Alstroemeria Majestic Liré

The Alstroemeria Majestic 'Liré' is part of a series of vigorous and hardy Inca lilies, with a beautiful stature and particularly abundant flowering, whose long flower stalks are perfect for cut flowers. This 'Liré' variety offers numerous intensely red-pink bicoloured flowers with a deep yellow heart, adorned with small dark brown streaks. It is a perennial plant that beautifies year after year if care is taken to provide it with rich, well-drained soil and regular watering during dry weather. You can plant it in full sun or partial shade, in a flower bed sheltered from the wind that could bend the stems. 

Alstroemerias, belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, are perennial plants with tuberous roots native to South America. The hardiest ones, like A. aurantiaca, are native to the Chilean Andes and Patagonia. Sometimes slow to establish, Inca lilies can disappear or... become invasive! Quirky but fantastic plants, very sensitive to growing conditions, they are "indestructible" once you have found the right spot for them. Horticulturists have been working for a few years to develop more reliable and resistant varieties for our damp and cold winters. The Majestic series was developed near Angers. It brings together tall hybrids that can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C if care is taken to protect the stump from moisture.

The 'Majestic Liré' alstroemeria forms rapidly, from spring onwards, dense clumps made up of numerous leafy stems reaching about 85 cm (34in) in height when in bloom, with a similar spread. The flowering period extends from June to October, continuously if the soil remains moist. Each flower stalk bears several 5-6 cm (2in) flowers, arranged in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 small deep yellow petals streaked with brown, surrounded by 3 slightly wider petals of a very bright red-pink. The abundant foliage is arranged along the entire length of the stems. The leaves are dark greenish-blue in colour. The foliage and stems disappear in winter, and only the slightly trailing stump with fleshy roots remains underground. This stump is sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

'Majestics Liré' Alstroemeria is a beautiful border plant with remarkably coloured flowers that last a long time in a vase, up to 2 weeks if you take care to change the water every day and occasionally trim the stems. When well established, this exuberant plant offers a magnificent spectacle. In the garden, the Alstroemeria Majestics pairs well, for example, with smaller-statured agapanthus (Golden Drop, Silver Moon). It can also be combined with complementary grasses; Stipa, small Miscanthus, or Muhlenbergia capillaris will accompany its flowering with their foliage and delicate blooms. In a large flower pot, you can associate this colourful variety with blue lobelias or with the Euphorbia Diamond Frost, for example.