Magnificent alliums bring the drama
Bulbs planted in fall bloom months later to create splendid, colourful displays
Big, bold and stunning, they’re blooming in the landscape right now, and they’re seldom seen without a cluster of bees gathering nectar and pollen. Few other garden plants create such drama at this time of year.
The stems of giant alliums grow four to five feet tall (1.2 to 1.5 metres), and their huge purple or white globe-shaped flowers often reach eight to 10 inches (20-25 centimetres) in diameter. In the slightest breeze, they sway gently, adding motion to our often static gardens.
Soaring Allium giganteum (Zone 4) has eight-inch (20-cm) lilac purple blooms and is, perhaps, the most well-known. The slightly smaller A. Ambassador has fragrant purple blooms that last for five weeks.
For a nice colour contrast, Mount Everest is a pure white allium with six-inch (15-cm) flower heads. However, A. Globemaster, with blooms that often measure 10 inches (25 cm) across, is the granddaddy of them all and makes quite a statement in any garden.
These purple-and-white giants rule gardens from mid-june through July, but even after their colour has faded, the beige skeletons are still attractive, and they have a second life indoors as eye-catching dried flowers.
As magnificent as the giants are, my favourites are the shorter, starburst-like A. cristophii and A. schubertii.
Often known as the Star of Persia, A. cristophii grows an eight-inch (20-cm) spiky ball of tiny flowers, while A. schubertii has a 12-inch (30-cm) exploding-star bloom. Again, as their colour fades, the bloom structure remains, creating a unique dried flower that is worth its weight in gold as a lasting indoor specimen.
Bulbs of other smaller alliums, planted in the fall, will bloom 10 months later, lighting up late spring and summer gardens in colours of yellow, pink, purple and white, and they’ll naturalize steadily for even bigger and more splendid displays year after year. They also make beautiful, long-lasting cut flowers.
To keep this dramatic look going in your garden, today there is a whole new series of perennial alliums that have beautiful green foliage and smaller but far more flower heads that last for weeks.
Allium Millenium made such an impact when it was introduced that it was named the 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. Its two-inch (five-centimetre) diameter, rosy purple flowers bloom in profusion from June well into summer. Its strong, wire-like stems tolerate any weather.
Each year the cluster of flowers becomes thicker, creating a massive display of purple balls. If you’re looking for a bee-and-butterfly magnet for your garden, this is it.
Windy City is similar to Millenium, but it blooms a little later, which is significant because spreading out the blooming time is important for our pollinators. A more compact plant, growing only about 15 inches (38 cm) tall, its two-inch (five-centimetre) dark-purple flower heads look very attractive sitting atop this nicely clumping plant.
Lavender Bubbles is another later blooming, dark, dusty purple perennial allium. One of the most compact, it grows only about 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Its foliage is a glaucous blue, and its leaf blades are twisted, creating an unusual look.
A new allium that I’m really looking forward to seeing this year is Serendipity — a word meaning an unexpected occurrence. This variety may be aptly named because it’s a “sport” (genetic mutation) of A. Millennium. Blooming from mid- to late summer, it has bluish foliage and larger, richly purple flower heads.
Folks who have attended recent flower trials have told me that it’s quite a jewel.
The beauty of all these alliums is that, once established, they’re drought and heat tolerant.
They not only attract pollinators and butterflies, they’re also rabbit and deer resistant. Most are hardy to Zone 4, making them widely adaptable to many climates.
Be sure to check out the many great alliums to determine your preference. The smaller perennial varieties are now available in garden stores and are just ready to begin blooming. Because of their compact habit, they’re ideally situated in rock gardens, in borders, and along the front of perennial and annual beds.
If you would love to add some of the giant alliums to your garden, their bulbs will be available beginning in September.
I think alliums, however tall they grow, are a wonderful garden investment.