Alstroemeria

The hardest-working flower-per-dollar in the catalog. Alstroemeria — Peruvian lily — branches each stem into clusters of small lily-form blooms, freckled at the throat, with five or more flowers open at once and buds behind them. Two weeks of vase life and nine color options make it the backbone of subscription and supermarket programs worldwide, but designers who dismiss it as a grocery flower miss the trick: massed in a single color, alstroemeria builds a textured dome that reads far above its price.

The grow story

Sourced from our curated partner growers in the Ecuadorian and Colombian highlands. Fillers and foliage may grow at lower altitudes than roses, but the cold-chain integrity and grading standards remain consistent with our own production. Alstroemeria is a true Andean native — it was growing on these slopes before there was a flower trade — and the cool highland nights are what build its famous vase life and saturated freckled throats.

At a glance

Best for

Subscription and retail programs where week-two appearance decides renewals, massed monochrome designs, the middle layer of mixed arrangements, and budget event work that still needs to photograph richly. The Andean heritage is a story worth telling at the register. Pair it with focals from our wholesale rose range.

Pairs beautifully with

• Vi Pink (clear pink rose) for the tonal build
• Shimmer (peach-coral) to warm the register
• Spray Carnation for a second long-life cluster stem
• Limonium for purple mist between blooms
• Ruscus for deep green framing that outlasts everything

Care notes

The known quirk: alstroemeria foliage yellows days before the flowers fade. Strip most of the leaves at processing — the blooms last longer and the arrangement never shows the yellowing. Pull stems rather than cutting where possible at the farm level; in the shop, re-cut at 45° and hydrate with preservative. Moderately ethylene-sensitive; hold at 34–38°F. Sap can irritate sensitive skin — gloves for high-volume processing.

What working pros say

"Alstro is the renewal engine of my subscription business. Roses win the unboxing photo; alstroemeria wins the second month's payment."

— Studio florist, Grand Rapids (14 yrs experience)

"Strip the leaves and it's a different flower. Naked stems, massed twenty deep in one color — clients guess triple what I paid."

— Event florist, El Paso (9 yrs experience)