Alstroemeria Sweet Laura

Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' is one of the first hardy varieties of Peruvian lilies with scented flowers. Adding a beautiful aroma to the visual delight, its flowering with small, light flowers in shades of golden yellow, burnt orange, and mahogany is truly enchanting in the garden as well as in bouquets. 'Sweet Laura' is also a prolific and vigorous plant that reappears year after year. It is part of a series of hybrids selected in the United States for their cold resistance: they are able to withstand our normal winters, with or without protective mulch, when grown in well-drained soil.

Alstroemeria, belonging to the Alstroemeriaceae family, are perennial plants with tuberous roots native to South America. The hardiest, like A. aurantiaca, are native to the Chilean Andes and Patagonia. These high-altitude plants are relatively hardy, prefer cool, well-drained soil in lightly wooded and cool areas. Slow to establish, Peruvian lilies can disappear or... become invasive! Quirky but fantastic plants, very sensitive to growing conditions, they are "indestructible" when you find the right spot for them. Horticulturists have been working for a few years to develop more reliable and resistant varieties to our wet and cold winters. The 'Sweet Laura' cultivar is the result of a selection program developed in the U.S.A by Cornell University in New York. The male parent of this unique variety is the Alstroemeria caryophyllacea, a much less known Brazilian species, sensitive to cold but with a surprisingly carnation-like fragrance.

'Sweet Laura' quickly forms dense, compact clumps, consisting of many sturdy leafy stems reaching about 70 cm (28in) tall when in bloom, with a spread of 50cm. Flowering takes place from June-July to late September, if the soil remains moist. Each flower stalk carries 8 to 10 flowers. The small 4 cm (2in) flowers, delicate and light, are gathered in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 small central petals of bright yellow, speckled with brown-purple, surrounded by 3 slightly wider petals, of the same bright yellow, but touched with orange at their tips. The reverse of the petals is tinged with mahogany. The foliage, quite abundant in this variety, is arranged along the stems. The leaves are a bright green, with a satin-like appearance. The foliage and stems disappear in winter, leaving only the slightly trailing stump with fleshy roots underground. The roots are sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

Unlike typical varieties, Alstroemeria 'Sweet Laura' has retained the charm of wild species. Its light flowering, although brightly coloured, is easier to combine with other plants in the garden. When well established, this exuberant plant offers a magnificent spectacle on the edge of borders, in a pot on the patio, or on a partially shaded slope. In the garden, it pairs well, for example, with agapanthus (Golden Drop, Silver Moon), Lycoris, and Crocosmia. It can also be combined with grasses; Stipa, small Miscanthus, or Muhlenbergia capillaris will accompany its flowering in late summer with their beautiful foliage and flowers.