Many people associate the word “onion” with a bitter, pungent taste and tears. The word “allium” does not evoke such associations; on the contrary, it evokes something mysterious and romantic. But it's the same onion , and in addition garlic , only in Latin. The name “allium” came from the Celts, for whom it meant “burning.”

Today, botanists know about 900 species of this plant. Among them, in addition to the very healthy, although not very pleasant-tasting, onion vegetable, there is a large group of decorative onions. Some of them are used only to decorate the garden, others are used both for beauty and for food. Blooming decorative onions add light airy openwork to the garden decor, add extravagance and always attract the eye.

Decorative bow Pretty- A. carinatum →
(there is a subspecies A. carinatum pulchellum). The inflorescences are similar to the Paniculata onion, but differ in lighter tones of the petals. The height of the stems does not exceed 50 cm, the leaves are narrow and long, have a cylindrical shape. The inflorescences are somewhat disheveled, consisting of numerous small bell-shaped flowers on thin drooping legs. The stamens and pistil peek out from the calyx, adding originality to the plant. Blooms in mid-summer.

Some types of decorative bows were first described by the famous Swede Carl Linnaeus in the mid-18th century, and the catalog was significantly expanded by the Russian scientist of German origin Eduard Regel. From the moment of its first appearance in high society, people liked the decorative bow. Flower growers began to actively use it in garden and park design, and breeders began to develop new varieties. At the moment there are more than a thousand of them.

What is so good about decorative onions, since they have been one of the leaders among popular garden flowers for more than 300 years? Firstly, ease of reproduction, secondly, undemandingness in care, thirdly, versatility of use, and in general, its discreet, but so attractive beauty.

← Decorative bow Narcissiflora- A. narcissiflorum. A very beautiful low-growing species with graceful stems and inflorescences. The leaves are similar to daffodils, about 20 cm long, the pedicels can reach up to 40 cm, the inflorescences are drooping, and consist of several rather large, bell-like flowers of blue-lilac shades. Flowering lasts from late July to late August.

Decorative bow Neapolitan ↓ -

- A. neapolitanum. Belongs to the low-growing species. Looks fragile and delicate. The pedicels are very thin, the leaves are small, also thin, growing in lush rosettes. The flowers are bell-shaped, large enough for such pedicels, the petals are snow-white. The varieties “Cowani” and “Grandiflorum” are popular among gardeners.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DECORATIVE ONIONS

Decorative onions include perennial and, less commonly, biennial plants. Externally, many of its species and varieties are similar to their vegetable counterparts. Both of them have a bulb with a bottom, scales and cotyledons, tubular leaves of a juicy green color, a thin peduncle (arrow) and spherical inflorescences collected from many small flowers. The flower has six petals and long stamens, one pistil. The flower shoot develops when the plant finishes producing leaves. The seeds of almost all onions are small, dark, round or angular.

Among the representatives of decorative onions, there are those that, in addition to small bulbs, have a thick branched rhizome, for example, Ramson, Oblique onion, Slizun.

In addition to species with tubular leaves, there are very spectacular onions, in which the leaf blades are wide and flat, similar to hyacinths, the pedicel is short, and the inflorescences are more umbrella-shaped than spherical. These beauties include the decorative Karatavsky onion, Broadleaf onion, MacLean onion and others.

← Decorative bow Karatavsky- A. karataviense. The name was given in honor of the Karatau mountain range. A very beautiful low-growing species that looks impressive in flower beds with ground cover flowers and as a potted plant. Its wide, fleshy leaves, vaguely reminiscent of lily of the valley, remain green even after flowering has ended. At They are 30 cm long and about 20 cm wide, which looks attractive even without flowers. In addition, the ripening fruit boxes of this species, which have red tones in color, also look interesting. The flower arrow extends to a maximum of 30 cm, but it can also be much shorter. Inflorescences are up to 12 cm in diameter; with a small height, the plants seem very large. They are more dense or loose. The color of the petals ranges from white to lilac. The most popular varieties are “Album”, “Ivory Queen” and many others.

A bit similar to the Karatav decorative onion broadleaf →
- A.latifolium. It also has wide, rich green, fleshy leaves that remain decorative even after flowering. The arrow does not exceed 20 cm. The inflorescence is not entirely spherical, more like a semicircular umbrella. The flowers are very close to each other and collected in a neat miniature bouquet. Petals are lilac and purple.

Another leaf shape seen in ornamental onions is that of a long and flat ribbon, pointed at the end, like that of daffodils. This includes the decorative onion Drooping and many other types.

There are even more variations in the flowering onion inflorescences. They are not only classic spherical, but also umbrella-shaped, narcissus-like, paniculate and quite unusual for onions, reminiscent of small amaryllis. The palette of colors of the petals of their small flowers is also varied. Among them there are pure white, greenish, blue, blue, pink, red, yellow, lilac, with and without veins.
Decorative onions offer a wide range of varieties that differ in other characteristics. By height in his large family they distinguish:
- low-growing, pedicels of which are only up to 20 cm;
- medium-sized, with a flower stem up to 50-70cm;
- tall, growing up to 1.5 meters in height.
According to the flowering period, decorative onions are:
- early flowering (from late April to late May);
- late flowering (from August until frost).
There are also many varieties that bloom at different times from mid-May to late August.

