Alliums for Sale



The onion family works on three levels. They can be considered a vegetable, a herb or purely as an ornamental plant. They are amongst the oldest plants grown as vegetables and have changed relatively little in thousands of years. The various ornamental onions, with their distinctive rounded flower heads, make striking plants for lots of different situations. Some onions are no longer known in the wild and their origins are obscure. Garlic no longer sets seed and apart from a few modern mutations has been grown in the same varieties for many generations. One advantage of the age and widespread nature of the onion family is that there are always some that can be grown in any climate and soil condition. Another advantage is that they are generally very easy to propagate. They produce plenty of seed as well as multiplying vegetatively by producing masses of small bulbs. In some case, they also produce bulbils in the flower head. For some the main disadvantage is that the foliage can be unattractive and often foetid (although there are some sweet smelling onions). This is a particular nuisance with ornamental onions where the foliage is already dying as the plant comes into flower. One way of coping with this in a ornamental garden is to grow the onions amongst other plants so that their foliage is masked.

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Other Essential Plants Articles
African Blue Lilies		Alliums
Autumn Crocus		Begonias
Bellflowers		Berberis
Birch		Bottlebrush
Brooms		Buddlejas
Buttercups		Cacti
Californian Lilacs		Camellias
Catmint		Cherries & Plums
Chrysanthemums		Clematis
Columbines		Cotoneasters
Cranesbills		Crocuses
Cyclamen		Cypresses
Daffodils		Dahlias
Daisy Bushes		Daphnes
Day Lilies		Delphiniums
Deutzias		Dogwoods
Elaeagnus		Elders
Escallonias		Eucalyptus
Evening Primrose		False Cypress
Firethorn		Foxgloves
Fritillaries		Fuchsias
Gentian		Geraniums
Heather		Heathers and Heaths
Hebes		Hellebore
Himalayan Poppy		Holly
Honeysuckle		Horse Chestnut
Hostas		House leeks
Hydrangeas		Irises
Ivies		Jasmines
Juniper		Lilacs
Lilies		Lungwort
Magnolias		Mahonia
Mallow		Malus
Maples		Marguerites
Michaelmas Daisies		Miscanthus
Mock Orange		Pea flowers
Peonies		Pines
Pinks & Carnations		Poplars
Poppies		Primroses
Rhododendrons & Azaleas		Rock Roses
Roses		Sages
Snowdrops		Sorbus
Spruces		Spurges
Tulips		Viburnums
Violets & Pansies		Wallflowers
Willows		Wisteria
Yews