Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metresTime to ultimate height
1–2 yearsUltimate spread
0–0.1 metreGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
Spring | Purple | Grey Green | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer | Purple | Grey Green | ||
Autumn | ||||
Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H5Botanical details
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Genus
Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with a strong onion or garlic scent, linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem
- Name status
Correct
How to grow
Cultivation
Easy to grow in fertile well-drained soil in full sun. See allium cultivation for further advice
Propagation
Propagate by offsets which can be carefully detached by lifting the bulb after flowering has finished. See bulb propagation
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Coastal
- Cottage and informal garden
- Gravel garden
- Patio and container plants
- Wildlife gardens
- Flower borders and beds
Pruning
No pruning required, other than to remove old flowered stems and foliage
Pests
May be susceptible to allium leaf miner and onion fly
Diseases
May be susceptible to onion white rot, and onion downy mildew
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.