Flowers for the summer

Margaret Griffin

Alstroemerias are great plants for the gardener who wants colour for the longest season possible. In the right place, they will start flowering in June and carry on until October.

Commonly called the Peruvian Lily, alstroemeria thrive in any garden's soil and are one of the easiest of all the lilies to grow.

A breakthrough in compact elegance for your garden or a pot, these gorgeous dwarf alstroemerias will flower all summer long and delight with their bright colours and easy care habit.

They will perform equally well in a pot or at the front of your garden and look amazing when grouped for more impact. The dwarf varieties are best for Irish gardens as the wind does not affect them very much. They are extremely hardy and survive previous harsh winters. The foliage disappears for winter and next spring a whole new plant will emerge bigger and better than ever.

The Inticancha range is a new range of Peruvian Lily which has been bred for a tidy, ultra-compact habit, long and profuse flowering and non-invasive habit. While great for gardens and containers, the Inticancha range also offer stunning blooms for picking with exceptional vase life.

The colours available are amazing, ranging from red or lemon to multi-coloured flowers. A fine border plant which will flower for about five months of the year, these hardy Peruvian lilies are compact with an upright habit, ensuring that stems are still a good length for cutting.

The nursery at Griffins grows the most popular, vibrant colours that will bring lots of blooms and colour to your garden or patio.

Here are our top varieties:

• Alstromeria Inticancha Bryce

• Alstroemeria Inticancha Maya

• Alstromeria Sunshine

This beautiful collection of alstroemeria includes many varieties that will produce an abundance of flowers for many months, from early summer right through to the first frosts. These prolific flowering plants will grow up to a height of 60-70cm but remain compact, making them ideal for planting in containers, patio pots or in the borders. This collection includes Summer Relieve (orange-red), and Summer Saint (mauve and yellow).

In order to keep them repeat flowering, remove the whole stem at the base once the flower on it has finished - this will initiate more stem producing more flowers.

Remember that all alstromerias grow well in sun or speckled shade, in a fertile moist and humus rich soil with adequate drainage. They are so easy to grow and rewards you with masses of blooms.

My top tip is to keep dead heading alstromeria and they will keep on flowering.

If you would like advice to create a beautiful cottage harden border or any garden advice bring photos on your phone to our design team at Griffins Garden Centre or phone 021-7334286.

This is an evening of chat with some of Dripsey's most inspirational women to raise money for Breakthrough Cancer. The keynote speaker is the positive economist Susan Hayes Culleton and the event takes place today, Thursday 20 June, at 8pm. For more information, visit griffinsgardencentre.ie or contact Liz on 086-0749709.