Why Allium Flowers Are the Best Choice for Your Garden

Ornamental alliums, while related to edible Allium species like onions and garlic, offer unique beauty to your garden with colorful blooms resembling lollipops.

Allium bulbs have unobtrusive foliage that blends well with surrounding plants, making them easy to mix in gardens. Most alliums are hardy in zones 4-9 and have big, round flower heads.

Alliums come in various colors like blue, purple, white, and yellow. They have different shaped flower heads, from round to drumstick-like.

Typically, the flower heads themselves won’t smell much like onion, but the foliage might. Even then, you have to crush it to get that fragrant smell. You may notice it when working alongside your allium flowers when disturbing the leaves.

The size of the blooms is also what makes them quite special. They can range from one foot tall to up to six feet tall. Some of the shorties aren’t necessarily teeny tiny flowers, either.

One of my very favorite  is Allium. schubertii, which grows only about one to three feet tall and is mostly a huge 18” diameter explosion of flowers.

The dried seed head makes for an amazing sculpture to use in your home decor. You can expect to see your allium flower blooms in late spring or early summer.