One reason why I enjoy a walk through a botanic garden is to see plants I don’t normally see, which includes this one, Alstromeria ‘Eliane’. I saw these very attractive flowers as I was pottering through Sydney’s botanic gardens.

Alstromeria ‘Eliane’ is a clump forming perennial that can reach a height of thirty centimetres tall. The genus comes from mountainous areas of South America. This particular variety has lovely bright pink flowers with yellow throats. The flowers appear between mid-summer and late autumn-these photos were taken in May (which is autumn here in Sydney) and its clearly flowering happily still. The leaves are lance-shaped and mid-green.

In the garden, this lovely little plant needs full sun, but can also deal with part shade. Soil needs to be fertile, slightly acidic to neutral in pH and like a good layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist. Water frequently. They like temperatures between 20-30 degrees Celsius.

Plant them in the spring once the soil has started warming up. Do be careful with the roots as they are rather brittle. Plant them with adequate space around each plant as they need good airflow around them to prevent fungal diseases affecting them. Remove spent flowers as they are found-it looks better but also promotes more flowering.

There aren’t many pest and disease issues that affect this delightful plant beyond the potential fungal issues. They could be affected by aphids, spider mites or whitefly, there is normally another issue affecting the plant. From what I have read, if these three pests appear on this plant, it’s likely because it’s been over or under watered. With this, pay attention to what your plants look like and don’t be scared of getting your hands dirty-feel how dry or wet your soil is with your fingers, and that will tell you whether your plant needs watering or not.

Alstromeria ‘Eliane’ is a plant that I would happily have in my garden. It’s the colourful flowers that do it!

All photos are my own.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/307605/alstroemeria-princess-eliane-zaprielia-princess-series/details

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/alstroemeria/

Brickell, C. (Editor-In-Chief), 2016, 4th Edition, Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants, Dorling Kindersley, London