versatile Alstroemerias

Discover three stylish ways to design with these long-lasting beauties, and see which varieties your customers love the most.

      With several buds on each stem, often in various stages of development, Alstroemerias are ideal for use in bud vases. Commonly known as Peruvian lilies, the flowers are available in hundreds of varieties, affording designers a wide range of colors with which to work.

      The monobotanical arrangements shown here feature the freckled beauty of Alstroemerias along with special design treatments that add prominence to the blooms. Group several of these designs in a display to show your customers the many ways in which these glorious, long-lasting and affordable flowers can be used. And to make sure you are selling the right varieties, breeder Könst Alstroemeria B.V. of the Netherlands identifies the most popular Alstroemerias sold today. You’ll also find new selections that are gaining attention.

garden duo

Some of today’s trendiest floral designs comprise more than one container. Here, two small vases, each filled with a combination of pink ‘Petra’ Alstroemerias, create a single composition inside a garden caddy. The Alstroemerias are clipped at the lateral stems before being tucked into the vases.


barked topiary

A profusion of freckled orange ‘Beatrice’ Alstroemerias is hand gathered into a ball-shaped topiarylike form. The stems, which are secured into floral foam, are stripped of foliage, but a few leaves remain among the blossoms for a natural, treelike appearance. Moss is tucked around the base to conceal the floral foam. To create decorative appeal, and to hold the Alstroemeria stems together, barked wire is loosely coiled around the stems.












base clippings

Short pieces of bear grass and bamboo, perhaps left over from other design projects, are crisscrossed inside a glass vase to create structural support for a simple grouping of pink ‘Lorena’ Alstroemerias.

top-selling alstroemerias

Alstroemerias‘ wide range of colors make them a good choice for nearly every floral occasion. Here are some of the best-selling Alstroemerias on the market today, according to Rob de Boer of Könst Alstroemeria B.V. These are all imported from Colombia, the No. 1 supplier of Alstroemerias to the United States.

 

new varieties

award winner

‘Könst X-treme®’, a new variety from Könst Alstroemeria B.V., took second place in the Horti Fair Innovation Awards 2009 in Amsterdam in October. Rob de Boer of Könst says this unique-looking flower, whose greenish-white blossoms have a delicate touch of pink, lasts a week longer than standard Alstroemerias.

caring for alstroemerias

1    Before purchasing, make sure these ethylene-sensitive flowers have been treated with an ethylene inhibitor at the grower or wholesaler level or during transportation. Also insist that they receive hormone treatments to prevent leaf yellowing.

2    Alstroemerias are known to cause allergic reactions on the skin of some people. This can be avoided by wearing latex gloves when processing and handling these flowers.

3    Unpack Alstroemerias promptly upon arrival; leave plastic sleeves on to reduce bruising.

4    Remove any white portion of the stems with a sharp knife or pruner.

5    Dip or place the stems into a hydration solution.

6    Place the stems into a flower-food solution, and refrigerate at 33 F to 35 F for at least two hours before designing with or selling them.