Get Ready for the Fall Bulbs
Dozie Herbruck
It’s getting to be time to start thinking about planting bulbs for early spring blooms. While you’re thinking about all the beautiful types of daffodils to plant, don’t forget about the beautiful Allium. Besides being a plant that deer do not like, Allium adds a beautiful touch to any garden. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic, and the type species for the genus is Allium sativum, which means "cultivated garlic."
Allium ‘giganteum’
When we think of Allium, we think mostly of the Giant Allium (Allium giganteum), which comes in deep purple and white and adds a dramatic flourish to any garden. Margaret Ransohoff has a beautiful collection of Giant Allium in her front garden, and their heads can be seen waving between her perennials.
But there are many other kinds of Alliums, many of which would surprise you. Years ago I bought a bag of 80 Alliums with 8 different varieties, probably at Costco, and they have been giving me pleasure for a long time, even spreading to different parts of my garden and showing up where I least expect them. The Allium ‘Moly,’ also known as Lily Leek, is my favorite. This species is an exceptionally cheery border perennial. Its golden yellow, starry flowers appear in clusters on 10–15” stems above handsome, dark green foliage. They bloom for a long time in June.
Another spectacular garden surprise is Allium ‘Mediterranean Bells’, which has elegant clusters of cream and wine-colored bell-shaped blooms. Well suited for rock gardens and containers, it naturalizes readily. Mine tend to flop over unless held up by neighboring perennials. I have read that they make great cut flowers, although I haven’t tried that yet.
A surprise, Neapolitan Garlic (Allium neapolitanum), was not in the bag of 80 bulbs I bought, but showed up in my garden anyway. It’s a beautiful, profusely-flowering ornamental onion with clusters of white, star-shaped flowers forming umbels up to 3-4 inches wide. Later in its blooming season it looks like Fourth of July fireworks.
This fall I will be hunting down some of the Alliums I haven’t tried. There’s always room for one more!