March 8, 2009

Big fat bloom heads from alliums

The alliums bins could be a bit empty at your favorite nursery (or maybe not) because the plants are about to bloom in our Zone 10 gardens.

If you live in other growing zones, you might see about getting your hands on some for spring planting. The benefit of alliums over other bulb plants are the big fat bloom heads last for months. Alliums leaf out in January, develop their flower heads in March-ish and bloom all the way through late June before they dry out and need to be cut back. That’s a lot of bloom for your buck.

And alliums are perfect for dry gardens because these outrageous onions, like most bulbs, don’t like soggy soil. Choose a place in full sun, plant them on a slope if you have one, and forget about ‘em. They’ll be back year after year and will reseed and spread at a manageable pace.

Allium aflatunense in a raised bed