Alstroemeria ‘Summer Paradise Summer Sky’

We’ve been really impressed with this one in our perennial section. ‘Summer Sky’ is a fantastic garden performer, producing clusters of bright white, funnel-shaped flowers from early summer right through to the first frosts. Each bloom has a lovely soft-yellow throat with delicate light-brown flecks, held on strong, upright stems with dark green, lance-shaped leaves. It’s a reliable source of fresh flowers for the house, lasting for weeks in a vase.

This is a clump-forming perennial that will reach about 70cm in height. It has a tidy, compact habit that doesn’t get out of hand. For the best results, plant it in a spot that gets full sun or partial shade in fertile, moist, but well-drained soil. It’s not keen on waterlogged conditions, so good drainage is important, especially over winter.

It’s an easy-care plant once established. The best way to deadhead is to pull the whole spent flower stem from the base with a gentle tug; this encourages more flowers to grow. After the flowering has finished in autumn, you can cut the plant back to ground level. It’s a great choice for adding long-lasting colour to borders or large pots on the patio.