 Alliums make exciting ornaments, with some 690 speices and a number of varieties and cultivars available, they enjoy a devoted following among gardeners. Most alliums are easy to grow and increase yearly if their needs are understood. First to flower, and often showing colour at the same time as the daffodil, is the delicate woodlander, Allium paradoxum var. normale. This has nodding heads of white, almost translucent, bells, and a single, rather flat leaf that curls over backwards. It is wild in woods and hills in Persia, in the moist forests at the south end of the Caspian sea.
It is very important to get var. normale as var. paradoxum is a terrible weed, with a head of bulbils in place of the flowers, which spread far and wide into new plants. There are other early flowering white alliums of lesser value. Allium triquetrum, the three cornered garlic, has flowers like white bluebells, with a green stripe on the back of each petal. 'Three cornered' refers to the triangular stem. It is tender, common by the sea in Cornwall and along the south coast. The wild ramson, Allium ursinum, with round heads of starry, white flowers and broad bright green leaves, is a marvellous foil for the purple wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides var. 'Rubra'. |
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| An important group of alliums flower in May; their broad leaves emerge in early spring, and the flowers appear at the beginning of summer, in May and June. They come from rocky hills and screes in eastern Turkey, Iran and central Asia. Allium karataviense is the earliest of this group, with one or two broad, bluish grey leaves flat on the ground, and stemless round balls of pinkish flowers; it needs an open, dry position and full sun.
The same position suits Allium bodeanum, one of the best of all cultivated alliums, but still rare in cultivation. Its broad glaucous leaves show off the large heads of shining flowers. The shine on the flowers is also a character of Allium cristophii, which flowers in June on 60cm stems, after the leaves start to wither. It has been famously shown at Rosemary Verey's garden at Barnsley House, Gloucestershire, planted beneath the laburnum tunnel. |
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 Tall bare stems are a feature of a wide group of similar species, which have large dense heads of purple flowers, and broad leaves that need room to develop unhindered if the flower heads are to reach their full size. Breeders have produced some fine garden plants in this group. Allium giganteum is one of the best. 'Gladiator' is an improved variety, while 'Globemaster' has similar heads on shorter (90cm) stems. Originating in the mountains of northern Iran, these need a warm position in good, rich soil in the garden to survive for longer than few years.
Not all alliums have well developed bulbs. Common chive, Allium schoenoprasum, is a typical example, and is pretty at the front of a border as well as in the herb garden. Various colours are available including a purple, a pale pink and a white. A more striking perennial is Allium cernuum, which forms clumps of flat leaves and nodding umbels of flowers; the white form is rare, and there is an improved variety, 'Hidcote'. Two dwarf alpines from the high mountains of western China are good plants for troughs, giving colour and interest from July onwards. Bright pink flowers are usual in Allium cyathophorum var.farreri, and blue in Allium cyaneum, sometimes erroneously called Allium beesianum. Both like well drained, peaty soil, with ample water in summer. |
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| Some of the smaller, tough and wiry alliums begin to flower in late July. Their flowers are small, but produced in large numbers, spraying out from the top of the stem on thin stalks. Found wild in southern Europe, the flowers appear after the leaves die away. Allium flavum has yellow flowers and striking, almost white, stems; in Allium paniculatum, the flowers are usually bright pinkish purple and there are pink and white forms, too. Both are about 30cm high. Allium azureum is taller, with tighter, round heads of bright blue. All three thrive in sandy soil in full sun, and are useful, being at their best in early autumn. |
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