Allium, to the Rescue

Love bulbs? I do. The reward of seeing colorful cupped tulips in spring is worth the risk of losing some to cheek-filling chipmunks and tunneling moles and voles. These little guys haul off some of my tulip bulbs before they are able to sprout, and this reduces the flower yield each year.

But a little after tulip time, Allium comes to the rescue and adds to my love of bulbs. Allium, or Ornamental Onion, is a boon to gardeners who do not want to do anything drastic to deter furry garden munchers but nevertheless would love to see a flower for every bulb planted. Most Allium grows from fall-planted bulbs, and getting at least one flower per bulb is easily achievable. Ornamental Onion bulbs are of virtually no interest to garden munchers.

From bulb to bloom, some Ornamental Onion varieties are mammoth. Globemaster and Gladiator Allium are two examples that make a real statement as their massive globes tower above other plants. These mega-globes sit atop stems that look as though they could never support such orbs. 

Drumstick Allium is much smaller, but it adds great color to the garden. Color is introduced in whimsical lollipop form. And while most Ornamental Onion plants bloom in shades of purple, there are varieties that flower in white and pink.

Never have I seen evidence of a vole tunneling to grab an Ornamental Onion bulb. Never does a bunny chomp the new greens of an Ornamental Onion into a salad ingredient. Instead, these bulbs just grow and bloom. Furthermore, the blooms are long-lived. 

Most of the Ornamental Onion I grow sends up singular stems and blooms—one base of greenery, one stem, one globe from each bulb. But hybrid Allium Millenium sends up a bouquet of stems and blooms. Its return on investment is noteworthy.

Allium Millenium adds a good amount of rosy-violet color to the garden. And what’s more (happy sigh), because this Ornamental Onion grows from a rhizome that sends out little baby bulbs, this plant’s growth habit is different from that of other Alliums. Rather than needing to be dug into the ground in bulb-form during chilly fall, Allium Millenium gets introduced to the garden in full-plant form in much warmer weather. Right about now in spring, Allium Millenium is found as a clump of attractive foliage. Flowers appear right when the garden needs them most, in July and August. When planted with Globemaster and other Ornamental Onion plants, this lovely plant takes over after its cousins have done their duty.

Allium Millenium should be placed in soil that drains well. Then, finding sun is the next requirement for Allium planting. When any Ornamental Onion, including Allium Millenium, has shown its flowers for a good portion of the season, spent blooms can be cleaned up with a single cut at the base of the flowering stem. When trimmed in this manner, Allium Millenium may send up new stems and flowers.

Gardeners must remember that while spent blooms can be trimmed, leaves should be left in place on Allium Millenium until they yellow. This helps draw energy back into the rhizome and bulbs for the sake of the future year’s blooms in Zones 4-8 (or some even say Zones 3-9), where Allium Millenium is a perennial if leaves are able to do their photosynthesizing work. The foliage takes the form of thin blades in an attractive glossy green, lovely whether adorned with flowers or not.

So, yes, tulips and other delectable bulbs… keep planting them. I will. And for a better yield, go the route of the Ornamental Onion. Varieties such as Allium Millenium add whimsy to the garden. And much to our benefit, furry garden friends invariably say, “I’ll pass on the onion.”