Re: allium -Reply

I have grown and ofered for sale at least 25 different alliums. It;s a nice
group of plants.
For me in Minnesota in my zone 4 garden, I have made a few observations.
1) Many of the alliums come up early in the spring and freeze in a late frost,
this leads to foliage that rots down into the bulbs. Like many bulbs alliums
will grow roots and send up some stems when the soil is just below freezing.

2) Alliums as a rule -- but there are exceptions -- need well drained soils
that are dry in the summer. So mixing in a good amount of sand around them
helps.

I Carry only a few alliums every year. Those Include. 
ALLIUM senescens SP. mountanum 'Glaucum' -- (a-lee-um) ALLIACEAE.This is a
vigorous growing bulbous plant 
  with attractively twisted blue-gray green leaves. Plants grow about 6" tall
and have bright pink , globe shaped flowers in mid to late summer, 
  just above the foilage. Plant in a sandy well draining soil in full sun.
Plants grow in to nice thick clumps.  Divide as the center of the clumps 
       begin to thin out.  Another nice plant for the rock garden or for that
hard to grow sunny spot were you want something short.
                                         Zones (4)5-9. 

ALLIUM tricoccum -- "Wild Leek" (a-lee-um) ALLIACEAE.  A onion for the shade
garden. Native to the woods of northern 
 USA.  Plants have two or three broad leaves that are held out horizontally
and have a bluish-green color to them.  Plants bloom after the leaves 
  go dormant in mid summer with whitish colored flowers followed by black
shiny seeds in late summer -- fall. Plants grow into large groups by 
 self sowing.  Plants are nice in the woodland garden with large broad leaves
showing up early in the spring.  bulbs are white and edible.

And my favorite garden Allium Allium tanguticum -- great for cutting and for
the border with long twisted leaves that look good all season lone and 2-3"
wide flower umbels.
flowers are a soft purple and bloom in late spring to mid summer. Plants look
good in the perennial border-It doe not go dormant in the summer.

Other plants I like are:
Allium karativiense with two or three large broad flat leaves with a base ball
sized "flower" just above the leaves. This plant only grows about 5 inches
tall and should be used in the rock garden. It generates a lot of interest
when I offer them.

I have a preference for the smaller species instead of the large flowered
ones.
A. molly with golden yellow flowers. The form 'Jeannine' has two flowers
coming from the base instead on one.

A. ostrowskianum with Carmen-pink flowers growing 6-8" tall.

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