← Decorative bow Cornflower- A. cyaneum. Very delicate flowers with cornflower blue petals. Belongs to the low-growing species. The peduncle can reach a length of 30 cm. The leaves are round, lush green, drooping flowers resemble bells, collected in a loose umbrella.

REPRODUCTION BY SEEDS

Decorative onions can be propagated by seeds, bulbs, bulbs and division of rhizomes. The method of propagation by seeds is suitable for almost all types and varieties of this plant. The disadvantage of this type of propagation is that decorative onions growing from seed can bloom only in the 8th year, and the earliest start of flowering will occur only in the 3rd year from the moment of planting. Sowing can be done in spring and/or autumn. The seeds of some varieties (for example, decorative onions Gigantsky, Aflatunsky) do not germinate when sown in spring, even stratification in the refrigerator does not affect success.

Sowing of decorative onions is done in furrows or (depending on the composition being created) in holes. It is recommended to fluff and moisten the soil before sowing. The sowing depth should be minimal to make it easier for the sprouts to break through to the surface. The first shoots appear only on days 8-12, and it can take about 3 months for a bunch of leaves to develop. While the seedlings are very small, they suffer from weeds and dry soil, so watering and weeding are necessary at this stage.

Decorative bow Barshchevsky- A. barsczewskii. A medium-sized species with a peduncle up to 60 cm. The flowers are very beautiful, similar to bells, the petals can be white or pink-lilac. →

Many gardeners advise growing ornamental onions with seedlings. To do this, seeds are sown in February - early March in prepared boxes or, if climatic conditions allow, in greenhouses. The seeds are placed on the surface of the soil and lightly sprinkled with earth through a sieve and pressed down a little. Water the seedlings only with warm water, maintaining the air temperature around +20+22 degrees.
It is recommended to first soak the seeds for a day in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry them to a free-flowing state.

Decorative bow Dark purple- Allium atropurpureum. It is classified as medium-sized, the height of the peduncle is up to 70 cm. The inflorescences are umbrella-shaped, spherical, the petals are dark purple.↓

Decorative bow Bowed- Allium cernuum. Medium-sized, one of the longest flowering. Its paniculate-umbrella inflorescences open all summer. The flowers are up to 7 mm long, differ from classic onions and are more reminiscent of miniature half-opened tulips with protruding pistils. Petals are lilac-lilac.

VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION

When propagated vegetatively, ornamental onions can bloom within the first year after planting. The disadvantage of this method is that not all types of onions are capable of producing “babies”, and not all have rhizomes. Therefore, the method of vegetative propagation is chosen based on the characteristics of each specific variety.

The division of rhizomes is carried out in onions over 3 years old. In early spring or mid-autumn, the plant is dug out of the ground, the rhizome is divided so that each fragment contains at least 2-3 healthy buds, and the root system is intact. Plant the resulting pieces in rows, trying to place them not too close to each other, as the rhizomes grow quickly. The optimal scheme is 20X70.

It is better to plant bulbous “babies” in the ground in the fall at such a time that the “baby” has time to take root, but does not have time to grow much. Otherwise, it will be more difficult for it to survive the winter. For spring planting, the “babies” need to be stratified.

Some varieties of decorative onions are very convenient to propagate by bulbs. These are also small bulbs, only they are formed not in the ground, but in the air, on the upper parts of the peduncle stem. They are planted in the fall so that they have time to take root. The bulbs are buried into the ground by at least 5-6 cm, and the largest ones by 7-8 cm. In this way, multi-tiered onions are propagated, one of the few that do not produce seeds at all.

Decorative bow Dutch- A. hollandicum. A very spectacular species, blooming in late spring - early summer. The leaves are not drooping, but growing upward, flat, ribbon-like, up to 5 cm wide. The pedicels are very strong, growing up to 1 meter in height. The inflorescences are spherical, airy, vaguely reminiscent of the white fluffy heads of dandelions, only onions have a lilac and purple color. They can be 12 cm in diameter. The “Purple Surprise” variety is very popular.↓

Decorative bow Yezdansky- A. jesdianum. A very showy flower, widely used for cutting. Refers to medium-sized bows. The stem can stretch up to 1 meter, but more often it is 70-80 cm. The leaves are ribbon-like, up to 4 cm wide, the inflorescences are spherical, 10-12 cm in diameter, the flowers are large, lilac-lilac. Blooms in early summer.

CARE

Decorative onions love sunny areas, but are not capricious in partial shade, for example, under trees with a not very dense crown. It needs well-drained soils, with a pH close to neutral seven. If the pH is 5 or less, the soil needs to be limed, since increased soil acidity not suitable for bows. Water decorative onions as needed. These plants can easily tolerate short-term drought and short-term abundant waterlogging, but it is better not to go to such extremes. To make the flowers of decorative onions larger and richer, it is advisable to feed them. In the spring, complex mineral fertilizers are applied to the garden bed, and in the fall, phosphate-potassium dry mixtures are applied. During the season, you can also “pamper” the plants with liquid fertilizers containing a mixture of microelements.
Decorative onions have a peculiarity - they produce beautiful, rich greenery only before flowering. Afterwards, the leaves turn yellow and take on an unattractive appearance. Many gardeners advise digging up the bulbs as soon as flowering ends and the seeds are ripe. This prevents them from rotting in the soil. Store dug and dried bulbs at room temperature.

