---
title: "Alstroemeria: vase life, season, meaning & care | Floreboard flower guide"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/alstroemeria/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-31
publisher: Floreboard
---

# Alstroemeria: vase life, season, meaning and care for florists

  ZANDER 5D
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  ⨂ 10–14 days
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Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria, family Alstroemeriaceae) usually lasts 10–14 days in a vase. In season: Year-round. Fragrance: none. Typical role in a design: filler flower.

- **Botanical name:** Alstroemeria

- **Family:** Alstroemeriaceae

- **Accepted name:** Alstroemeria L. [POWO](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:326331-2) · [GBIF](https://www.gbif.org/species/2753642) · [Catalogue of Life](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/8VTMQ)

- **Role in a design:** Filler flower

- **Vase life:** 10–14 days

- **In season:** Year-round

- **Fragrance:** None

- **Colours:** [pink](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/pink/), [white](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/white/), [yellow](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/yellow/), [orange](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/orange/), [red](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/red/), [purple](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-color/purple/)

- **Meaning:** Friendship and devotion

- **Type:** Cut flower

- **Pets:** Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA entry: Alstroemeria)

## Cut flower commercial monograph

    🌿 Taxonomy & Origin

- **Official name:** Alstroemeria

- **Botanical name:** Alstroemeria

- **Family:** Alstroemeriaceae

- **Aliases:** None

- **Native origin:** Temperate and subtropical regions worldwide

    🌸 Morphology & Visuals

- **Growth habit:** Herbaceous perennial or biennial with sturdy, upright flowering stems.

- **Stem length:** 70–90 cm

- **Natural colours:** Pink, White, Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple

    ⏳ Phenology & Harvest

- **Natural bloom:** Natural flowering in spring and summer

- **Commercial supply:** Available year-round via commercial greenhouse production

- **Harvest stage:** Cut when the first lower bud is swollen, showing colour, but not yet split.

    ✂️ Postharvest & Floristry

- **Vase life:** 10–14 days

- **Cold storage:** Cold storage suitable (2–5°C constant temperature, high humidity).

- **Special care:** The leaves yellow long before the flowers fade: strip most of them. Pull out spent florets and the next buds open. The sap can irritate skin.

- **Application:** Serves primarily as Filler flower in modern floristry, ideal for table arrangements and event designs.

- **Market notes:** Alstroemeria is highly sensitive to ethylene; store away from fruit and fading flowers. The leaves yellow long before the flowers fade: strip most of them. Pull out spent florets and the next buds open. The sap can irritate skin.

For florists

## Try Alstroemeria in a client design

We fill in the brief from this page. No stock yet? Load the sample flowers — Alstroemeria included — and see a recipe, quote and preview image in about a minute. New shops get 30 free credits.

Try it as a design — free

## Care and conditioning

- The leaves yellow long before the flowers fade: strip most of them. Pull out spent florets and the next buds open. The sap can irritate skin.
- Alstroemeria is sensitive to ethylene: store and display it away from ripening fruit, fading flowers and exhaust fumes, or it will drop florets and wilt early.

## Where it fits

| Use |   | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hospital visits and condolences | ✓ | Not strongly scented and no heavy pollen. Check that the ward accepts fresh flowers. |
| Weddings | ✓ | No pollen staining, and it lasts long enough to make up a day ahead. |
| Dining tables and restaurants | ✓ | Little or no scent, so it will not compete with the meal. |
| Homes with cats or dogs | ✓ | Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs (entry: Alstroemeria). Check the other stems in the bouquet too. |
| Making ahead and next-day delivery | ✓ | Long-lasting (about 10–14 days) — good for orders prepared ahead and weekly contract flowers. |

## Pairs well with

These are available at the same time as alstroemeria and have a similar vase life (foliage lasts at least as long), so the arrangement ages evenly:

| Flower | Role | Vase life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Carnation](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/carnation/) | Focal flower | 10–14 days |
| [Bird of paradise](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/strelitzia/) | Focal flower | 10–14 days |
| [Orchids (cut)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/orchid/) | Focal flower | 10–21 days |
| [Eucalyptus](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/eucalyptus/) | Foliage | 10–14 days |
| [Monstera leaf](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/monstera/) | Foliage | 10–14 days |
| [Asparagus fern](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/asparagus/) | Foliage | 10–14 days |

## Substitutes

When alstroemeria is unavailable, out of season or priced up before a holiday, these fill the same role at the same time of year:

| Flower | Vase life | In season | Fragrance | Pets |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Statice](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/statice/) | 10–14 days | Year-round | None | — |
| [Craspedia (billy buttons)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/craspedia/) | 10–14 days | Year-round | None | — |
| [Globe amaranth](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/gomphrena/) | 10–14 days | Summer, Autumn | None | — |
| [Bouvardia](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/bouvardia/) | 7–10 days | Year-round | Light | — |

## FAQ

### How long does alstroemeria last in a vase?

Usually 10–14 days, depending on variety, origin and conditioning.

### When is alstroemeria in season?

It is available year-round.

### How do you keep alstroemeria fresh?

The leaves yellow long before the flowers fade: strip most of them. Pull out spent florets and the next buds open. The sap can irritate skin.

### What does alstroemeria symbolise?

Friendship and devotion. Flower meanings are popular conventions and vary between cultures.

### What colours does alstroemeria come in?

Naturally in pink, white, yellow, orange, red, purple (not counting dyed stems).

### What can I use instead of alstroemeria?

Flowers with the same role, an overlapping season and a similar vase life: Statice, Craspedia (billy buttons), Globe amaranth, Bouvardia.

## Related guides

- [Cut flower care and conditioning guide](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/cut-flower-care/)
- [Unscented and low-pollen flowers](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/unscented-flowers/)
- [Cut flower vase life chart](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flower-vase-life/)
- [Longest-lasting cut flowers](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/long-lasting-flowers/)
- [Flower meanings: the language of flowers](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flower-meanings/)

## In season at the same time

[Rose](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/rose/) · [Lily](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/lily/) · [Carnation](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/carnation/) · [Gerbera daisy](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/gerbera/) · [Lisianthus](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/lisianthus/) · [Baby's breath](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/gypsophila/) · [Bird of paradise](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/strelitzia/) · [Orchids (cut)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/orchid/)

Last reviewed: 2026-10-31. Reference values from common trade practice. Real results vary with variety, origin and conditioning. Pet toxicity follows the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plants list. [ASPCA](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants) · [About our data](https://floreboard.com/en/about/)