Alstroemeria Inticancha Magic White - Peruvian Lily

The Alstromère or Alstroemeria Inticancha Magic White, with its pure white satin flowers delicately speckled with brown, is perhaps the brightest Inca lily in the Inticancha® series. Its flowers bloom continuously from June to October, on a compact plant that will form a true cushion of flowers in pots and garden beds. Particularly robust and floriferous, it withstands inclement weather well and looks good in open ground in rockeries or sunny borders. Not very hardy, this perennial plant is easy to grow as an annual and requires very little maintenance for fantastic results. It will thrive in partial shade or morning sun, in light, not too dry soil.

The Alstroemeria Inticancha^® Magic White is a recent variety, resulting from the hybridization of several tuberous species native to South America, particularly the Chilean Andes. These high-altitude plants belonging to the amaryllidaceae family are more or less hardy, appreciate cool, well-drained soil in lightly wooded and fresh areas. Slow to establish, they can disappear or become invasive! Capricious but fantastic plants, very sensitive to growing conditions, they are "indestructible" once you have found the right spot for them. The word "inticancha" means "temple of the sun" in the Inca language.

'Inticancha^® Magic White', like all plants in the Inticancha^® series, is not difficult to grow in good potting soil. The plant quickly forms bushy clumps of leafy stems reaching 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) in height when flowering, with a spread of 30 cm (12in). Flowering takes place from June to October-November. The open flowers, 4 cm (2in) wide, are gathered in terminal umbels. They consist of 3 small central petals, white shaded with purple and finely streaked with brown, surrounded by 3 larger, lanceolate petals of pure white. The flower's centre has violet stamens. Each plant can produce at least 30 flowers. The foliage is arranged on the upper part of the stems. The leaves of this variety are medium green. The foliage and stems disappear in winter, leaving only the underground stump with fleshy roots that can withstand frosts down to -5/-8°C. The stump is sensitive to the shock of transplantation, especially in older plants.

The Alstroemeria 'Inticancha^® Magic White' is a superb variety for decorative potted plants and cut flowers. On the terrace or balcony, it forms a flower bouquet that rivals the brightness of balcony geraniums. In beds, this plant will go well with rustic orchids (Bletilla), complementary grasses; Stipa, small Miscanthus or Muhlenbergia capillaris will accompany its bright flowers with their foliage and magnificent late-season blooms. You can also plant a basket of silver, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, with intense blue flowers and red foliage in October, at its feet. A marvel!

Note: Please be aware that our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, repot and store them in shelters (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C for a few weeks before planting them outdoors once the risk of frost has definitively passed.