In the fall, as soon as it becomes consistently cool, but not yet cold (in many regions, including the Moscow region, this is the end of September), decorative onions are planted in the soil again. Before this, the bed is dug up and loosened. The planting depth depends on the size of the bulb and should be equal to three times its diameter. The top of the bed is sprinkled with humus.

Decorative bow Praying(golden) - A. moly. This species is classified as low-growing, the height of its stems does not exceed 25 cm. The leaves of representatives of the species are lanceolate, gray-green, the inflorescences are loose, the flower petals are bright yellow. The Leannine variety is distinguished by the fact that it has two pedicels from each bulb, which ensures more spectacular flowering, lasting about 2 weeks in June. →

Onion Tatar(Batun) - A. fistulosum. It is classified as a conditionally decorative plant, since everything in it, except the bulbs, is edible. The leaves, like those of vegetable onions, are tubular and fleshy. The pedicels can stretch up to 60 cm in height. The inflorescences are spherical, medium in size. Petals are creamy white. You can eat the newly growing young leaves all summer long.

DISEASES AND PESTS

Ornamental onions can be affected by certain types of fungi. The most dangerous include:
1.Peronospora destructor, causing downy mildew. Another name for the disease is powdery mildew. Its first signs are a gray-violet coating on the leaves. Later they turn yellow and dry out. In winter, the fungal spores remain in the ground. For control, spraying of onions and soil is used fungicides , change the landing site.
2.Puccinia allii, which causes rust. In this case, bright spherical spots appear on the leaves of the onion, in which spores develop. Subsequently, the leaves dry out. The fungus overwinters in the soil and in parts of the plant. Control measures include spraying onions with copper preparations.
3.Urocystis cepulae. The lesion appears not only on the leaves (dark gray convex stripes), but also on the flowers (they) become distorted. Decorative onions lose all their attractiveness. Fungal spores remain alive on parts of wilted plants, so they should always be removed. Treatment and prevention - spraying with copper preparations.
4.Heterosporium alliiax, causing black rot (heterosporiasis). It appears with the beginning of yellowing of the leaves at the end of flowering. The disease can be identified by multiple brown pads on the leaves. Ornamental onions affected by black rot may completely disappear (rot) if spraying with copper-containing preparations or other fungicides is not used.
5.Cercospora duddiae, which causes cercospora blight. The first signs of this fungal infection can be seen already in early summer. Grayish spots with a yellow border form on the leaves and stalks. Later the onion rots. Sick plants are saved with fungicides.

In addition to mushrooms, decorative onions are attacked by some insects. Most often it is golden bronze. Beetle larvae, developing in the soil, gnaw out roots and bulbs, and adult beetles, actively flying all summer, eat flowers. Control measures are mechanical - digging up beds and collecting larvae (they are quite large and clearly visible), collecting and destroying beetles.

Decorative bow Makleana- A. macleanii. The name was given in honor of the man who brought bulbs of this species from Afghanistan to Europe. McLean's onion looks like a giant onion, but its pedicels do not grow more than a meter in height. The inflorescences are large, spherical, the tone of the petals is purple and dark lilac. Flowering lasts from mid-April to late May. Crossed with Christoph's onion gave a beautiful hybrid "Globemaster", and crossed with Aflatun onion - a hybrid "Gladiator", pleasing with large lush flowers for several weeks.↓

Decorative bow Schubert- A. schubertii. A low-growing species with unusual, exotic-looking flowers. The height of the peduncle reaches only 30 cm, while the diameter of the inflorescence is also about 30 cm. The flowers that make it up grow on stalks of different lengths, which gives the plant an unusual appearance. Each flower looks a little like a starfish, consisting of thin, long, pointed petals of a pinkish-lilac color. Of these, approximately 30% bear fruit. Representatives of this species look best in rockeries and alpine slides. Blooms in early summer.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Decorative onions look good only in group plantings. In isolated cases this plant is used very rarely. By analogy with the name allium, flower beds with onions are called allaria. In their design, it is necessary to take into account that each individual variety of decorative onion blooms for a maximum of 3 weeks, and more often for no more than 2 weeks. Therefore, plants in allarias must be selected so that one flowering variety replaces the next, providing long-lasting beauty from spring to autumn. You also need to select plants based on their height in adulthood.
Decorative onions look very good in the vicinity of other garden flowers, which can cover the unsightly places that form after the onion foliage dies.
The unpretentiousness of decorative bows allows you to create wonderful rockeries, alpine slides , decorate artificial small bodies of water . Tall varieties of onions look great as an accent on lawns and flower beds with low flowers of monochromatic petal colors.
Medium and tall onions can be used for bouquets. And if you dry them, they will last indefinitely.

Decorative bow Bearish (ramson) - A. ursinum. It grows wild in Western Europe, Transcaucasia, Ciscaucasia in deciduous and mixed forests. Its stems and leaves are eaten. The height of the plant does not exceed 40 cm, the leaves are shorter and relatively wide, the inflorescences are loose umbrellas consisting of large white star-shaped flowers.↓

There is another wild garlic - onion Victorious - A. victorialis. It is distinguished by a taller (up to 70 cm) stem, larger leaves and more compact spherical inflorescences with flower petals of white-green tones. Ramson (both) is very useful, used as an ornamental, food and medicinal plant.

