Alstroemeria 'Red' (Red Peruvian Lily) - Semi-evergreen perennial from tuberous roots with stalks growing 2-3 feet tall with bright red flowers from spring through summer. Plants have a crown of slender rhizomes that attach to succulent storage roots below. Each year new unbranched shoots arise from the crown to produce narrow leaves along the stem and an umbel of flowers at the tip.
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 are best when plants are irrigated. Hardy to 15-20 degrees F but tolerates lower temperatures if mulched. 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 as not to pull out pieces of the rhizome itself.
The genus Alstroemeria (at times spelled Alstremeria) was named by Carl Linnaeus, often called the Father of Taxonomy, for his friend and student Klaus von Alstroemer (Clas Alströmer), a Swedish baron. Alstroemeria come from two areas within South America with summer growing species restricted to eastern Brazil and winter-growing plants from central Chile with common names such as Peruvian Lily, Parrot Lily, or Lily of the Incas.
We received this nice variety in 1992 from Santa Barbara gardener Jim Prine as an unnamed cultivar and slowly built stock on it to finally be able to start selling in 2006. To differentiate it from another smaller cultivar that we called 'Compact Red' we initially gave this plant the moniker "Tall Red" but after discontinuing production of the smaller plant (which we grew from 1997 until 2004) we reverted to just calling this plant Alstroemeria 'Red'.
The information about Alstroemeria 'Red' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |