not to grow to the surface. Fill the pot with a mixture of deacidified peat, gravel and ground garden bark mixed together in a 1: 1: 1 ratio.Place the pot with the planted alstroemeria in a bright place, but not directly in the sun.
Water the alstroemeria grown in a pot often , but moderately, and every 2 weeks with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants (it is best to use liquid fertilizer diluted with watering water). Varieties of alstroemeria with lower frost resistance should be transported to cool rooms in the winter, where the temperature is around 0 ° C.
Alstroemeria - reproduction
Alstroemeria propagation by divisionis the simplest and most effective method in amateur cultivation. We obtain new plants immediately, ready for planting. Importantly for hybrid varieties of alstroemeria, the cuttings repeat the characteristics of the mother plant.
To divide this perennial in early spring or autumn, dig out a well-developed and abundantly flowering alstroemeria. We clean its root system and cut the white sections of the rhizome into pieces. Each of the seedlings should have roots and an apical bud.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
