Allium

An Allium for All Gardens

Several years ago, I saw Allium (Ornamental Onion) in bloom at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. It was a first for me, and I was immediately smitten by the softball-sized purple flowers on tall stems, floating above the surrounding plants. They looked almost other-worldly. I ordered Allium giganteum bulbs and planted them in my own garden.

Allium in a mixed bed at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont NC. It is now known at the Daniel Stowe Conservancy.

The first thing I learned was that tall flowers on skinny stems need to be staked in areas with frequent summer thunderstorms. I hate staking. The second thing I learned was Allium are not long-lived bulbs, or at least they were not for me. By the fourth year, my planting had dwindled down to a single bulb reappearance. By year five they were entirely gone. I was disappointed, but not every plant will thrive in every garden. I decided against replanting them.

Then, Proven Winners™ introduced ‘Millenium’ Ornamental Onion. The garden world was abuzz with enthusiasm, and in 2018 it was named Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. Millenium’s shorter height – just 15 to 20 inches – means no staking. It is adaptable to different soil types, neutral or acidic. It is hardy in zone 4 through 9. All Alliums are deer resistant and are rarely bothered by insects or diseases. Give them full sun. They are drought tolerant.

Although they are bulbs, ‘Millenium’ Alliums are not usually sold as bare bulbs but as potted plants in leaf, like other perennials. Marketing photographs of them show large clusters of rosy purple flowers. They look a bit like Chives on steroids. I added a few to my garden and waited. The first year I had foliage only. The second year, a paltry few flowers appeared. This year, though, my patience was repaid with a beautiful floral show beginnng in July. The fragrant flowers have lasted weeks and weeks. Bees and butterflies love them. They would work well in containers also. If you prefer the taller Allium, there are numerous cultivars available via specialty bulb nurseries.

This photo of Millenium Ornamental Onion is from the Proven Winners website. Here is a link to their page: https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/allium/millenium-ornamental-onion-allium-hybrid

Tiny Allium Lookalikes

Most gardeners are familiar with the large, impressive Alliums, also known as flowering onions. Yes, those softball-size purple globes look great towering over shorter plants. They adorned the Mary Snoddy garden several times, but either dwindled down to nothing in a few years or were so tall they needed to be staked. I have limited patience for staking and even less for expensive bulbs that pull a disappearing act, so I moved on to better plants. Then I discovered two diminutive lookalikes, Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea, pronounced tul-BAG-ee-uh vy-oh-LAH-say-uh) and Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum, pronounced AL-ee-um too-ber-OH-sum).

Society Garlic has long narrow leaves and clusters of star-shaped lavender flowers held atop narrow stems. If the leaves are crushed, they give off a strong garlic odor. Plant them in full sun or part sun. They are heat and drought tolerant, but will bloom much more if given plenty of water. They are perennial in zones 7-10. Propagate by dividing mature clumps or taking root cuttings. They are rarely bothered by insects or diseases, although slugs may cause minor damage. I was surprised to find Society Garlic flowers are a favorite target for hummingbirds. A variegated-leaf type is available but I find it to be less cold hardy than the non-variegated form.

Garlic Chives also have long narrow leaves, but their flower clusters are white. Unlike Society Garlic, those flowers are followed by capsules of black seeds. Unless the capsules are removed, they fall to the ground and seeds sprout into ever-enlarging clumps, giving rise to a reputation for invasiveness. Trust me on this one – removing the seed clusters is far easier that removing a zillion little bulbs. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers, but hummingbirds pass them by. Garlic Chives grow in a wider area than Society Garlic, in zones 3-9.  They are not picky on soil type as long as it is a well-drained. They prefer full sun. So, how do you tell Garlic Chives from Onion Chives? Garlic Chives have a solid stem; Onion Chives have hollow stems.

Society Garlic begins flowering in spring and continues through frost. Garlic Chives is a late-summer to autumn bloomer. Deer ignore both these beauties. Either can be closely planted as a flower bed edger to discourage deer from nibbling your favorites.

This clump of Allium tuberosum (Garlic Chives) held up to a heavy thunderstorm just minutes before. It did not flatten the way many other plants would.

This clump of Allium tuberosum (Garlic Chives) held up to a heavy thunderstorm just minutes before. It did not flatten the way many other plants would.