About Alstroemeria

ALSTROEMERIA PERUVIAN LILY. All are outstanding cut flowers and like a well drained, fertile soil. Mulching, especially the first winter, can make them hardy in colder zones than stated. 
PLEASE read the following important information about growing and shipping Alstroemerias, which is very important to USDA hardiness zones 7 and colder, less so for zone 8 and less still for zone 9. As you may have noticed, Alstroemerias, especially tall ones, are hard to come by. The following will explain some of that.

Best time to order is early January; we'll make them available again January 2nd, 2025 and that's the earliest date for ordering. Note that Alstroes ship best as early in spring as possible. Please read on...

GUARANTEE/COLD HARDINESS: The USDA hardiness zones indicated are to be used as a guide only to determine which are hardier than others, which is a guess at best. As with any plant, cold hardiness depends on many more factors than just average minimum winter temperatures: Soil type, fertility, microclimate, time of planting, abnormal weather patterns etc. This is truer to Alstroemerias than with most other perennials and thus we cannot guarantee their winter survival in your area, regardless of your zone. A good layer of mulch over winter is essential in zones 7 and lower. If you are not sure if they’ll grow in your area, try just a few for starters or ask/join a local garden club. Alternatively, you can grow them in pots and winter over in a cold but frost free room – the cooler the better.

STRONG GROWERS: Following a list of our strongest growers, recommended if you've never grown them before, had trouble growing them or for colder zones: 'Adonis', 'Apollo', Apricot [Butterscotch], 'Casablanca', 'Candy', 'Cerise', 'Dusty Rose', 'Elvira', 'Etna', 'Glory of the Andes', cream-white tall, 'Inca Ice', 'Majestic Henri', Majestic Lire', Majestic Louis', 'Mauve Majesty', 'Moulin Rouge', 'Pandora', Peachy Orange, 'Perfect Orange', 'Purple Rain', 'Summer Saint', 'Sussex Gold', 'Tessa', 'Third Harmonic', 'Watermelon' and 'Yellow Friendship'.

SHIPPING/TIMING: The best time to plant and ship Alstroemerias is as early in spring as possible. This way the plants have all season to get established and also ship much better instead later in the season when they are up to 3 feet tall. Into the second week of April we can ship them without top growth, in which state they’ll travel better than with top growth and shipping cost may be reduced (explained later). In colder zones (5/6) you can get them started in the house for several weeks before planting. They also don't mind cold weather and take light frost. Later in the season Alstroemerias don’t like to be trimmed down and have to be shipped with tops. This is fairly easy for the remainder of April. In May, after we trimmed them in April (to fit the box), they often have only 2-3 tender stems. June we don’t recommend shipping them at all (except the dwarfs; 18" and shorter) but can do so at your own risk. The second best time to plant and ship is August/September, as they again can be shipped without tops. But keep in mind that this could affect the cold hardiness in colder zones.

SHIPPING COSTS: August into the third week of April (April 15, 2025; need order by April 12) we ship them without top growth and can fit 6 plants into a medium flat rate box. On orders of at least 4 Alstroemeria, if the shopping cart charges $24.50 and over, we'll reimburse for amounts over $22.00. 9 plants can fit into a large flat rate box, then we'll reimburse shipping if you get charged $30.00 and over for the amount going over $27.50. This, however, only works if you can receive US Mail and choose them as carrier.