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    Home » Gardening

    Planting Ornamental Alliums for Spring Beauty

    October 3, 2021 by Patti Estep 9 Comments

    Purple sensation allium flowers.
    Purple ornamental allium in bloom.

    Plant ornamental Alliums for beautiful spring and summer blooms. The deer won't eat them and they look great in flower arrangements.

    Ornamental alliums in bloom

    Next to the daffodil, I haven't found any spring-blooming bulbs that are as reliable and as easy to grow as Ornamental Alliums. I bought a package of bulbs from my church for one of their fundraisers several years ago, and they have been coming back every year, even through the worst winters.

    This particular group called Allium Purple Sensation cost me only $15 and I think there were about 15 or so bulbs in the bag. I planted them in mass to show them off. One of the things I love about them, other than their beauty, is that they are deer and rodent resistant. That's a big bonus for me.

    Allium sensation

    They require no maintenance, bloom for a long time, and make great cut flowers for arrangements. Even the seed heads look great.

    Ornamental alliums in spring

    Alliums come in a variety of sizes and colors from white to shades of purple and even these pretty blue allium. With names like giant, drumstick, and fireworks, alliums have the variety and perseverance I look for in a garden plant.

    Allium seed head

    How to Plant Ornamental Alliums in the Fall

    As long as the ground hasn't frozen you can plant these ornamental onions as a sure bet for spring beauty.  

    1. Plant them at a depth about three times their size.
    2. Give them a good watering,
    3. Mark the area if you wish, and walk away. It's that easy.

    Technically alliums are edible, however, the ornamental ones probably don't taste as good as their cousins, Allium schoenoprasum, commonly known as the garden chive, or Allium sativum, aka garlic.

    I highly recommend you add some to your fall planting.

    Patti signature

    More Spring Gardening Ideas

    • Deer Resistant Bulbs and For Your Spring Garden
    • Pulmonaria: A Beautiful Spring Bloomer with an Awful Name
    • Primrose Passion

     

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim

      September 01, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      So, you do not have trouble with squirrels digging them up?
      I want aliums so badly but they never came up!

      Reply
      • Patti

        September 02, 2015 at 6:17 am

        Hi Kim,

        I never have problems with squirrels digging up my alliums and there are plenty of them around. However, we also have a ton of acorns so maybe that keeps them happy? Somewhere I remember hearing that you can use chicken wire to prevent critters from digging up your bulbs maybe you can try that idea.

        Reply
    2. Bren

      August 31, 2015 at 10:38 am

      I saw some of the large Allium bulbs yesterday while shopping ... now I"m regretting not purchasing them! THis is a great article - thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Patti

        August 31, 2015 at 4:45 pm

        Thank you Bren!

        Reply
    3. Heather @ new house new home

      August 27, 2015 at 8:29 am

      Alliums are one of my "must haves" for the garden. I love them too!

      Thanks for sharing this on What's Blooming This Week.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Garden Sites I'm Digging This Week {9} - Empress of Dirt says:
      September 4, 2015 at 11:24 am

      […] of Garden Matter wants us to plant alliums in the fall. You will thank her in […]

      Reply
    2. Tuesday Garden Party 9.01.15 says:
      September 1, 2015 at 10:40 am

      […] Basic Planter Box from The Tasty Alternative 2. Planting Ornamental Alliums for Spring Beauty from Garden Matter 3. Plum Ketchup from Forest and Fauna 4. 5 Easy Ways for Drying Herbs from New House New Home 5. […]

      Reply
    3. Tuesday Garden Party – Garden Inspiration for 9/1/2015 - Simplify, Live, Love says:
      September 1, 2015 at 8:30 am

      […] 2. Planting Ornamental Alliums for Spring Beauty from Garden Matter […]

      Reply
    4. Tuesday Garden Party for September 1st says:
      September 1, 2015 at 8:15 am

      […] 2. Planting Ornamental Alliums for Spring Beauty from Garden Matter […]

      Reply

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