My Corner Online

Flower Index Index by Family Set 1 Set 2 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6

Allium | Ornamental Onions

First Bloom Dates:

2019 April 26

2022 May 6

2023 April 17

2024 April 13 | 2024 May 31 (drumstick)

Painting Allium Flowers

I also made a video in 2020 about how to paint Alliums as garden decorations.

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Allium | Ornamental Onions

Pronounced AL-ee-um (although I say Al-yum)

Allium is the Latin word for garlic. I like to call them "Allium balls" because that is their shape. There are lots of Alliums, but these are Allium balls to me.

Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis family) (Pronounced am-uh-ril-uh-DAY-see-I)

Allium sphaerocephalon (previously Allium sphaerocephalum) | Allium Drumstick

Pronounced AL-ee-um Sfay-roh-SEF-ah-lon

I first planted this in 2020.

The color changes from green to purple.

The leaves look more like onions leaves and it blooms later.

Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation' OR Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'| Persian onion

Pronounced Ah-flat-oo-NEN-say or Holland-dik-um

Many folks call aflatuense and hollandicum synonymous, but they may just be similar.

Hollandicum is native of Holland and is believed to originate in 1963 from a selection by J. Bijl. Aflatunense is native of Iran.

I first planted this in 2019 and again in 2023.

The flower ball is 4"-5" and the plant is 28-30" high

The leaves look more like tulip leaves and blooms early.

'Purple Sensation' is popular and has earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Allium Globe (2019) | Allium Large Flower Mix

The website referenced indicates the species as "globe," but not "globemaster" and I could not find any listed as such so I am not sure what this mix contains.

I planted this in 2019 and I am not sure any of it still remains.

The package indicates the ball is 7"+ and the plant is 32-40" high.

Allium Persian Blue - I no longer have this. It was planted in 2019

Hybrid of Allium christophii and Allium macleani | Allium Globemaster

Pronounced Kkris-TOFF-ee-eye AND Mac-LAYNE-ee-eye

I planted this in 2019 and a few came back for a few years, but then it disappeared.

The ball is 8"-10" and the plant is 34-38" high.

I absolutely loved this Allium and will certainly buy it again when funds allow.

There are SO many species of Allium!

Allium is a bulb. Division can be done by bulb offsets.

The flower is in the shape of an umbrel, although I see it as a big ball) on top of a leafless stem. Leaves are upright, long, and slender.

Alliums can be eaten, but the flavor of them varies widely between species.

They smell like onions or garlic.

The smell is a turn-off for squirrels, deer and rabbits. I wonder then why mine disappear sometimes. I believe some varieties are easier to grow and come back faithfully more than other varieties. Some are finicky with being too wet or too dry and are susceptible to rot.

We have planted Alliums throughout the garden beds and it was beautiful! However, we cannot remember where the bulbs are planted that way and then I believe they are inadvertently destroyed when something else is planted on top of them. I plan to keep them in clumps and to mark them.

Like most all bulbs, the foliage needs to die back so the nutrients go back into the bulb so they will bloom the next year.

2024