Great balls of f lower!
If you’re after a blast of rock ’n’ roll glamour in late spring, nothing outperforms dazzling alliums
IN MID-May, the display of springflowering bulbs in my front garden ends on a triumphant note. A number of fat, papery buds perched on a drift of boltupright, waist-high stalks burst open to reveal perfectly rounded, deep lilac flower heads as wide as my hand.
The flowers of Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ are bold, sculptural and vibrant, in complete contrast to the rather more dainty, soft-hued blooms of early spring. They last well into June before starting to fade, acting as the perfect bridge between seasons.
Launched in Holland in 1963, this statuesque beauty has become a common sight at the Chelsea Flower Show, leading to its soaring popularity.
Despite being the best-known ornamental allium, ‘Purple Sensation’ is not alone. More than 300 varieties are available in the UK, with pom-pom-like flowers that vary dramatically in size, shape and colour, including white, pink, purple, red, yellow, blue and green.
Mid-autumn is the perfect time to plant bulbs in beds, borders, rock gardens, gravel gardens and pots. Leaves will push above the ground in late winter, followed by flower stalks that will rise anywhere from 4in to 6ft depending on what you grow. Most varieties are around the 1ft to 3ft mark.
The majority of alliums tend to bloom in late spring and early summer, but it’s possible to admire their flowers from March until October – get their long season off to a flying start with Allium paradoxum var. normale and bring it to a close with dainty white Allium tuberosum.
As their name suggests, these flowering plants are related to edible alliums, or the onion family, making them closely related to garlic, leeks, shallots, chives and other plants grown for their edible parts. In fact, the bulbs of ornamental alliums have a pungency that puts off squirrels from digging them up. Tall alliums are guaranteed to add
Sdrama. Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’ climbs to 4ft with snowy white flowers from May to June, and Allium giganteum produces balls of purple on 5ft stalks. Allium ‘Summer Drummer’ is capable of hitting 6ft with heads of purple, white-tipped flowers. Not all alliums have such lofty ambitions. Allium flavum has irregular heads of yellow flowers on 12in stems, and A. oreophilum produces sprays of pink flowers on 6in stalks. Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’ is grown for its white globes that hover just above the ground in May over heavily ribbed, broad, grey-green leaves. OME varieties boast whopping great flowers. A. cristophii has 8in-wide heads of metallic-pink flowers that perch on 2ft-tall stalks from June to July. The stout, 3ft-tall stems of ‘Globemaster’ carry deep violet, spherical heads that measure 6in across.
While the majority of alliums will win you over immediately with their looks, a few are an acquired taste. Ones that come to mind include Allium vineale ‘Hair’, which forms an unkempt mop top of green, wispy strands, and ‘Red Mohican’, with its drumstick flower heads with a raised tuft on top.
Alliums generally prefer a hot, sunny spot with well-drained soil – they are unlikely to make it over winter in heavier ground. Set bulbs 4in to 6in deep, leaving 4in between compact ones and 8in between larger varieties.