Alstroemeria Pitchounes Lucas

Alstroemeria Pitchounes Lucas, like all the varieties of the Pitchounes Incas, is a particularly compact and floriferous selection, perfectly suited for borders, patios, and flowering pots. This variety is adorned with modest-sized flowers, mauve in colour, adorned with white spots striped with brown at the throat. They are produced continuously on a small round and bushy plant that maintains a neat appearance throughout the season.  Not very hardy, this perennial plant proves easy to grow as an annual and requires very little maintenance. You can place it in partial shade or full sun, in a light, rich, and moist soil.

TAlstroemeria Pitchounes Lucas is a recent horticultural variety. All modern Inca lilies are hybrids of several tuberous species native to South America, particularly the Chilean Andes. These high-altitude plants belonging to the Alstroemeriaceae 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! Quirky and fantastic plants, very sensitive to growing conditions, they are "indestructible" once you have found the right spot for them.

'Lucas' like all the plants in the Pitchounes series, is easy to grow in good, moist soil. The plant quickly forms dense and rounded clumps with leafy stems that do not exceed 25-30 cm (10-12in) in height when flowering, with a spread of 30 cm. Flowering occurs continuously from May-June to October. The light and open flowers are gathered in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 central petals with a white spot striped with brown on a mauve background, surrounded by 3 wider petals of the same mauve. The foliage is arranged on the upper part of the stems. The leaves of this variety are medium greenish-blue in colour. The plant disappears in winter, with only the trailing stump and fleshy roots remaining underground, which can withstand temperatures down to -5°C. The stump is sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

Alstroemeria Pitchounes 'Lucas' is an excellent variety for decorating flower boxes and pots for weeks on end. On the patio or balcony, it forms a display of flowers that rivals the brilliance of balcony geraniums. Along the edge of a border, this plant will blend well, for example, with other Pitchounes varieties or with grasses; Stipa, small Miscanthus or Muhlenbergia capillaris will accompany its autumn colours with their foliage and magnificent late season blooms. You can also plant blue lobelias or Ceratostigma plumbaginoides at its base, with intense blue flowers and red foliage in October. A marvel!