Decorative bow deceiving - A. decipiens. This is a child of the Kazakh and Mongolian steppes, a modest and, nevertheless, very impressive appearance. It is also found in the Caucasus, as well as in the southern regions of Russia. The peduncle is from 20 to 70 cm high, the leaves are long, ribbon-shaped, the inflorescences have the shape of a hemisphere. The flowers are large, star-shaped, with a clearly visible center. The petals are purple with a pink tint.↓

Decorative bow Caroline - A. carolinianum. →
It is classified as low-growing and blooms in early summer. The peduncle is up to 30 cm, the leaves are long, lanceolate, and remain green until flowering ends. The inflorescences are small, up to 3 cm in diameter, the color of the petals is lilac.

On video: Decorative bows in the garden.

Look for an unusual plant to decorate a flower bed or garden plot, then you can start growing ornamental onions, planting and caring for which has a number of rules and you must follow them. Another common name is allium. There are many varieties that differ in appearance, but they are all planted according to the same scheme.

Decorative bow in landscape design

In order to find out how to correctly combine the presented plant with other flower crops, it is necessary to consider its description.

Flower arrows, depending on the variety, can grow up to 70 cm. The green mass is represented by linear leaves.
When figuring out what decorative onions look like, it is worth pointing out that they have a rounded inflorescence, the diameter of which can be 4-7 cm.
Flowering continues for 18-20 days and begins in June.

Decorative onions, the planting and care of which are based on the characteristics of the plant, are recommended to be combined with crops that bloom at the same time, for example, you can use poppies, irises or peonies. An original composition will be created by combining alliums and roses. Dense planting looks great, so there should be 50-70 pieces per 1 m2. Planting decorative onions can be done to create a hedge.

Decorative onions – varieties

There are a large number of species that can be planted on your site:

Decorative bow Gladiator. The giant allium can grow up to 1.5 m in height. It also stands out for its luxurious inflorescences, the diameter of which can reach up to 25 cm. This type of decorative onion begins to bloom in June and ends in 2-3 weeks. The flowers have a lilac or purple color.

Decorative onion Blue. Original flowers of beautiful color will decorate your flower bed and garden area. The bulbs reach 2 cm in diameter. The stem of this variety reaches a height of up to 1 m and there are leaves in its lower part. Bell-shaped flowers are small and have bulbs. Flowering occurs in July.

Decorative onion Ivory Queen. In this variety, the stem can reach a height of up to 25-35 cm, and on top there are lush flowers reaching a diameter of up to 12 cm. The inflorescences are ivory in color. The variety also stands out for its chic leaves, which are wide, corrugated and green-blue in color. It is worth noting the bright fragrant aroma.

Decorative bow Globemaster. The presented variety was obtained by crossing several species. It is popular due to its gigantic size. Decorative allium onions can grow higher than 1 m, but the diameter of the inflorescences is 20-30 cm. Flowering is observed in June.

Decorative onion Giganteum. Already from the name it is clear that this plant is tall, so the height can reach up to 1.5 m. The inflorescences cannot be called huge, since the diameter does not exceed 10 cm. The flowers are painted in a bright purple hue.

Decorative chives. There are other names: “skoroda” or “Siberian onion”. It is characterized by fast growth, strong branching and succulent subulate leaves. Flowering is observed in June and is represented by bell-shaped flowers. Color varies from pale pink to dark crimson.

Decorative bow Chameleon. This is a perennial bulbous crop with star-shaped flowers collected in ball-shaped inflorescences. They are creamy pink in color with dark lines in the center of the petals. The height is 50 cm. Abundant flowering is observed from May to July.

Decorative onions - planting

To grow this ornamental crop, it is important to carefully select a site for planting. The soil should be neutral and well-drained, and do not forget about the need for natural light. For rich flowering of ornamental onions, planting and care involve adding to the soil, which is important for rapid germination of the bulb and good development. If the soil is acidic, then liming or alkalizing it. There are several secrets regarding the proper cultivation of perennial ornamental onions.

How to plant decorative onions?

There is a certain scheme regarding how to properly land:

In the selected area, make holes that should not be large. Calculate that they should fit three onions, 15 cm deep for a large onion, and 10 cm for a small one.
Add fertilizer and add some water.
Plant decorative garden onions so that the distance between the bulbs is 25-30 cm if a tall variety is chosen, and 10 cm if a low-growing variety is chosen.
Fill the hole with soil and press it down lightly. If there are severe frosts, then it is recommended to plant the site using dry manure or peat.

When to plant ornamental onions?

Planting can be done both in autumn and spring, and everything depends on the chosen plant variety. When using early-flowering varieties, they must be sown in the fall and preferably in September. As a result, the bulbs will have time to take root. If garden ornamental onions of late-flowering varieties are used, then planting can be done in the spring from late April to early May.

Decorative onions - growing

This plant can remain in a permanent place for 4-5 years, and then it will have to be replanted. When figuring out how to grow ornamental onions, it is worth noting that while the peduncle is preparing to bloom, the leaves often begin to die off. Experienced gardeners do not recommend cutting them off, allowing them to die naturally. After flowering has ended, it is recommended to regularly loosen the soil and use potassium fertilizers.

How to propagate decorative onions?

To increase the number of plantings, two methods can be used:

Propagation by seeds. Carry out the procedure in spring or autumn. It is important that the seeds ripen in natural conditions. In the first year, seed propagation of ornamental onions, planting and caring for which is identical to other flower crops, produces small bulbs. Please note that flowering will occur only after 3-6 years.
Vegetative propagation. During transplantation, divide the overgrown bulbs into parts and plant according to the rules indicated above. You also need to know how decorative onions propagate by bulbs. Cut off the faded heads, treat them and plant them as you would with seeds.

