Alliums: Glorious Globes Providing Constant Color
In our heads we often make a distinction between pretty plants and useful plants, forgetting that in reality, they are exactly the same. Although not all ‘working’ plants have flowers, the majority does, and they go through exactly the same life cycle as many ornamental plants. Even when we don’t grow these ‘useful’ plants with their decorative purposes in mind, they can still bring ample color and infectious joy to our world: Think of fruit trees like cherry, orange or apple. Months before we harvest their fruits, we can already enjoy their fairy-tale beauty. An orchard in bloom is a beautiful sight, so much that the Japanese have even dedicate a whole festival to them.
Fluffy Focal Points
Another great example of plants being useful ánd pretty is the Allium family, best known for its world-famous members onion and garlic. And, if you’ve ever grown an herb garden, you know the little chives plant with its round purple blooms is part of this tasty clan too. But how could these modest flowers ever compete with the large blooms and statuesque stems of the other inhabitants of your garden?
DutchGrown has the answer: We’ve cultivated a special selection of high-quality decorative Allium-cousins, ranging in height from 16 inches to breath-taking 60-inch whoppers that can dwarf even your largest flowers.
Finish Your Spring in Style
The following selection of DutchGrown Alliums showcases the variety of the species. When planted in fall they will come up consecutively, ensuring a show-stopping display in your garden from late spring to early summer.
- White Allium Cowanii has it all: Tender white florets, a heady fragrance and attractive to bees and butterflies.
- Yellow might not be the first color you think of when talking about Alliums, but bright and fragrant Moly doesn’t let that stop her attempts to become your favorite late-spring Allium
- Big enough to tower over a child, Allium Schubertii is guaranteed to make people stop and stare. This award winning purple Allium blooms in early summer, and is great as a cut flower for dried arrangements
- Allium Ambassador is the perfect classic Allium. Enormously attractive to bees and butterflies, it perfectly fills the gap between spring and summer flowers.
- Allium Summer Drummer might be a late bloomer, but that’s exactly why we love her! To let your Allium season go out with a bang, you can’t go wrong with this deer resistant giant. Its large round flowers are made of hundreds of purple and white flowers, and after it’s done flowering you can enjoy its amazingly beautiful seed pods.
Planting and Caring
Allium bulbs should be planted three times as deep as the bulb is high. Plant the smaller varieties 3-4 inches apart, but make sure to leave at least 8 inches between the bulbs of the larger ones. Like all bulbs, plant them in well-draining soil. Alliums love lots of sun, so make sure to give them a sunny spot, where they can soak up the maximum amount of rays.
Alliums are incredibly easy to care for, as they need only infrequent weeding, watering and fertilizing. True perennials, they multiply naturally and can be left untouched in the same area for years. Alliums not only tolerate drought and poor soils, they might even prefer it: They like it when their soil is a bit on the dry side, and they aren’t great fans of freshly manured soil.
No competition
Good to know: Deer, pests and diseases don’t bother Alliums, since the taste of raw onion seems to be just as unpleasant for animals as it is for most people.
The famous DutchGrown quality guarantees bulbs that will burst into powerful bloom, and our easy to grow Alliums are no exception. Order your favorite varieties today, plant them on a crisp fall day, and come spring be rewarded with a months-long feast of purple, yellow and white stunners!
