Allium Bulbs
Allium is a fall bulb, and is also known as “flowering onion”. With almost four hundred decorative Allium varieties it is not difficult to choose at least one that you’ll like in your garden.
Yes, Allium come from the same family as onions and garlic, but its flowers are far too beautiful to be compared to onions really.
This plant offers lots of colors, sizes and shapes, which is why it is so popular among gardeners.
Its flowers will look great, not only on your flower beds, but also in vases to decorate the rooms of your house, and it is even possible to keep them as a dried flowers decorations.
This plant is not troublesome when it comes to unwanted insects in your garden, it’s pest free and disease resistant.
Moreover, the slight smell of onion (which is usually noticed when the plant is damaged or bruised) is probably unpleasant for rodents and deer, so you do not have to protect your Allium from the attack of animals. If an animal is exceptionally hungry they may eat them, but Alliums will be their last preference.
Planting Allium Bulbs
When planting Allium bulbs choose a place that receives full sun.
This is a very convenient characteristic of Alliums as most plants require partial shading, and it is difficult to fill open full sun areas of your garden. Make sure the soil you are going to use is well drained.
The holes for the bulbs should be three times wider than the circumference of the bulbs and three times deeper than their length.
In case you want to plant a group of Alliums, depending on the size of the plants, arrange the planting holes five to twelve inches from each other.
Best Soil for Allium Bulbs
For fertilizing the soil spread mulch, wood chips or compost all over the planting space. After the Allium stop blooming, add a nice fertilizer to enrich the soil, but make sure to read the instructions carefully before using substances you are not familiar with.
A general fertilizer like 12-12-12 will be quite suitable for this purpose: it will provide all sorts of necessary nutrients to make sure the plants will bloom next year.
Varieties
Here is a list of names of some varieties for you to search for in the search box at this link.
Allium – Atropurpureum
Zones: 4 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Blue Drumstick
Zones: 4 to 8
Sun: Full Sun
Allium – Drumsticks
Allium sphaerocephalon ‘Drumsticks’
Zones: 5 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Fireworks – Mixed Colors
Allium ‘Fireworks Assorted’
Zones: 4 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Gladiator
Zones: 4 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Globemaster
Zones: 4 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Mount Everest
Zones: 3 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Purple and White – Mixed Colors
Zones: 3 to -8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Purple Sensation
Allium aflatunenense ‘Purple Sensation’
Zones: 3 to 8
Partial sun to full sun
Allium – Roseum
Zones: 4 to 9
Partial shade to full sun
Allium – Silver Spring
Zones: 4 to 8
Full sun
Tips
As mentioned before, Allium looks excellent when cut and put into a vase or used as a part of a flower composition. Make sure to cut only the flower stem though.
It is necessary to keep the leaves on the plant as they provide the components necessary for the plant to bloom during next year. The foliage can be removed after its green color turns brown or yellow.
One more important thing to remember: Allium should be planted in the fall, but keep in mind that different species of this plant have different flowering periods.
Some of them bloom in summer, while the others flower in spring. Usually smaller varieties get their flowers in spring, and in summer you can enjoy the bigger plants.
According to your garden and personal preferences, choose the right sorts of Allium bulbs, paying attention to their heights, blooming period, and color of the flowers.
Summary
Allium bulb, flowering onion, has many colours, shapes and sizes.
Allium plants are pest and disease free as well as being deer and rodent resistant. They make beautiful cut and dried flowers.
The larger bulbs should be planted six to eight inches deep and eight to ten inches apart. The smaller bulbs should be planted four to five inches deep and three to four inches apart.
Allium prefers a rich well drained soil and lots of sun. They will bloom anywhere from May to August depending on the variety. These will do well in zones three to ten. Check the variety for the variations mentioned above.