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More flowers from Fullers Mill Gardens this week – and I’m glad I have these to post because my own garden is looking frazzled and sad after all the heat and drought. I just hope that most of my plants will survive.
Alstoemerias (Peruvian Lilies) are gorgeous flowers that I would love to grow in my garden. I had thought of buying a couple of the plants earlier in the year. However, I decided to leave it for a while because I already had other plants to find homes for. (Like many gardeners, I tend to buy plants and then wonder where I will have space for them.) I’m glad I delayed, because it has been difficult to keep the garden watered this hot summer and they might not have done well.
Although they look exotic, alstroemerias are reasonably hardy. They just need a sunny, sheltered spot in decent soil that doesn’t get too wet in winter. (Otherwise the tubers may rot.)
Next year I’ll plan to have somewhere ready to plant an alstroemeria or two. I’ll even make sure to reserve some of the best of the contents of the compost heap for them. (It’s very much needed in the soil here!) Then I should be able to grow some beauties like these, and photograph them too of course. My main problem might be deciding which of the many colours to go for…
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
As I’ve said before, these are some of my favorite ‘grocery store flowers.’ If they do as well in the garden as they do in a vase, they’d be a good investment. The range of colors is amazing; I really like that second photo, with the tinge of pink along with the white and gold.
I hope you have some good rain soon. Our pattern has changed, and we’re getting rain now: sometimes in inches! I have my fingers crossed that it will become more widespread, as some areas of the state are pretty dry.
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They’re lovely to have in a vase. These days we shop as quickly as possible because there is still Covid about so I don’t tend to have time to look at the cut flowers – your comment has made me realise how much I miss that! The colours available are gorgeous!
We did get some heavy rain a few days ago and that has helped hugely. It probably didn’t soak into the hard ground very far but all the plants, trees etc. have enjoyed it. They look so much better. 🙂
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The colour of the flowers in the lead photo is really wonderful!
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Thank you Liz – I agree thoroughly about that amazing colour! 🙂
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Do you think the dark strokes are meant to guide pollinators inside the flower?
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Seems like a strong possibility to me, Steve. They are well placed for that and they could be augmented by UV markings which we can’t see but that insects can. Certainly makes them look attractive to humans. 🙂
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So very delightful pictures, Ann!! Best of luck with their cultivation😊
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Thank you Indira! I hope to buy some alstroemerias next year. 🙂
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Beauties! We are still able to water our plants, we do so one at a time so to conserve what we can, and in addition have a dehumidifier on the basement that I empty into the gardens as well. The towns around us have water bans but that is mostly for lawns and car washing. Gardens are still legal.
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Thanks Steve! Some areas here have hosepipe bans, but watering with a watering can is OK. Lots of people have rainwater butts and/or use grey water from the house – it’s amazing how much you can re-use but hard work carrying it!
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I haven’t got to it yet but I will be using the downspout water one of these days. We have two barrels that catch rain water but they are not yet hooked to the gutter/downspout system.
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We’ve been using grey water but we need to find some butts that will fit in a restricted space. We’re determined to do it after seeing how much our neighbour manages to save in hers.
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How about one of each, Ann? 😊
If I were a bee, I would fly straight for those stripes leading me into the sweet, juicy valley. 🐝
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Ooh, that would be exciting and spectacular – there are lots of different colour choices! I did notice the bees enjoying these flowers…happy bees! 🙂
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IHAVE EIGHT PLANTS AND ONLY HAVE TWO FLOWERED. THEY ALL HAVE LOVELY GREEN LEAVES BUT NO FLOWERS.
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That’s a shame, Gloria. I’ve read that people can have problems getting them to flower if they are not getting enough sun, if they are in a container that’s too small (apparently they like a bit of room) or if they need to be fed more. I hope you have better luck with them next year!
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