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Common Name: ALSTROEMERIA 
Botanical Name: Alstroemeria
Nickname (s) : Peruvian Lily
Origin: Of South American origin, Alstroemeria--also known as Peruvian Lily--is a member of the Amaryllidaceae family and is related to the Onion, Daffodil, Agapanthus and Nerine. Brought to Europe in the 18th century to be named by the renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus, Alstroemerias are now grown internationally
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Lasting Quality: They're ethylene-sensitive flowers, but with proper care and handling, alstroemerias may attain a vase life of 6-14 days, depending upon the cultivar. Avoid buying flowers with yellowing or transparent leaves; these are signs of ethylene damage
Design Techniques: Alstroemerias are exceedingly versatile flowers--in terms of both color and form. Always a perfect color highlight for seasonal vase arrangements, they also serve as lovely line flowers in more contemporary arrangements, and--in a short-stemmed cluster--as vivid focal areas.The Peruvian Lily flower has a semi heart-shaped bloom. A single stem has an average of 3-5 flowers with bright petals that are often two-toned and freckled. They would add stunning color to any wedding bouquet, table centerpiece or flower arrangement Stripping the foliage is often advisable, since it will yellow long before the flowers fade
Preservation Quality: Delivered closed, will take few days to open
How Packaged: 10 stem bunches
Size: Clusters of 4-6 delicate trumpet-shaped, lily-like flowers.
Each about 1.5"-2.5" across, on deep green leafy stems 12"-36" long
Available colors: Alstroemerias come in a wide range of colors, including white, pink, yellow, salmon, red, lavender, orange, bronze and bicolors
When you purchase fresh flowers in bulk...They come to you just as the Florist receives them, and they
usually don't look like the ones in the Florist's cooler
Your Florist may go through several bunches to select the "Right flowers" for a specific arrangement
As a Florist for over 25 years, I believe each flower is beautiful and has a place somewhere in your flower arranging plans - the bouquet, corsages, cake flowers...
Enjoy your flowers!
The HOW TO SHEET... Prepare & Care for Freshly Cut Bulk ALSTROEMERIA
Bulk flowers are cut and shipped directly from the grower or distributor to your door overnight. They come to you just as a Florist receives them
* Dry cut
* Packed tight
* Blooms vary within bunch
* Sometimes a bloom or two is broken off within a bunch
* By buying "in bulk" you do the work the Florist must do to get your Field Packed flowers to look like the ones they sell in their shops, saving you money!
When Your Flowers Arrive, You Need To
* Remove the plastic sleeve from the bunch
*Remove the rubber band or twisty-tie from the bunch
*Now you can work on one stem at a time...
To prepare ALSTROEMERIA
* Remove the leaves from the bottom of the stem so they won't be submerged under water--the leaves carry bacteria and if submerged in water, the bacteria will grow and shorten the life of your flowers
* Do NOT remove too many leaves because they help support the life of your flowers, remove only what is necessary
* Cut 1 inch off the stem using a sharp knife or scissors
* Place each stem in a large container filled with 6 inches or more of warm water with a packet of flower food for every bunch (Clean trash cans work great!!)
* Keep container at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours to 'HARDEN' ** see below
* If blooms need to open fully, leave out in room temperature
* If the stems are not going to be used immediately as a hand-out or in an arrangement, you can place them in a regular refrigerator... CAUTION: One Rule MUST be followed!!!
No fruit or vegetables are allowed in the refrigerator with fresh flowers
WHY? Because fruits and veggies emit an ethylene gas that 'puts the flowers to sleep'!!
Droopy heads are NOT pretty!
**HARDENING YOUR FLOWERS... ABOUT YOUR WATER...
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Means getting them to drink water and food immediately, since they haven't had any since the dry cut procedure in the field.
This 'hardens' / prolongs the life of the flowers to their optimum. The flower life support needs water and food constantly. They are always thirsty!!! |
Distilled or bottled water is best for your flowers. Avoid using tap water from your sink or commercial water softner. We have tested tap water in our city (we have good drinking water) and were surprised at how a flower's life differed from one part of the city to another. When we had the water analyzed, it had different concentrations of chemicals and the flower's life span was shorter than when using distilled or bottled water. |
HISTORY / LEGENDS OF ALSTROEMERIA
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