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Allium neapolitanum
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

Neapolitan garlic

Bulbous perennial producing short-lived, linear, mid-green leaves to 30cm long, and umbels of up to 30 pure white, upward facing star-shaped flowers to 5cm across on stems to 40cm tall, produced in summer

Other common names
daffodil garlic
flowering onion
see moreNaples garlic
scentless onion
Synonyms
Allium candissimum
Nothoscordum inodorum
see moreAllium sieberianum
Allium album
Allium lacteum
Allium sulcatum
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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
1–2 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring White Green
Summer White Green
Autumn
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to the UK
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

Grow in full sun and a fertile well-drained soil. It is best to grow in containers where garden soil is heavy clay and prone to saturation over winter. See allium cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring and by division of clumps in spring. See bulb propagation

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Wildflower meadow
  • Wildlife gardens
  • City and courtyard 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

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