Transplanting decorative onions

To prevent the plant from disappearing and to bloom every year, it is recommended to dig up the bulbs every year after flowering, dry them and keep them in a well-ventilated place until next autumn. When understanding when to replant ornamental onions, it is worth pointing out that if the cultivation is carried out in an arid climate, then annual replanting is not necessary. In this case, you will need to replant the plant every 3-5 years, separating the children. When transplanting, consider the following features:

Planting depth depends on the size of the bulb.
After replanting, the top layer of soil must be mulched with humus or peat.

Decorative onions - care

There are several secrets regarding proper care, without which you will not be able to get a beautiful and flowering plant:

After watering, loosen the soil the next day. This is important for sealing moisture and enriching the soil with oxygen.
In winter, the “decorative onion” flower needs additional care - shelter, and pine spruce branches or special material must be used for this purpose.
Don't trim the leaves and let them die back on their own. After this, you can dig up the bulbs and separate the daughter ones.

Decorative onions in the garden - feeding

Preparing a site for planting involves applying rotted compost and mineral fertilizer with useful microelements, the composition of which depends on fertility indicators. In order for decorative onions to grow well, planting and care involve taking into account the following rules:

Since the plant is a bulbous plant, it is sensitive to a lack of potassium in the soil. Proper care involves adding wood ash. Fertilizing should be done in the spring after the leaves grow and during the formation of buds.
Decorative flowering onions at the end of summer need phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
In the spring, use complex mineral fertilizers for care, choosing options with a high nitrogen content and nitrate form.

Garden decorative onions - watering

During the first half of the growing season, regular watering is necessary. This is due to the fact that foliage is actively developing at this time. It is important that the water does not stagnate, as this can cause root rot and various diseases. Growing ornamental onions allows short-term waterlogging, but this is only permissible with well-drained soil.

Decorative onions - diseases and pests

Under unfavorable growing conditions and improper care, the plant may suffer from various diseases and be attacked by pests.

Downy mildew. When this disease of ornamental onions appears, blurry spots of pale green color are observed on the leaves and flower arrows, and a mycelium with spores of a gray-violet hue also develops. As a result, the decorative effect is lost. Remove the affected areas, and in the spring the allium must be sprayed with fungicides.
Onion rust. In the presence of this disease, with the onset of warm weather, orange balls can be seen on the leaves, and after a while spores form. To eliminate the problem, the problem parts are removed and sprayed with products that contain copper.
Black mold. Ornamental onions that are planted and cared for incorrectly can become infected with this disease in mid-summer. Symptoms include yellowing of leaves and the appearance of plaque. Treatment is identical to the previous options.
Cercospora blight. The disease occurs in early summer and appears on leaves and peduncles in the form of gray spots. As a result, the onion turns yellow and its decorative effect is lost. Control measures are the same as for rust.

Anastasia Sergeeva

Can onions be decorative? Unusual decoration for your garden

Having seen huge and bright allium inflorescences in a flowerbed in the city or in a neighbor’s garden, everyone begins to wonder: what kind of marvelous thing is this? And then they can’t believe that it’s just a decorative bow! And since many are unfamiliar with this original-looking plant, we decided to show our readers the most interesting varieties of ornamental onions, as well as tell us in more detail about their planting, cultivation and care, if you want to plant these miracle balls at home.

Decorative bow - general characteristics

In Latin, allium basically means “onion,” but in everyday life only decorative onions are called allium. Few varieties of decorative onions are edible, so they are mostly planted in flower beds to admire the unusual inflorescences. And if you start choosing which allium to plant, it’s no wonder you get confused: while studying varieties of ornamental onions, botanists counted more than 600 varieties, although about a couple dozen are popular in gardening. But at the same time, most bows are similar to each other, prefer the same care and are generally unpretentious.

Most ornamental onions are perennials that bloom from late May to July, depending on the variety.

The inflorescences of decorative onions are of the umbrella type: sometimes they resemble a whole ball, and sometimes they resemble a hemisphere. Onion flowers are collected in a bunch into an inflorescence, usually have six petals, and are either cup-shaped or bell-shaped. The size of the inflorescences varies: some are 10-15 cm in diameter, while others reach as much as 30 cm. Decorative onions are also good for their palette - from white to blue and from pink to purple.

Like its edible counterpart - green onions, allium has thin arrow-shaped peduncles: they can be both tall and very tall (onions 1.5-2 meters high are known!), and there are also varieties with low peduncles. The leaves, depending on the variety, can be very different - thin, long, tubular, wide, fleshy, etc.

If you smell a flowering ornamental onion, you will hardly notice any odor. However, by making a cut on the peduncle or rubbing a leaf in your fingers, you can hear a characteristic onion and sometimes garlic aroma.

Common varieties of decorative onions

Aflatunsky/Dutch - this decorative onion is very common in our latitudes. It has spherical inflorescences of bright purple/hot pink color and medium diameter. It reaches approximately 1 m in length.

Blue - the height of such a pretty allium is about 60-70 cm. Shades vary from light to blue-blue, almost azure. Its inflorescences are small, about 4 cm in diameter, but a whole flowerbed of such flowers looks very beautiful.

