All about alliums

For several years now, alliums have been a ‘must have’ plant for many gardeners.

This year Griffins has a large array of different varieties to choose from. Plant an array of heights and colours in your border or pots. Add a few new varieties each year and this will be a display that will wow you year after year.

Alliums do best on light, free-draining soil, in full sun and sheltered from strong winds, otherwise the taller varieties will need staking. Bulbs should be planted in late summer or early autumn. Also, this is best time to find the full range available and don’t hold back on numbers, as these plants definitely increase in drama the more you have.

With alliums, it is a good idea to plant soon after buying. They are big bulbs and can lose moisture relatively quickly when out of the ground. A sunny spot with fertile soil and good drainage is best.

Some alliums are very big bulbs indeed and are best planted in individual holes. Planting depth is important. This big flower head offers a lot of windage and the bulbs need to be well anchored.

So try to make sure that they are covered with at least two-three times the height of the bulb in soil. Remember that the top of the allium is pointed, but if in doubt plant the bulb on its side.

Pots and containers

There is no reason not to plant alliums in pots and containers. Just make sure the pot is deep and fairly large and the compost is kept moist in the growing season. The other thing to think about is underplanting.

Alliums are not great grown all by themselves as their leaves fade and look relatively unattractive just as the flowers open. Layer them with late flowering tulips for a wow look.

Aftercare is a piece of cake. Remove the leaves when they have withered. Leave the allium flower heads as they set seed, when they look as striking as they did in bloom or cut them for dried flower arrangements. Mulch in early spring along with your roses or the herbaceous border. After a few years, if you think they are overcrowding in a border then divide. The best time is in September when you can lift, divide and replant.

The Summer Drummer allium looks like a large drumstick. It is dramatic and showy. A towering presence in the border, this award winner has long-lasting blooms that appear in June and often last into August.

Allium Nigrum features highly distinctive bloom clusters of white flowers with deep green eyes. With their vivid-white, globe-shaped flower heads standing above broad deep-green leaves, these wonderful alliums will look simply stunning wherever they are. Just remember to plant in a sunny well drained position.

Allium karataviense Ivory Queen is a very unusual variety. This fantastic and unusual dwarf allium produces large ivory white domes cradled by broad curvy leaves in a shade of silvery green - perfect for a pot or front of a border. The blooms are almost the size of an orange!

Allium Giganteum lives up to its name - they are huge! With heights of four-five feet, this allium is a show stopper. It’s made up of perfect little purple florets that create a large round ball on top of a sturdy stem, similar to a topiary.