Laura Grant's highly developed method of protecting in-ground geophytes well north of their hardiness zone is described in the Bulb Garden article on autumnal bulbs. I can't recall whether it's in the most recently mailed one or the one that comes out next. As for the question that started this thread, about growing Alstroemeria (species not mentioned) in southwest Michigan, it's important to know that this is a large genus distributed across quite a range of habitats. You will see them anywhere from rainforest-like conditions to rocky Pacific beaches to the lower end of the Andean alpine zone to Nothofagus forest in Patagonia. Correspondents have identified A. ligtu (note spelling) as a likely candidate, which is probably right as it's been in cultivation a long time, but it has several subspecies that grow at different elevations. The southernmost showy species is A. aurea, also in cultivation to some extent and an underground spreader like A. ligtu, and tolerant of summer moisture (the southernmost species, if it's still considered an Alstroemeria, is A. patagonica, a tiny orange-yellow flowering one). Aside from A. ligtu, alstros available in commerce at this time are mostly the "Princess Lily" hybrid strain developed for bedding-out and container culture. I don't know what their ancestry is, but judging from the compact habit and type of foliage, it likely involves A. pelegrina, an entirely frost-tender species. I tried a few of these hybrids and found they did not survive in the garden at temperatures below 25 degrees F, but they had no overhead protection. Another species well known in gardens is A. pulchella (distinct from A. pulchra!), a moist-grower suitable for mixed borders. Alstros do not have "bulbs" in any broad sense. Their underground system is more like that of a dahlia, with several storage tubers attached more or less delicately to a central crown from which the leaves and flowering stems grow. These structures are easily damaged during dormancy by handling or desiccation. (In nature, species native to arid regions keep their storage structures very deep underground, often under rocks.) In some species, I think A. ligtu for example, a tuber itself can eventually produce growth, but in others you need a growing point (crown). For this reason, raising them from seed is the best way to obtain young plants suitable for the garden, if your garden is in a hospitable climate. The "Ligtu hybrids" apparently involve various subspecies and were selected for a range of colors. Of the subspecies, I've grown subsp. simsii and subsp. incarnata. The latter (which may have recently undergone a name change) is quite beautiful and thrived for years on a meter+-high sand-and-gravel berm with occasional temperatures in the teens Fahrenheit and episodic winter snow, but I was unable to relocate it to my present, warmer garden. The latter now has A. angustifolia, which is not very bright, and A. revoluta, which got there by accident somehow and survives in rich border conditions, and some A. ligtu simsii recently installed from seed. I haven't yet checked this year to see if some A. aurea planted in the shrubbery is emerging. I hope this is helpful. If you live in California, just try to grow all of them. Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA On 4/27/2022 7:43 PM, Garak via pbs wrote: > I've looked up southwest Michigan as 6b and you're right, that seems a > bit cold, though continental snow covered could mean all the > difference here. One could try with the old A. lightu hybrids, they > should be able to take a little more cold than the modern colorful > varieties. > > Martin > > Am 28.04.2022 um 02:23 schrieb Marc Rosenblum via pbs: >> >> I believe you are outside the hardiness range for alstroemeria; which >> means you will have to replace it each year unless you grow it in >> pots and give it winter protection. >> >> Many mail order nurseries sell it including Digging Dog Nursery in >> California, and Edelweiss Farms in Oregon. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pbs mailing list >> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net >> http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… >> Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> >> > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>