Chives - this allium differs from its relatives in that its pink-violet inflorescences look like drop-shaped buds, not balls. They are small in size, so it is best to plant them in bushes or in rows near the border. And its leaves can be safely eaten - this is why it is especially popular.

Karatavsky is a beautiful low-growing decorative onion with fleshy wide leaves and rather large and lush balls of inflorescences from white to pink-red.

Gigantic/giant - this particular onion has pedicels that can exceed 1.5 m in height. Large purple balls on thin legs look very colorful, although they often break due to gusts of strong wind.

Round-headed - the peduncles of this onion come in different heights - from 30 to 80 cm, and the inflorescences are small (2 cm), but strong and unusual - ovoid in shape. This allium is also edible.

Sublime/Maclean's onion - has lush spherical inflorescences, whose shade can vary from soft pink to lilac. The average height is 1-1.2 m.

Christophe's onion - looks very elegant thanks to the openwork network of its inflorescences with a fairly large distance between the flowers. His balls are very large, sometimes reaching 25 cm.

Where to plant allium

Of course, like almost any other plants, alliums feel best not in pots and tubs, but in the soil in an open area, so if you have your own garden, front garden or a whole summer cottage, then in this case the scope for imagination is endless . After all, this way you can not just grow one bush of decorative onion, but a whole onion garden - an allery, which is sometimes called an “onion hill”. These allarias look simply magical:

By combining different varieties of decorative onions, different colors, different heights, you can get delightful compositions that look voluminous, lush and very harmonious. The main thing is to choose allium varieties in such a way that some of them bloom at one time, and some at another, and thus you will be pleased with a beautiful blooming allium for a long time if the faded and yellowed plants are removed in time. However, lazy gardeners can, on the contrary, select decorative onions with the same flowering period, so that at one moment they can observe a huge lush flower bed, and then remove all the flowers in one fell swoop.

You can also plant entire borders of onions, placing the shortest varieties in front, and then in ascending order.

The problem with allium blooming in different colors can be solved by adding other plants to the composition - fortunately, decorative onions feel very good in the company of many other flowers and shrubs: tulips, hydrangeas, peonies, roses, hostas, etc.

In the same way, you can plant decorative onions at home on the balcony - you can do it in a pot, but it’s better in a long box, along with other ornamental plants that will take over the flowering baton when the allium fades. But you should still give preference to low-growing decorative onions, since tall flower stalks on the balcony can be damaged by the wind.

Decorative onions - planting in the ground

When to plant allium depends on its variety and flowering period. It would be good to plant early-flowering onions in the fall, in September (at an air temperature of at least 12 degrees), so that the bulbs take root before winter, then in late spring or early summer they will already bloom. If the variety blooms late, then somewhere in late April or early May, when the soil is ready, you can start planting to get flowers in the second half of summer. It is worth noting, however, that some varieties of decorative onions do not bloom immediately, but only after several seasons, so you will have to wait.

As we have already mentioned above, generally decorative onions are very unpretentious, drought-resistant, and are not afraid of cold weather, so it is not difficult to choose a place for planting. This can be the most common, neutral, moderately fertile soil, as well as good access to sun or at least partial shade. It is advisable, however, that water does not accumulate in this area of soil, since excess moisture can cause allium to rot. Planting decorative onions in heavily blown places with drafts is also dangerous - if the variety is tall, the flower stalks may be damaged.

Allium is usually planted as seeds or bulbs, and the bulb option is preferable for many. The bulb should be placed in a narrow hole 2-3 diameters deep, and the distance between the bulbs should be kept at least 30 cm. Before planting, the hole should be moistened, after planting, sprinkled with fertilizers, for example, compost or ash (but not fresh manure), and also mulched.
Onions need to be replanted every 4-5 years. It is best to propagate alliums using bulbs - baby bulbs separated from the mother bulb if they have already formed a root system.

If you are going to plant allium seeds, do it only in the fall, because in the spring they do not germinate very well. Plant them in winter and leave them to undergo natural winter stratification. Before planting seeds, the soil must be well fluffed and then moistened. The planting depth should be very small.

For more information on planting and propagating alliums, watch this video:

Ornamental onions are an excellent plant for the lazy due to their unpretentiousness, so we can say that the main stages of caring for them are watering in moderation, periodic fertilizing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and weeding.

Moreover, it is worth watering the onion in the heat, but otherwise depend on the situation - sometimes there is enough rainfall to supply the flower with moisture. But this applies to wilder varieties, but if the variety is especially capricious, cultivated, or you are growing ornamental onions on the balcony, then watering should be more frequent, the main thing is to prevent its overabundance.

Allium is usually fed in the spring, when its first leaves appear, but sometimes fertilizers are added during the formation of buds to make the inflorescences more lush.

With high-quality and fertile soil with good water permeability, allium bulbs can be left to overwinter in the ground. In other cases, it is better to dig them up after all the seeds have ripened and the foliage has dried, and then place them in a cardboard box or wooden box in a well-ventilated place.

When onions begin to bloom, you shouldn't pick off the fading leaves to improve their appearance - instead, you should plant them with plants that will cover up their yellow color. Another tip: to keep your allium looking good and lush every year, wait until it has finished blooming, but do not allow seeds to form - cut off the stem. Then the foliage will begin to fade faster, and the bulb will not be depleted.

