Colour options
Not all alliums are pinkypurple. Try these:
✣ In May-June, low clumps of golden garlic (Allium moly), bring a burst of bright yellow to the garden. The variety ‘Jeannine’ is ideal for livening up the underskirts of deciduous shrubs and trees.
✣ In June-July, Allium caeruleum delights, with starry blue flowers held aloft on metre-high stems.
✣ In mid to late summer, Allium sphaerocephalon takes its turn, although its effects are subtler. It has knee-high, thin stalks topped with mini egg-shaped flower heads that start green and mature to deep maroon. It creates a lovely thread of colour through a border, or mixed with silvery or golden grasses.