Allium Gives Your Garden Whimsy
Does your garden take itself too seriously? The answer to a garden that needs a little playfulness could very well be to grow some onions. Not the sort of onions that you eat but flowering ornamental onion plants called allium. Allium, part of the expansive onion genus, brings more than just its culinary cousins like onions, chives, shallots, leeks, and garlic to the table. Instead, it offers a flourish of vibrant, balloon-like blooms that seem to dance atop their stems in the early summer breeze.
“Allium” refers to the entire onion genus, which is one of the largest plant genera. When gardeners talk about growing allium bulbs or flowers, though, it is usually the ornamental sort that they are referring to. These drought-resistant bulbs bloom, usually in early summer, with fun, colorful round inflorescences that look almost like balloons or something out of a children’s book (these inflorescences are actually “umbels,” meaning that the flower stalks are all the same length and stem from a single point).
These whimsical blooms are sure to get curious comments from the neighbors. They also last wonderfully in both fresh and dried arrangements, so they’re great for adding an unusual touch indoors, too. The classic ball-shaped Allium blooms range from the smaller ‘Purple Sensation,’ which carries flowerheads of around three inches, to the huge, 9-inch balls of the giant allium pictured at the top of this blog. These plants cater to a wide range of garden designs and preferences, especially cottage gardens.
Embrace the charm of allium ornamental onions to add a novel and enchanting element to your garden. Their carefree nature and dramatic blooms ensure that they remain a centerpiece from their early summer debut well into the cooler days, bridging the gap between the seasons with effortless grace and beauty. Whether dotting your landscape with their whimsical spheres or using them to craft eye-catching floral displays, allium ornamental onions promise to elevate your garden with their striking visual appeal and easy-going nature.
