Alstroemeria Non-hardy Hybrid
J.E. Shields (Thu, 08 May 2008 07:36:14 PDT)

Hi all,

We bought some small potted plants for the deck a year ago. Included was a
small Alstroemeria hybrid that turned out to be evergreen. It seems that
there are some hybrids on the market now that will stay green and perhaps
even flowering all year round. This is almost a dwarf, less than a foot (30
cm) tall as I recall.

I moved the planter into the greenhouse in autumn and let it go completely
dry, expecting to have to nurse it through a dormant period. The
Alstroemeria alone continued to stay green and tried to grow. Finally, I
dug it out, divided it into 4 pieces, and replanted it into the container.
I started watering it almost immediately, and it is growing and flowering
again.

This would certainly not be hardy over winter in my climate --central
Indiana (Midwest USA), USDA cold zone 5. Still, the evergreen habit and
nearly continuous flowering make it a very interesting plant!

Jim Shields
in central Indiana (USA)

*************************************************
Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA