Alstroemeria Duc d'Anjou Nicolas

The Astroemeria 'Duc d'Anjou Nicolas', like other Incan lilies in the "Dukes of Anjou" series, is a versatile variety, of medium size, hardy and floriferous, particularly suited for ornamental beds. This 'Duc d'Anjou Nicolas' selection produces beautiful yellow flowers striped with brown and touched with mauve pink from late spring to late autumn. The plant can survive winter in the ground in most regions, under a mulch that will protect the stumps from cold and excessive moisture. Its flowers are also very long-lasting in a vase.

The Alstroemeria 'Duc d'Anjou Nicolas' is a recent horticultural variety, obtained near Angers. All modern Incan lilies are hybrids of several tuberous species native to South America, especially the Chilean Andes. These high-altitude plants belonging to the amaryllidaceae family are more or less hardy, appreciate moist, well-drained soils in lightly wooded and cool areas. Slow to establish, they can disappear or ... become invasive! Eccentric and fantastic plants, very sensitive to growing conditions, they are "indestructible" once you have found the right spot for them.

'Duc d'Anjou Nicolas', like all plants in the series, can withstand short frosts of around -15°C in a well-drained soil and under mulch. The plant quickly forms dense clumps formed by leafy stems 50 cm tall when flowering, with a spread of 40 cm. Flowering occurs from June to October. The flowers are gathered in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 narrow central petals of bright yellow colour striped with brown, surrounded by 3 broader petals of a lighter yellow, showing a small mauve to pink area at their tips. The foliage is arranged on the upper part of the stems. The leaves of this variety are dark green with a slight bluish tint. The plant disappears in winter, only the trailing stump with fleshy roots remains underground. The latter is sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

The Alstroemeria Duke Nicolas can be planted in beds, where the plant forms an exotic bouquet for months. Place it in small groups among grasses, daylilies, gauras or heleniums for example. It can also be paired with other varieties of Inca lilies from the Dukes of Anjou series, and planted with blue lobelias or Ceratostigma plumbaginoides with intensely blue flowers and red foliage in October. Its flowers last several days in a vase, up to 3 weeks if the water is changed weekly, regularly removing any leaves that have fallen into the water, and recutting the base of the stems.