Plant of the month - allium
Alliums are fantastic flowers which pack a punch in a pot or a mixed border. They’re great for colour, structure and impact – and pollinators love them too.
Part of the onion family, the typical allium has a round or oval flower head made up of lots of little tiny blooms held at the top of a long stalk. Some of the most commonly seen varieties come in shades of purple, such as the popular ‘Purple Sensation’ but they can also be white, pink, red or blue. Some have neat little pompom flower heads which blend into the planting around them; others, like Allium cristophii, have huge spherical flowers on thick stalks which provide a really dramatic feature in a border, and last for ages as structural seedheads.
Others have more unusual forms, such as Allium siculum, also known as Sicilian honey garlic. This flower has delicate bell-shaped flowers in cream, green and pink, which hang down, candelabra style. Bees love all kinds of alliums, but they seem to be particularly fond of this one, delving into the nodding flowers for the precious nectar inside.
As they’re perennial bulbs alliums are planted in autumn and enjoy well drained soil in full sun. Consider where to position them, according to their size - the smaller varieties will do best around the edge of a border or in a container, whereas the larger flowers can shine in the middle or back of a border. If you can afford to buy a number of bulbs, they look best en masse, making a really impressive display. Alliums tend to flower in May or June, although the ‘drumstick’ variety, Allium sphaerocephalon usually makes an appearance slightly later, in July and August.
The foliage – long-strappy leaves at the base of the stem – can become a bit tatty as time goes on, but this can be disguised if they’re planted amongst low-growing plants which will hide the fading leaves. Their stems are generally strong, and don’t need staked, but they can tip over in very heavy rain or winds. If they do look a bit wonky, alliums make good cut flowers, either in bloom or as seedheads, which can be dried and used in arrangements.
