Alstroemeria: Inca Lily or Peruvian lily
Alstroemeriaceae is native to South America. There are about fifty species and South Africa boasts with their own hybrids. These lilies were named after their founder, Baron Claus von Alstroemer from Sweeden. They are perennials with tuberous roots and is the flower of friendship.
The Inca Lilies have an extensive range of colours in white, salmon, pink, orange, golden yellow, purple and red. Inca flowers have no fragrant and blooms in loose clusters (looks a lot like azaleas) during spring and summer. The flower has three sepals and three streaky petals. The leaves are bright green and twisted.
Inca lilies need little maintenance as they are quite hardy and frost tolerant. They thrive in warm, deep, well-drained nutrient-rich soil, and needs full to partial sun depending on the climate. The plant does not bloom if it gets too hot. You need to water them more regularly in hot conditions to keep the soil moist. Top-dress them in the fall with peat.
You can propagate these lilies by dividing the rhizomes during spring, make sure to cut them back first, 15 days before dividing them. When propagating by seed, you need to soak them for 12 hours before covering with soil in a tray. The seeds take a long time to germinate and only about 20% of them will sprout which could be planted out after six weeks.
The Inca lily can be successfully grown both indoors and outdoors. They make perfect cut flowers as they are long lasting (2-3 weeks vase life).
Need to go find me some seeds
I promise you will not regret it. They grow better from seedlings though.
Great post and advice to the gardeners out there... I love gardening especially planting rare flowers... I've upvoted and reblogged thanks a lot
Thank you very much akeem22, I truly appreciate your support. Enjoy a lovely day!
They are beautiful and the colors so vibrant, Happy gardening and thank you for sharing your work with us.
Thank you pipokinha. I love sharing that which is beautiful to me.
Very nice and thank you.
Every flower is of different art., different shade.
Thanks for posting.
Always a pleasure to share, mohammedfelahi. Thank you for your support.
well you cut out the only good part of this picture
Great post
Wow what a wonderful and beautiful flowers
Wunderful flower pictures. Like it. Upvoted and resteemed it :)
Thank you matthias-mann. The photos cannot capture their true beauty though.
Thank you for sharing will resteem
this post hope you can do the same for me
you have my upvote
Keep smiling, reading, writing and voting!!!
@mannyfig1956
Thank you mannyfig1956. I enjoyed your post, keep smiling!
They are quite beautiful (nice photos!)-- around here they pretty much only exist as cut flowers, but they are a favourite because they tend to last a really long time, even in a vase; we have some upstairs right now that are close to two weeks old and still look quite good!
Thank you for your reply reddragonfly. Yes, they do last very long, I have had them in a bouquet which lasted for nearly three weeks.