My husband bought me some cut alstromerias two weeks ago. They lasted forever it seemed (yay!) and when I went to change the water today, all the petals fell off, so they're done. I noticed there were 'seeds'. Are these truly alstromeria seeds and can they be planted? I know absolutely nothing about alstromeria, let alone this seed question. I'm guessing I'm just wishfully thinking that I can plant these and have alstromerias. LOL
Those look like stamens to me. There should be one seed pod per bloom with several seed inside. The seed is about the size of a BB and is pretty hard. You can order seed from several seed companies now but germination is not the easiest thing (I tried for years and finally got a few to grow which I planted in the ground and they were perennial). Not sure if they would be hardy in Ohio though. I also bought a pot of a more slender flowered one that was bright red. I planted this next to a small oak at the time. The oak grew to be quite a large tree but the alstroemeria came up every year, bloomed, set seed, died back to the ground, came up later, and eventually had a colony several feet across from some of the seed.
The seed-like things on the ends are hard, so that's why I thought they might be seeds. I don't know if I've ever noticed seeds on fresh-cut flowers before, so I figured these probably weren't seeds, but thought I'd ask! I know they wouldn't be hardy here, but maybe could be grown as an annual.
Thanks for your response!
Kylee
Kylee,
I guess I never felt the seed like things on the ends. Always swept them up along with the petals for the trash.
Usually cut flowers will not produce seed because (1) they wouldn't be pollinated and (2) they wouldn't last long enough to produce ripe seed. Cut alstroemeria may produce seed because the stems stay green much longer than most cut flowers. They will produce a pod but usually it is empty because the flower was not pollinated.
The grower I bought the one pot from said he actually stuck the cut stems and got them to root and grow. I've tried that many times but with no success. Maybe he stuck his right away, while I stuck mine after the blooms fell off. I still wonder about that.
If you were able to get some going you could bring it indoors as a potted plant (if you have space) and keep it as a tender perennial? Also harvest seed for the next year. They do have a beautiful flower.
Butch
Here is my one picture of one I grew from seed.
This message was edited Jan 10, 2006 8:18 AM
Oh, that's beautiful!
I guess I could put a few of these in a damp paper towel and see what happens...
Hello Kylee!
The ones sold as cut flowers are usually hybrids and rarely produce any seeds.
I am enclosing a picture of a wild-growing Alstroemeria ligtu sp. simsii that is producing seed pods. The pod provides sort of a spring-system that ejects the seeds far from the mother-plant once they are ripe. That's why many people that grow Alstroemeria species (not hybrids), wonder why they suddenly have plants all over the garden (given the proper conditions). All they have to do to keep them under control is dead-head the wilted flowers.
The seeds inside are usually round (may have an irregular shape if too many seeds are jammed in one pod), are very hard when ripe and the colour varies according to the species from yellowish, to rusty, dark brown, etc.
Some species flower onw year after having been sowed and others may take up to 3 years.
I LOVE Alstroemerias and (in my humble opinion) even if pretty, no hybridizer has accomplished as beautiful flowers as the nature provides them.
Hugs,
Ursula
These are the baggies (made out of the plastic nets in which oranges are packed) I tied to the seed-pods of my Alstroemeria pelegrina in order to 'capture' the seeds LOL.
Ursula, thanks for the information and pictures. That makes sense. It said on the flower wrapper that they were from Colombia. I've been to Ecuador twice and oh, the lovely (and inexpensive, compared to here) flowers I saw there!
Thanks to you and hcmcdole as well, for teaching me something! I appreciate both of you taking the time to share your experience and knowledge! :-)
Kylee
My pleasure ;)
I can vouch for what Ursula says about how fast Alstroemeria can bloom from seed. I got A. pallida to flower within 6 months from seed! So far I've grown A. pallida, A. pelegrina and A. ligtu from seed (thanks Ursula!)...no problems in getting them to germinate..takes about 2 weeks and then they grow gang-busters!
Todd, do you know a Canuck supplier?
I love those!
Seeds are sometimes offered in the Ontario Rock Garden Society seed exchange but otherwise, I don't kow of any Canadian suppliers.
This message was edited May 28, 2010 4:39 PM
Hello Woofie!
Congratulations for your successful germination! Please bear in mind that Alstroemeria seeds are VERY ERRATIC in their germination.
My 'garden' is just two balconies. A few years ago I sowed a few different species with partial germination rates. A year later I thought there would be no more germination and used the soil I had sowed them for my other plants. My last surprise was that this year not only germinated but also bloomed an Alstroemeria revoluta (the one with the smallest flowers - a picture is enclosed).
All my reference books say that Alstroemerias should not be transplanted/picked before the seedling is one year old. Bear in mind that the fleshy roots are very brittle!
Do you know what species your plantils are? Maybe I could add some recommendations if they happen to be Chilean species.
Hugs,
Ursula
I just transplanted Alstoemeria seedlings that were sown in early December. They are about 3 inches high and most have a second growth starting. Yes, the roots are brittle but in my experience, you can transplant them when young as long as you are careful. In a cool greenhouse, they just keep going and going. I have some in bloom now and they are also starting to send up new growths....they never seem to go dormant. Those outdoors are currently under 6" of snow.
Todd, those Alstroemerias have a crush on you LOL. Alstroemeria pallida is blooming here now, right in the middle of summer.
I'm enclosing a picture I took 2 weeks ago (it was already getting dark). Here you can see what their growing-habit is high up in the mountains. They grow where the ski-centres are (approximately 2500 m.a.s.l.) and remain covered with snow at least 5 months a year. During summer they hardly get any water.
Hugs,
Ursula
This message was edited May 28, 2010 4:40 PM
Woofie, most Alstroemerias love full sun exposure, but need some cold to germinate. If your greenhouse is heated I would say yes, take the plantils in there.
