Allium Ornamental Onions

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Ornamental onions come in a range of shapes and sizes, good for architectural use and making a big impact. They are really easy to grow, and best planted in Autumn or Winter.

Most Alliums flower right at the end of spring in April and May, which is sooner than most summer plants, so use them to fill gaps that will disappear later in summer. Their seed heads are a staple of flower arrangements.

By the time their flowers are in full force, the foliage below is getting tired, so interplant them with things to hide their base, like Tulips.

Deer do not like their onion-y foliage, which may help to protect neighbouring plants (no promises, eh). Browse our full list of flower bulbs, or our slightly earlier flowering spring bulb range.

For strong establishment and the best flowering, we recommend using the Bulb Starter Rootgrow blend.

Your bulbs are delivered by mail order direct from our nursery, along with expert advice and friendly support, so you can give them a whirl with complete confidence.

See our handy bulb planting guide for the best flowering results.

Alliums flower in that "bald patch" in May, right before everything else bursts into flower.

They are strikingly architectural flowers, and so easy to grow.

Which Allium Varieties are Best?

Best Alliums for Planting With Roses

For the most exquisite flowers on tall stems, try Allium Purple Rain; otherwise, Allium Purple Sensation is the most popular large allium for good reason.

Best Alliums for a Herbaceous Border

The three above will be fine at the back of a wide border where you have taller subjects.

Otherwise, for height, use Red Mohican (red) or Allium Silver Spring (mainly white with a little purple).

At the front of the border, the shorter but huge flowered metallic blue Allium Christophii looks fantastic.

Best Alliums to Naturalise

The standout performer in grassy areas is Allium hollandicum Afflatuense, which will also stand a little shade.

In woodland, especially where the soil is moist, then Sicilian Honey Garlic is the allium of choice.

Do Alliums Smell of Onions?

As members of the onion family, you might think that they smell like one!

We have half a dozen varieties in our relatively small garden at home, with over 100 bulbs in flower at once. If one bends down and smells them close up, there is a faint onion-y smell, but because most Alliums are tall and set back in the borders, it is simply not noticeable: even by a wife who has a nose like a bloodhound!

Despite this, Alliums, like other onions, still deter pests such as aphids.