Native to the grasslands and forest margins of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, Alstroemeria psittacina has an itinerant history. Carried abroad as an ornamental, it naturalized so enthusiastically in New Zealand, Australia, and parts of the southeastern United States that it is now listed as a weed in New South Wales. In a garden context, that willingness to spread via tubers is an asset rather than a liability, providing the plant is given clear boundaries — a raised bed, a contained border, or a large container where it cannot migrate unchecked.

In zones 7 to 10, the tubers survive temperatures as low as 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit when heavily mulched, which gives it a broader range than many Alstroemeria cultivars. It tolerates some drought once its roots are established, though it performs best in moist, well-drained soil in full to partial sun. Hummingbirds and bees are drawn to the unusual blooms, which appear in clusters of five to seven atop each stem. Division of tubers in winter or very early spring is the simplest means of increase — the plant itself will do the rest without much encouragement.