Last spring, I planted 1 each of Alstroemerias 'Mauve Majesty' and 'Tangerine Tango'. The catalog description said they take time to settle in, and are not an instant gratification plant. 'Tangerine Tango' did seem to fit that description, as while it did remain healthy and green all summer, and did put on some new growth, that was about it. 'Mauve Majesty' however, did start blooming in mid summer, and didn't stop until freezing weather.

As vigorous and beautiful as it was, I've had my fingers crossed it would survive the winter. Today I discovered that both have survived, and have lots of growth pips just ready to emerge! As rough as this winter was, I was a little worried.

'Mauve Majesty' may have just become one of my top 5 favorite perennials! Hoping 'Tangerine Tango' takes off this year- by the number of pips, I'm feeling good about it. Those babies just earned a nice side dressing of manure! LOL

I got my first plant last Spring and I'm hoping it might want to bloom this year.

Which one did you plant, Anne? I purchased them through Brent and Becky's Bulbs, where did you get yours?

I don't have a clue .. I received it as a trade. I was warned that they can get out of hand rather quickly so I stuck mine in a large pot.

There's one called 'Sweet Laura' that has been around for quite a while now, and is hardy. I've heard that one can spread quite a bit.

All of yours are so beautiful! I love bi/tri colored flowers. I'll probably end up getting more once I learn their habits.

That's a smart move, get to know the plant before investing in others. I had grown tender varieties a couple of times, and was impressed by the constant bloom. Finding those traits in winter hardy plant puts me over the moon!

I only have the 2 at this point, but have noticed that Lazy S's greenhouse offers several varieties that would be hardy in my zone, and more that would be hardy in zone 8a.

A very cool thing about Mauve Majesty last year was the longevity of the individual blooms. At first a flowering stem arose and started opening its buds. While those blooms were showy, a whole new stalk developed, and by the time those first blooms faded, the 2nd stalk was in bloom. Once it started, it was colorful until hard frost. And by the end of summer, it was producing 3 blooming stalks at a time.

Wow! That sounds amazing!

Neal, thanks for showing 'Sweet Laura'. Another to add to the list.

You're welcome ,Evan, I believe Lazy S's is offering it, as well as some others. Has your Mauve Majesty shown signs of growth yet? Oh, and did you try Tangerine Tango?

Mauve Majesty didn't make it through the winter Neal. I've just never gotten around to giving any of the Alstroemeria another try. I have a few raised bed areas where I'll add some this spring. MM is definitely worth trying again.

Bummer! Sorry to hear that. Are you thinking the site was too wet? We had record breaking cold temps this winter, but it was while we had 18" of snow cover, so everything appears to have survived the winter under all that insulation.

Glad to see you have survivors Neal. I have to admit I was pretty excited when these were introduced but I've yet to purchase any. Picked up a $5 bouquet of yellow Alstroemerias the other night at the grocery and it had me thinking about them again. We're in the same zone with similar winters so I might just have to indulge. BTW I wasn't aware of Sweet Laura, definitely like that one!

Sweet Laura was offered by a lot of vendors for a few years, then I just stopped seeing it. There is also a form of S.L. with variegated foliage.

MM and TT were more than I typically will spend on a 2" pot- about $12 each. Now I'm really glad I did, they both are looking vigorous so far. I got them from Brent and Becky's, and they also have a peachy colored one called Inca Ice listed as hardy to zone 5. Lazy S's offers all 3 of them too.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I recall some really lofty prices on Mauve Majesty those first couple of years. I was willing to pay but hesitant to trust in the hardiness. Considering prices of around $50, it wasn't a gamble I wanted to dive in on right away.

Prices you mention and others I've found are quite reasonable compared so I'm going to jump in and try at least one variety.

I think I purchased MM from B&B. It was pretty small but increased nicely producing a few umbels for . I put it in an area which I had just regraded next to a walkway and as it turned out, a low spot. I'm hoping that may have been the culprit.

This is the only pic I could find to show how much it increased. Behind the Calla leaf and between the two Iris. Far right.

Wow! Yours did spread out a lot! And that garden space is so gorgeous- well done! How odd that it was so vigorous and didn't make it, although too much winter moisture would likely do them in.

This was in 2012/13 and that area was one big puddle or ice rink on and off all winter.

Well, I just got some...
Casablanca, Mauve Majesty, and two different Pacific Sunset pinks from Edelweiss Perennials, deep- 4" pots ($9.50 to 12.50 each) bursting with growth, really good shape, healthy, and well packed...planted last weekend and today it is sleeting and slushing on them and they don't look very happy right now we'll see soon enough...
Meanwhile, I am ecstatic about the measurable moisture, even in that form, because we really need it!

http://www.edelweissperennials...
I just checked and they are still offering the variegated form of Sweet Laura if anyone is interested...

Wonderful! I'm excited to find out how they perform, and I gotta check out the selection! I recall looking at their site a while back and had forgotten they offer Alstroemeria.