About Alliums

There comes that time at the end of spring, after the daffodils are all dried up that my gardens only offer green and greener.  I want them to be continuous and multiflorous from last snow melt to first frost.  They do not oblige.  For decades I have been on a quest for plants to fill the final days of this early growing season.   

​Last year I thought my answer was Brunnera macrophylla, also known as Siberian Bugloss, with their dainty blue flowers. The year before the answer was Trollius or Globeflowers, whose balls of yellow swirls floated above the greenery.  In other years I’ve added Bleeding Hearts, Columbine, and Peonies to fill the gap.  The Bleeding Hearts, Columbine and Bugloss are now done, the Globeflower and Peonies have not yet started.  My so-called flower beds still look more like an uncut pasture than a garden magazine spread. 
 
There are bright spots though where I planted Alliums last fall.  Allium is a Latin word for garlic.   But Alliums are a lot more than garlic with hundreds of different species.   We are all familiar with the edible garden varieties beyond garlic such as onions, leeks, and chives.  Less familiar and, in my opinion, underused are the ornamental types. 
 
The ornamentals come with descriptive names such as Purple Sensation, Star of Persia, Globemaster, Mount Everest, Gladiator, and Spider.  The most common color is purple but they can range from light pink to lavender, true blue, burgundy, and even white and yellow depending on the variety.  The blooms are long lasting and have a mild garlic scent.  In most cases they are edible and also have the distinct advantage of being distasteful to deer.  The blooms are attractive to bees and butterflies. 
 
I have had success with many of these even though most are rated zone four.  The three that have been reliable in my garden are Purple Sensation, Allium moly, Allium cristophii (Star of Persia).  I also consider chives and onions as being ornamental in my kitchen garden.  The chives have the advantage of not becoming dormant with their blue green foliage remaining after they bloom.  The onions that I left in my garden last fall now have a fuzzy white ball of bloom.  These all make great cut flowers.
 
Alliums are considered an excellent companion plant for most other vegetables because their smell repels pests.  Just this past week my friend Paul reported that his tomatoes next to the garlic were being protected from the deer.  Another friend planted her garlic amongst the roses with similar good results.  There is at least anecdotal evidence that Alliums (both the ornamental and vegetable varieties) protect roses from mildew, blackspot and pests.  Some gardeners plant chives under their apple trees to keep the trees healthy and prevent scab.
 
Alliums are a multi-season plant.  If planned properly, your garden can bloom from late spring right up to frost using only Alliums.   I have even spray painted the seed heads to add to winter arrangements or stick elsewhere in the garden for some late season color. 
 
They can be planted at the same time as Daffodils and Tulips, after a frost and before the ground freezes.  Usually early to mid-October is good for Northern Wisconsin. 
 
The bulb catalogs are now arriving in my mailbox.  There is a fall blooming plant I want to try – Allium ‘Ozawa’ or Japanese Onion.   I have marked a few more varieties to order for fall planting so my late spring garden next year will have additional colors besides green.