Allium diseases and their pests

If the plant has not been provided with suitable development conditions, in particular, there is an excess of moisture, then it can be affected not only by rot, but also by root mites, onion flies, and downy mildew. In this case, it is recommended to treat the plant with an insecticide - a 2% solution of chlorophos, and also fertilize it with ash, peat, and tobacco dust.

To prevent infection, you can heat the bulbs in the oven or dryer. After digging, they must be thoroughly dried, and only then warmed up. The heat temperature should be approximately 40 degrees, and the warm-up duration should be 10-12 hours. Also, before planting, the bulbs can be kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

Description of culture

Decorative onions belong to the onion family. In total there are approximately 500 varieties of it. This plant has a specific smell. Bulbs can be of 2 types: surrounded by children or single. The rhizome is short.

Inflorescences are umbrella-type, hemispherical or spherical. Gathered in a narrow bun. The flowers are star-shaped, have 6 leaves, cup-shaped or bell-shaped.

The best varieties

There are many varieties of decorative onions. Different varieties bloom in different ways: in July, May, June.

Nectaroscordium. This plant is native to Iraq, Iran or Central Europe. Height – up to 120 centimeters. Prefers sunny, windless places. The soil should be slightly moist. Flowering occurs in June. The inflorescences look very interesting: first a cocoon appears, and then small flower ovaries emerge from it. Then the flowers open and droop. The petals are very beautiful - greenish-yellow-brown. The best neighbors for nectaroscordium are dim plants.
Allium Sphaerocephalon. The Allium Sphaerocephalon variety reaches a height of 60 centimeters. The inflorescences are green at first, then become purple-burgundy. Prefers not very moist soils and sunny places. Yellow yarrow, catnip and roses will be excellent neighbors for the plant.
Mother of Pearl. The variety has light purple petals. It looks very attractive both in person and in photos.

Round. It has reddish-purple shells of bulbs and bulbs. The inflorescences are dark, and there may be bulbs instead of flowers. Grows in dry fields and steppes.
Bear or wild garlic. The bulbs have white shells and are cylindrical in shape. The leaves are narrowed and reach 38 centimeters in width. The stem is leafless and has a narrow umbel containing star-shaped white flowers. Flowering occurs in May.
Blue onion. The bulbs can reach 2 centimeters in diameter. The stem is a meter long, with triangular leaves at the bottom. The inflorescence may have small bulbs. The flowers are blue, bell-shaped, and reach 5 millimeters in length. Flowering occurs in July. There are decorative varieties of cabbage that look very exotic in flower beds in combination with decorative onions.
Paniculate. The bulb has an oval shape. The diameter is 2.5 centimeters. The leaves are located at the bottom of the stem. The height of the stem reaches 70 centimeters. Flowers can be white, yellow, brownish.
Narcissus flower. There are narrow bulbs on a short rhizome. The height of the stem reaches 35 centimeters. The flowers are bell-shaped, pink, and reach one and a half centimeters in length. Flowering occurs in July-August.

Propagation of decorative onions

Any decorative onion variety is propagated by inflorescences (if present), daughter bulbs, rhizome division, and seeds. Each variety has its own unique characteristics.

Many varieties of onions require cold stratification; they are sown before winter. Dry storage of planting material promotes rapid growth of onions. Flowering of small varieties occurs in the 3rd year after planting, large varieties - in the 5th year.

Planting adult bulbs in the ground is done to a depth of 2 diameters. About 30 centimeters are left around them. Replantation occurs every 4 years.

If seeds are used for cultivation, the planting material must be well ripened, otherwise the plants will be pale.

Ornamental onions: growing (video)

Planting and care

Before planting, the soil is fertilized with minerals and rotted compost.

Important! The potassium content should be sufficient. You can increase its concentration using wood ash. In summer, liquid mineral fertilizers are applied. In August, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are added to the soil.

The best option for onions is sunny places. The soil can be any kind; there is no special need to moisten it. However, there are a number of varieties that need additional attention: daffodil, bear, amazing. They prefer moderate watering, shade and fertile soil.

The most shade-tolerant varieties are amazing and bearish. Those onions that naturally grow in dry places do not respond well to waterlogging (Schubert onion, Christophe onion, Altai onion).

The pink and Neapolitan varieties require the most careful care. They do not tolerate winter well and should be grown in southern regions.

Basic rule of care– ensuring good soil permeability. The bulbs must not rot! But during the growth of flower stalks, which look great in the photo, moderate watering should be carried out, which is carried out as the soil dries.

Tall plants must be protected from the wind during flowering. After flowering, no care is required; the greenery will die off on its own.

Growing decorative forms of onions will not cause much trouble. The plant tolerates both drought and frost well. Soil characteristics play virtually no role.

Combination with other plants

Varieties that bloom in June look great with fritillaries, and Allium Christophii looks good next to perennials, namely:

roses;
peony;
garden geranium;
delphinium;
hosta

If you get rid of the yellowed leaves, the inflorescences can be used as decorative ones.

When planting in a flower garden, it is better to place the seeds in the second row, and not in the first; with this placement, when the plants wither, they will be covered by other flowers. The height of decorative onions generally reaches 80–120 centimeters.

Application in landscape design

Rock gardens and rocky hills are suitable places for decorative onions. In this case, it is better to use varieties such as:

aging;
Altaic;
chisel;
Karatavsky;
Pskemsky

In landscape parks, forest edges and clearings they use:

amazing;
Aflatunsky;
victorious;
giant;
bearish.

