Cultivating Alonsoa (Mask Flower) and Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily): Summer Bloomers for Borders and Bouquets

Alonsoa (mask flower) and **Alstroemeria** (Peruvian lily) both deliver months of vivid color—one as a bushy annual, the other as a long-lived perennial cut-flower star.

Alonsoa: The Underused Annual

• Half-hardy perennial grown as annual. 9–18″, smothered in 1″ tubular flowers (red, orange, pink) all summer if deadheaded.
• Culture: Rich, firm soil. Full sun. Water in drought. Deadhead daily for non-stop bloom.
• Sow: Mar indoors (60°F). Prick out 2″. Harden off. Plant late May.
• Bonus: Aug/Sept sowing → overwinter cool → early spring flowers.

Alstroemeria: The Cut-Flower Champion

• Fleshy-rooted perennial. 2–3′, lily-like clusters (endless colors). Blooms late spring–frost.
• Culture: Sun, light well-drained soil. Cold zones: south wall, 5″+ soil over roots for frost protection.
• Establishment: Slow. Year 1 = few stems. Improves yearly. Don't disturb.
• Plant: October best.
• Propagation: Division (Oct, at planting). Seed (Mar, cool GH) — slow to flower.

Vase Life

Alstroemeria lasts 10–14 days cut. Pull stems (don't cut) to stimulate new growth. No floral preservative needed.