The seeds you bought seem to be hybrid Alstroemerias. I only have 1 hybrid A. (the colour of water-melon) a friend gave me and in 6 years it has not produced one single seed. The only way I have been able to reproduce them was separating rhyzomes(sp?) during year 3.
There is a chance that some of your seeds are not fertile, don't know much about hybrids.
Good luck!
Ursula
I bought those seeds too, 20 of them. They're in the freezer now and I hope to plant them tomorrow. I've got them soaking in H2O2 solution. I've now idea what I'm doing, just making it up as I go along with help from DG forums. I'll put them in 3" pots and then winter sow them.
This message was edited May 28, 2010 4:41 PM
Hi woofie! Well, we'll see 'cause I don't have the attention span to go through that messing about. Shelton is about 15 miles ENE of Olympia.
This message was edited May 28, 2010 4:41 PM
Good luck with your fragile little darlings. Glub, glub, glub. My neighbor's started an ark!
Ursula, the temperatures in Chile that seem closest now to mine in summer are Monturaque and Las Cuartitos. Maybe Cerro Canasta but their nights are colder. That was just a quick search. Are these cities in the mountains near where alstroemeria grow?
Thx, Katy
Katy, it's the first time I hear the name of these locations. I honestly don't know where they are, but I just emailed a friend (he's geologist) that might know.
I hope to be able to make a new photo-safari to the mountains this week and will try to obtain information from the locals. There are about 4 ot 5 different Alstroemeria species that grow (bloom this time of the year) where our ski centres are (the ones close to Santiago). I would think they are hardy enough for a zone 8a.
Todd is growing A. pallida. Believe it or not, they bloomed only months after he sowed them! The A. species that grow in the Central Valley of Chile (where I live) and in the coastal areas, can take up to 3 years to bloom if grown from seeds. We have only slight frost during winter.
I have a wonderful book with information/pictures of all Chilean native Alstroemerias (40 of them endemic to Chile), but no reference as to their hardiness in areas that are not their natural habitat.
I hope I can come back with some information for you.
Hugs,
Ursula
The one pictured is A. pelegrina
Oh my, it's just beautiful! Thanks.
Katy, I just got a reply from my friend Ricardo and he does not know those locations either.
On the other hand I made some research on the web pages of the ski centres and found the following information: their minimum winter temperature can reach -22°C. When I checked the Plant Files, I realized that corresponds to a zone 6b. This means you can grow Andean species in your garden without having to bring pots into the house during winter.
These species are:
A. pallida
A. excerens (or exerens)
A. spatulatha
A. umbellata
Hugs,
Ursula
Well, what do ya know...there ARE alstroemeria that are hardy in my zone!
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/03543.html
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/04159.html
Might have to splurge for some 'Freedom.' :-)
Ursula, my A. pallida is not even close to the ones in the wild in regards to height...mine are almost 2 feet tall! The greenhouse has probably pushed them tall plus the light levels are low here and that is also making them taller. I still have 2 pots in bloom and they are now sending up new shoots. I guess with constant watering they just keep going and going. I do have 2 outdoors so we will see if they survive the winter.
A. aurea (aka A. lutea) has been growing in St. John's (zone 5b) for over 60 years! We have a huge patch in our Botanical Garden...they grow like weeds and are actually invasive in some regards. It will be interesting to see how the same species collected in Chile will compare to those growing here for all these years.
Ursula, I assume A. pelegrina does not grow in the ski resorts? That one might have to be kept as a greenhouse plant.
Todd, it's amazing how they behave in different climates. The A. pallida 'cushion' pictured above must be a quite old plant (I am almost certain it has come back for the last 6 or 7 years I have been visiting this area). They get little or no water during summer, when they bloom.
My A. aurea took 3 years to bloom from seeds! However, as you know, my garden is just two balconies and this A. is placed in the afternoon-sun-balcony. They are native to the southern part of Chile, just before the Patagonia begins, i.e. an area of cold rainforests.
A. pelegrina is a coastal species (some 300 Km north of Santiago) and I think it will have to be grown as a greenhouse plant in your part of the world. They should not be watered too much and have good drainage (their natural habitat is sandy cliffs). Each stem bears only one or two flowers (very seldom 3).
This picture shows their twirling(?) leaves
My pelegrina are now about 3" tall, some have second shoots coming. And yes, mine are starting to show this curly-leaf pattern....I thought the plants were sick! They are planted in a very loose alpine-plant mix so I'll keep my fingers crossed. I'll put them outside for the summer.
This message was edited May 28, 2010 4:42 PM
Hey Kaylee, you say NW Ohio. I grew up in the very NW corner of Ohio, between the turnpike and Old Hwy 20, NW of Montpelier. That's getting pretty much as NW as you can get and still be in Ohio (I think we were 8 miles from Indiana and 4 miles from Michigan if I recall). My two sisters and myriad nephews and nieces still live there. But that wasn't the point of my message; got waaay sidetracked from the alstromeria didn't I, lol? I moved to this new area for me in CA, Central Coast, and these beauties came with the property. The ones on the ground are what tried to bloom during the winter but kept getting knocked down with rain and winds. That's where I gather all my stems for arrangements. The tall, straight ones are this spring's growth. They're about 5' tall. They like it here so much I think I'll try some other varieties. I'd love to try some wild ones. OK, here's from the other day.
And here's a closeup.
Oh my goodness, those are GORGEOUS!! I had sort of forgotten about possibly getting some alstromerias that can be grown in zone 5, so thanks for bumping this thread!
I know just where you are talking about, where you grew up! That's only about an hour or so from me. I'm pretty much straight south of there, just ten miles from the Indiana/Ohio line. :-)
