Alstroemeria ‘Saturne’ (Peruvian Lily)

Cheerful and exotic looking, Alstroemeria ‘Saturne’ (Peruvian Lily) is a vigorous perennial with warm coral-pink flowers, interestingly heart-shaped at their tips. Their inner petals are adorned with dark burgundy streaks and a bright golden-yellow flash. Compact and mound-forming, ‘Saturne’ blooms profusely for weeks above a handsome foliage of lance-shaped, dark green leaves.

‘Saturne’ belongs to the Planet Series, bred in France by Ernest Turc, a series which includes many brightly colored cultivars. 2 of them, ‘Cahors’ and ‘Sirius’, have received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.

• Blooming from early summer to early fall, this Peruvian Lily constitutes an excellent border plant, providing striking color and contrast to the perennial border and mixing beautifully with annuals and other summer flowering bulbs. It is well suited to containers, small gardens lacking space, and to the cutting garden as it makes excellent fresh-cut flowers. Great as accent plants (plant a minimum of 3 plants for best visual impact), spectacular in mass plantings.
• Growing up to 28 in. tall (70 cm) on stems clad with narrow green leaves, it performs best in full sun or light shade and enjoys fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Good moisture is required and dry soils should be avoided. Select a spot that is sheltered from the wind. Hardy once established it will need mulching through winter
• Reliable, easy to grow, low maintenance, beloved by butterflies and other pollinators but ignored by deer.
• Generally disease free. May be damaged by slugs.
• Pull stems from the base to promote new blooms (instead of cutting). Deadhead the spent flowers to prevent this plant from multiplying too much via self-seeding.
• Propagate by division in fall or very early spring.
• Contact may cause skin allergies.

Alstroemeria plants are tuberous perennials originating from South America. An essential component of many bouquets thanks to their long vase life (over 2 weeks), Peruvian Lilies are striking beauties that also deserve a spot outdoors. Borne in loose clusters, their 2 in. (5 cm) exotic blossoms are often streaked or freckled and are available in a fabulous range of colors. Resembling lilies with their attractive trumpet-like flowers, they do not grow from true bulbs but rather grow from tuberous roots which spread outward, gradually increasing the plant size each year. There are many varieties of Peruvian Lilies: some as low-growing (up to 12 in. or 30 cm) while others can be as tall as 3 feet high (90 cm). Some are hardier than others. You will have to be careful in your selection.