Allow me to tell you about my favorite flowering bulb: alliums!
Alliums come in different heights, colors and sizes and puts on an outstanding show in the garden and landscape! It’s a bulb that’s required to be planted in the fall season and will bloom late spring to early summer depending upon soil temperature and gardening conditions.
Here at the farm, I prefer growing the purple tone varieties since I use them as fresh flowers in floral pieces. The purple varieties seem to keep their true color longer throughout the vase life and even into the drying process.
Alliums are hardy, beautiful, and easy to grow. And it’s planting time for spring-flowering bulbs, so let’s get started on how to plant and grow alliums.
I like to plant allium bulbs at a depth of at least four times the height of the bulb. This is because each bulb comes in different sizes depending upon the variety and the source you purchase your bulb from. So that gives a good foundation as to depth and ensures a longer life to the bulb itself. Some bulb companies specialize in high quality bulbs such as K. van Bourgondien and will supply a good quality bulb for growing. Tip: it’s better to plant bulbs a little too deep than too shallow. If bulbs are planted too shallow, they can receive frost damage and prevent them from blooming.
Most alliums grow best in full sun, with at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Plant in well-drained soil and apply a light mulch for winter protection.
Alliums have few problems as far as pest, even the deer stay clear of them making them highly sought after in heavy deer-populated places. It’s one of the spring blooms that makes it through the whole blooming season for its variety.
There’s no need for dividing this beautiful blooming bulb, like you do with some other autumn planting bulbs. It makes a great companion plant with irises, grasses and other heavy foliage plants giving it more reason to show off its gorgeous flowers come late spring.
It truly is a blooming bulb that I, as a flower farmer and gardener alike, couldn’t do without.
It’s the season for planting these bulbs to ensure that you’ll have a beautiful show come spring.
Happy Gardening!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden