Alstroemeria Pitchounes Timoté

Alstroemeria Pitchounes Timoté is part of a new series of compact and floriferous Peruvian lilies. This variety is adorned with modest-sized flowers that are vibrant fuchsia pink discreetly spotted with yellow and white tiger stripes. They are continuously produced on a small, round and bushy plant that maintains a neat appearance throughout the season. Not very hardy, this perennial plant is easy to grow as an annual and requires very little maintenance. It is simply perfect for borders, containers, and flower pots. You can place it in partial shade or full sun, in a light, rich, and moist soil.

Alstroemeria Pitchounes Timoté is a recent horticultural variety. All modern Peruvian lilies are derived from the hybridization 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.

'Timoté', like all 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 in bloom, with a spread of 30 cm. The flowering is continuous from May-June to October. The lightweight and open flowers are gathered in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 central petals spotted with white-yellowish and tiger-striped brown on a bright pink background, surrounded by 3 wider petals of the same bright pink. The foliage is arranged on the upper part of the stems. The leaves of this variety are medium green-blue in colour. The plant disappears in winter, with only the trailing stump and fleshy roots remaining underground, which can withstand frost down to -5°C. The stump is sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

Alstroemeria Pitchounes 'Timoté is an excellent variety for decorating flower pots and containers for weeks. On the patio or balcony, it forms a colourful display that rivals balcony geraniums. As a border plant, it pairs well, for example, with other Pitchounes varieties or with grasses such as Stipa, small Miscanthus, or Muhlenbergia capillaris, which enhance its autumn colours with their foliage and magnificent late-season flowering. Lobelias or Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, with their intense blue flowers and red foliage in October, can also be planted at its base. It's a marvel!