Peruvian Lily 'Summer Sky'

Alstroemeria 'Summer Sky' is a beautiful tuberous perennial that offers a long season of interest in the UK garden. It produces clusters of elegant, lily-like flowers that are a soft, pale pink with white throats and distinct dark brown flecks or 'whiskers' on the inner petals. This cultivar is part of a trend towards more hardy and compact alstroemerias, reaching about 60cm in height. It is remarkably long-flowering, often starting in June and continuing right through until October or the first frosts. Its tubers are deep-seated, which helps it to be more hardy (H4) than many older cultivars, though a mulch in winter is still recommended in colder parts of Britain. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded spot in fertile, well-drained soil. One of its best features is its suitability for cutting; the flowers have an incredible vase life. To encourage more blooms, 'pull' the stems from the base rather than cutting them.

Sun: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained loam.

Hardiness: H4 — down to −10°C.

Flowering: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.