Search with at least 3 characters

Choose your language:

Allium

Allium (ornamental onion): globe-shaped flowers for gardens, public green spaces and cutting

Allium, also known as ornamental onion, is a bulbous plant with spherical flower heads made up of dozens of star-shaped florets on tall, sturdy stems. The bulbs are planted in autumn (September–December). Depending on the variety, they flower from late April into August; most large-flowered varieties bloom in May and June. Allium is winter-hardy, attracts bees and butterflies and is rarely eaten by mice or deer.

Uses

Gardens and borders: Allium rises above perennials. The foliage already fades during flowering, so combine it with perennials that hide the leaves, such as Salvia, Nepeta, Geranium and ornamental grasses from our perennials range.
Public green spaces and landscaping: returns every year, needs little maintenance and is bee-friendly. Also included in our Landscaping Magic Friends Blends.
Cut and dried flowers: long vase life. The seed heads are popular as dried flowers.
Retail: in the Displaybox programme with Gladiator, Beau Regard, Mount Everest and Pinball Wizard, among others (100 bulbs, size 18/20), and in various consumer packs.

Professional cultivation: greenhouse and open field

Allium is grown as a cut flower both in the open field and under glass. Large-flowered varieties such as Mount Everest and Gladiator and the small-flowered Sphaerocephalon are popular in cut-flower production. The bulbs need a cold period to flower. For greenhouse forcing we match delivery time and pre-treatment to your desired flowering period. Ask our advisers about cooling schedules and planting density, or read more about professional growing.

Our Allium range

Large-flowered: Ambassador, Beau Regard, Cristophii, Gladiator, Globemaster, Mount Everest, Nigrum, Pinball Wizard, Purple Sensation, Red Mohican, Schubertii, Summer Drummer
Small-flowered: Azureum, Cowanii, Forelock, Hair, Moly, Nectaroscordum siculum, Roseum, Sphaerocephalon, Mixed

Flowering time by variety

Variety	Flowering	Height (approx.)
Cowanii	April – May	30–40 cm
Purple Sensation	late April – May	70–80 cm
Globemaster	May – June	80–90 cm
Gladiator	May – June	100–120 cm
Mount Everest	May – June	90–100 cm
Cristophii	May – June	40–60 cm
Moly	May – June	20–30 cm
Schubertii	June	40–60 cm
Sphaerocephalon	July – August	60–80 cm
Summer Drummer	July – August	150–180 cm

Key facts

Planting season	September – December
Planting depth	large-flowered 15–20 cm, small-flowered 8–10 cm (approx. 3× the bulb height)
Bulbs per m²	borders approx. 20 large-flowered bulbs, public green spaces 5–7
Flowering	late April – August, depending on the variety
Position	full sun, well-drained soil
Hardiness	winter-hardy in temperate climates; wet soil in winter causes bulb rot
Toxicity	toxic to dogs and cats if eaten, like all onions
Deer and mice	rarely affected

View all Allium in the webshop. Business customers see prices after logging in. Our current catalogues are on the Downloads page. For a quotation, please contact us.