Alstroemeria Pitchounes Charlotte®

Alstroemeria Pitchounes Charlotte® is a miniature Inca Lily, selected for its particularly long flowering, its very compact habit and its suitability for flowering pots as well as in borders. Its soft to fresh pink flowers, brightened by a lighter centre, possess all the charm of large alstroemerias in a format better suited to small spaces. It is a generous variety, with a neat appearance, very decorative throughout the summer.

This variety belongs to the Alstroemeriaceae family. It is commonly called alstroemeria, Inca Lily or Peruvian Lily. Alstroemeria Charlotte® is a horticultural cultivar obtained in France by Turcieflor, a specialist grower of alstroemeria from Angers. It is part of the Pitchounes series, which brings together dwarf varieties, selected for their floribundus nature and small growth.
Cultivated alstroemerias derive from South American species, often Andean, distributed in the wild mainly in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, depending on the species. They are tuberous perennials: their fleshy roots store reserves, then regrow each year.
‘Charlotte’ forms a low, dense, rounded clump, 20 to 25 cm in height and about 30 cm in width. Its growth is fairly rapid in fertile soil. Its short and robust stems withstand bad weather well. The medium green, somewhat glaucous foliage is composed of narrow, elongated, flexible leaves arranged along the stems. Flowering begins in June and continues until early autumn. The flowers, approximately 4 cm in diameter, are grouped at the ends of the stems. They display pink tones, a whiter heart and fine, darker spots on the inner petals, and a small yellow touch at the throat. 
The hardiness of this variety is limited to only -5 °C. In regions with colder winters, it must be grown in a pot so it can be overwintered frost-free, in a cold greenhouse, a bright conservatory or a light, unheated room.

Inca Lily ‘Charlotte’ should be planted where its flowering can truly be appreciated: on a windowsill in a large planter, a flowering bowl, a low border or in the foreground of a flower bed. In cold climates, grow it in a pot and bring it indoors before heavy frosts. To accompany it, one might choose, for example, the luminous and flexible Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’, Heuchera ‘Marmalade’, with its coppery leaves, light and compact Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Little Bunny’, or Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’, an excellent variegated groundcover.

At Turcieflor, the Pitchounes were named in honour of the children and grandchildren of the family, giving this line of miniature varieties a very personal history.