The allium plant is related to the simple garden onion, but don't let this deter you from planting it for its beautiful blooms. Minimal care and a show of large, early-to-late season blooms are just a couple of the reasons to include the ornamental allium plant in your garden.
Alliums are related to chives and garlic, and are known for their large and showy flower heads. They also serve as a repellant for many insects and wildlife you may wish to keep out of the garden.
More than 400 species exist and offer a wide range of bloom sizes and bloom times.
Flowers of the allium plant rise above the foliage. Alliums bloom in white, pink, purple, yellow, and blue flowers, with rounded heads that can range from a couple to several inches (5-8 cm.) in diameter.
The cultivar ‘Star of Persia' (A. christophii) is one of the shortest growing alliums and has a multi-colored flower head 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm.) across. A. unifolium has a single leaf from which numerous flower heads rise and bloom in pink, lavender, and white.
How to Plant Allium Bulb
Include several allium bulbs in your autumn bulb planting for height and color in the spring garden.
Scatter them among bulbs of lilies, crocus, and some of your other favorite spring-blooming bulbs for tall, sporadic color throughout your beds next year. When the soil has warmed, plant seeds of the candytuft flower and other short perennial flowers to cover the foliage of the growing alliums as they wither away when the show is done.
Plant the allium bulb three times its height deep in well-draining soil in a sunny location.
Growing alliums in the flower bed may deter aphids, which often like to suck on tender new growth of other spring blooms.
Alliums are also known to deter rodents, the peach borer, and even the destructive Japanese beetle.
Allium Care
Allium care is simple if planted in the right soil and sunlight. The allium plant needs only infrequent watering, weeding, and fertilization. These needs may be taken care of by rainfall and by adding organic mulch after planting. An organic, pre-emergence weed block or mulch may cut down on weeding.
Learning how to plant allium bulb can be beneficial to many of your other growing specimens. Learning how to grow alliums is a useful garden trick that you will practice for years to come.
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