The Skinny on Alstroemeria?

In my flower arranging, I am now using blue Asiatic Iris, daffodils, forsythia and sweet bay magnolia, but the daffodils & Iris are gone in three days or so. But never the added white Alstroemeria - it lasts and lasts, and its colors are spendid. Some folks turn up their noses, but I sure like to do an arrangement and have it fresh a week later!
They are hardy to zone 7 and like sun - do they bloom all summer here?
Anyone have a good source or plants to trade? I would be happy to trade some of the Brugmansia rooted cuttings I have in my grhouse, or potted plants in exchange for some.

Hi Pollyg~~
Hardy to zone 5 thru 8--why do we not all have this??
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51590/
It sounds great. and you have some beautiful flowers there!

Thank you, SallyG; by next week we'll have some in my garden.

It's going on my wish list too. I have never noticed it for sale around here. It's probably at one of the "better" nurseries.

Polly, What is that huge plant in the middle of the picture. One with the large green leafs?

I got hooked on Alstroemeria years ago when we had 'Sweet Laura' growing in the gardens and tried to get a clump of 'Variegata' established. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78519 We weren't successful with the first attempt of 'Variegata' but I'm happy to report the one I planted last year is already starting to pop out of the ground this spring! We were fortunate to meet Mark Bridgen of Cornell University last year at a Rock Garden Society meeting and purchased two of the new Alstroemerias he's recently introduced which are reported to be a little hardier than most. http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/news-events/20071214_bridgen.cfm I don't remember which one this is - still in the pot last August getting ready to be planted and blooming beautifully :)

HollyAnnS - that is a Ginger Lily, about 5 years old. It smells divine - in fact lots of things in my garden are scented. I have a really "BIG" nose!
Starting w/ Winter Daphne in late Feb & MAr, now Korean Spice Viburnum,Wisteria (which will bloom in 2 weeks) onward & upward w/ the usual big Viburnum (name escapes me), next is Gardenia in June, Passaflora vines, finally twenty or so Brugmansia plants thru fall. Musn't forget another sweet bloomer in the fall (Forgot the name, too).
rcn48 - Can't wait to get to your site this evening- what great info!
Must return to the garden, now

Korean Spice Vib is blooming now? I used to pass it in my neighbor's yard, going to the bus stop for school with kids. I have to go check it now. 20 or so Brugs?!? wow

The Alstroemeria in the nurseries here are so expensive, $20.00 a pot. I have had great success growing them from seeds. About 20 years ago I had some seeds, maybe from Parks? They were the orange "species". They germinated rapidly in flats and were planted outside. Next year DOZENS of plants came up and bloomed orange. I read the plants send tubers down to depths of 3 feet to ride out droughts, and can become invasive. Last year I planted T & M's seeds, and planted the seedlings in the border. Each plant sent up 2 or 3 shoots, we'll see what colors they are. This year I bought 2 packs of T & M seeds. The pack said 36 seeds but there were 60 in the first pack. 2 seeds planted to a jiffy, under grow lights for 3 weeks, then in the fridge (the jiffys in a zip-lock baggy) for 3 weeks. After leaving the fridge, all jiffys but one germinated FAST. They are growing on now. I went back to our up-scale nursery which sells T & M seeds and bought another pack. Will post pics of seedlings soon. Hope this helps!

Great info!

FYI, Rick came home last week with four HUGE pots of variegated Alstroemeria! After all my years of searching for them to buy online, he found them at Kroeger's of all places and the best part, they were less than $7.00 :)

Score! Isn't it funny when great plants end up at odd places?

I bet they are really nice, I love variegated plants. The flowers on the Alstroemeria are so pretty.

RCN, I put in 4 of the Variegated Alstroemeria last year. Two were from Garden Crossing and two from Lazy S'S. So far, I see puny leaves starting to emerge from 2 of them, but I'm not sure which source they are from.

Polly Gardening, your shrubs sound beautiful. Carole Mackie Daphne is perfuming my front shrub bed right now. The fragrance is heavenly.

Alstroemeria seedlings. Easy-peasy so far.