Allium species: from giants to midgets
About 600 varieties of onions are known, but only 200 of them are considered decorative. But what types of allium are suitable for the garden, each grower will decide. It should be remembered that each part of the plant emits a specific aroma. It scares away pests and insects from the flower bed, which means it protects other crops from their invasion.
The culture has amazing decorative properties. Moreover, she is not whimsical in cultivation.
Allium species and their variety
They all differ in flower shape, stem height, time and flowering period. Growing conditions, as well as requirements for many varieties, are purely individual. It is quite difficult to understand such a variety, so you need to focus on the most common types of allium:
- "Fragrant". Loves moisture, but does not survive in acidified soils. It is decorated with thin, but juicy and dense leafy plates. Snow-white flowers with a heady scent that attracts bees... Plant height from 30 to 50 cm.
- "Round-headed". It has two drawbacks: the raspberry buds (their size is like a walnut) fade quickly, and the bush has no foliage. They use culture for group compositions, because often its stems are up to 60 cm.
- "Daffodil". The buds are pink or wine-colored on 20-centimeter legs. It blooms up to 35 days, starting in mid-July.
- Aflatunsky. The fleshy stem reaches 1.5 meters. Purple globular inflorescences form in May, but by 15 June the green mass dies off.
Such luxurious varieties will unusually decorate the lower part of the alpine slide. Some of them are planted between fruit trees in the garden to repel pests.
"Onion Oblique" attracts with its yellow umbrellas, which stand up to 2 weeks when dried. Since this hybrid is bred by crossing an onion and a garlic, it cannot be propagated by seeds.
Giants in tandem with exotic species
A decorative bow that reaches a height of over 1 meter can be placed along a building, brick fence or unsightly wall. In such alliums, not only a child, but also an adult will hide. Therefore, the following three varieties are worthy of attention:
- "Tall" - its growth is within 60-100 cm (blooms for about a month);
- "The highest" (from 80 to 170 cm) amazes with star-shaped flowers, collected in large balls up to 15 cm in diameter;
- "Giant" (from 1.5 cm) with its characteristics is similar to "Aflatunsky".
Allium "Schubert", which blooms for about 2 months, will add exotics in the garden. Its luxurious spherical umbrellas reach 20 cm in cross-section. It is intended for VIP-seats in a flowerbed (in the first rows). But the pink shaggy brushes of the Skoroda variety will make him a wonderful company. Extraordinarily luxurious borders are created from it. Colored varieties of decorative onions also include:
- "Blue";
- "Yellow";
- "Pink".
"Onion Karatavsky" is considered a favorite of many gardeners. Its dense leaves and large globular inflorescences do not lose their attractiveness even during seed ripening.
"The Bow of Christophe" or "Star of Persia" amazes with its large inflorescence (25 cm). It has a high decorative effect, since its spherical plexuses have a mesh structure. The original types of allium are “Gor-loving” (“Ostrovsky”), “Bulgarian” and “Neopolitan”. They are distinguished by unusual flowers, not balls.It is a real luxury to have such a charm in your garden.