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Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' (Fragrant Peruvian Lily) - A new and distinct cultivar of Alstroemeria characterized by its unique features of sweet fragrance, yellow flower color, vigorous growth, cold tolerance, and strong, upright floral stems. The three outer tepals of the flowers are yellow with an orangish-red color at the tips and along the midrib of the tepal. The three inner tepals are entirely yellow or have only orangish-red on the tip. The plant is also distinguished by its long (80 to 85 cm), strong flowering stems with narrow long-lasting dark green leaves and its upright and vigorous growth habit. There is a continuous production of flowers on its umbel arrangement of inflorescences throughout its blooming season.
Plant in full sun to light shade and water regularly to occasionally in late spring and early summer. Tolerates fairly dry conditions in coastal gardens but vigor and flowering is best when plants are irrigated. I has been noted to hold up in hot dry (Texas) and hot humid (North Carolina) conditions better than other Alstroemeria and is listed by some as root hardy to USDA Zone 5. When trimming or cutting Alstroemeria for flowers it is best to pull the stems straight up and out, so they break off below ground at the crown to stimulate the formation of new shoots but do so carefully so not to pull out pieces of the rhizome itself.
Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' was a product of the breeding program at University of Connecticut, under the supervision of Dr Mark Bridgen , that involved Alstroemeria aurea and Alstroemeria caryophyllaea. It is the first commercial Alstroemeria plant with fragrant flowers and it received US Plant Patent PP10,030 in September 1997, which has since expired. We grew this interesting variety from 2001 until 2003.
This information about Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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