Slime, angular and cutter are planted in flower beds and borders. For distillation - Neapolitan and pink.

Large varieties can be placed throughout the flower garden. This will make the plants look natural. Small species are best planted in containers.

Onions are also good in dry bouquets. But it is necessary to dry it properly; for this, the plant is hung with its heads down in a dark, ventilated room. Fresh onions are used in summer bouquets.

Decorative onions: varieties (video)

So, these plants, although called onions, look very decorative. Planting is done in previously prepared soil. The plant loves light, but also feels good in the shade. The soil should not be additionally moistened. Of the neighboring flowers, onions get along well with roses, delphinium, and hosta. It is often used to decorate rock gardens and rocky hills, landscape parks, borders and flower beds. The plant also looks great both as a cut flower and in dry bouquets.

The overwhelming majority of ordinary people, when they hear the word “onion,” without thinking, imagine an ordinary onion. However, the generic onion family includes about 950 species that grow freely in fields, copses and meadows from Africa to Novaya Zemlya.

Onions are a genus of herbaceous biennial and perennial plants. The scientific Latin name (lat. Allium) was assigned by the Swedish naturalist C. Linnaeus.

At the moment, there are two explanations for this name:

Some naturalists believe that the genus involuntarily adopted the name from garlic - Allium (as it was called in Ancient Rome);
Some scholars are of the opinion that the name is associated with the Celtic term “all” and means “burning.”

A simple bulbous plant, allium is the closest relative of the onion, which is used as food by humans. By rubbing the stem, bulb or leaf of any plant of this family, you can smell the familiar garlic-onion smell.

Types of alliums

The most popular and favorite favorites among flower growers are:

Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed)– a medium-blooming sample of onions.

In the wild it grows on seaside rocks and sands, and is very often found in meadows and Mediterranean regions of Asia, North Africa, and Europe.

Flowering begins in mid-July and lasts 15-25 days. Thin, exquisite arrow-shaped flower stalks are topped with inflorescences of rich crimson-pink or purple color, slightly larger than a walnut. The flower head is dense, round in shape, up to five cm in diameter. The flowers are bell-shaped, smallish. The peduncle arrow can grow up to 60 centimeters. To ensure visual appeal, round-headed onions must be decorated with greenery from various plants.

Yellow onion (allium flavum) – refers to the medium-flowering representatives of alliums.

Flowers appear in the month of July. The flower stalk is quite thin, about 35.0 – 40.0 centimeters high. The inflorescence is a loose, loose umbrella with inclined, elongated pedicels. The flowers resemble tiny bells and have a yellow, catchy color. The pistil and stamens protrude very much from the perianth. The spherical inflorescence sometimes grows up to 10 cm in diameter.

The bulb of allium flavum is tiny, ovoid, up to 2 cm in diameter, with dry, filmy black scales. The leaves are narrow-linear, bottle-colored, semi-cylindrical.

In nature, it is found everywhere in garden plots in central Russia.

Allium roseum- an ornamental plant with delicate pink or creamy-pinkish balls of inflorescences with wide, bell-shaped, large flowers, reaching 0.8-1.4 cm.

It begins to bloom in the third decade of June. The peduncles are quite tall (50-60 cm), rather thin. The buds of allium "Roseum" are a rich dark pink color. The leaves of the plant are greenish-gray, flat, grow up to 1 cm wide, and have slight pubescence. The bulbs of this species are rounded, up to 2 cm in diameter, single.

Like all its fellows, allium roseum looks great in group, batch plantings with various perennial herbs. Cut inflorescences remain in water for quite a long time.

In nature, pink onions are widespread along the Mediterranean coast.

Allium cernuum– bowed onion is not only used as an ornamental plant, but is also widely used in cooking. He is a migrant from the forests and wild prairies of North America.

Allium inclined is a perennial with an oblong, cone-shaped bulb, up to 5 cm in length and no more than 1.5 cm in diameter. The leaves of this type of onion are very thin, flat, grow 35-40 cm in length, only 2-4 in width mm and are collected in a lush, fan-shaped, near-root rosette.

The long peduncle (up to 50.0 cm) is drooping; at its end there is a downward inclined umbrella of inflorescences of white or pinkish flowers. Onion cernuum blooms at its peak in July. In Russia, in its central zone, allium cernuum forms barren flowers, so the output is a very small amount of seed material. The seeds ripen small, brown, almost black.

Both the leaves and the bulb of the crop are endowed with a specific onion smell. To prepare all kinds of salads, only young leaves are used together with dill and parsley.

Allium sicilium- a fairly tall crop (from 50.0 cm to 130.0 cm) with thin, straight peduncles with cream or pale pink flowers, collected in drooping inflorescences.

There are quite a lot of bell-shaped flowers - up to 60 pieces, up to 2.5-3.0 cm long. It blooms early, in May-June. The leaves are short, 10-15 cm long, no more than 1.5 cm wide, collected in a rosette. Faded and dried seed pods are used by florists to create ikebana and flower bouquets.

Under natural conditions, it is very common in Italy and France.

Varieties

The varietal palette of decorative onions is huge and diverse and includes more than 600 varieties. The most common onions cultivated in household plots are:

Onion varieties can be divided according to the following characteristics:

according to the height of the pedicels - short (up to 20.0 cm), medium tall (50.0-70.0 cm), tall (130.0-150.0 cm);
by flowering time - early flowering (April, May), late flowering (August, September - November);
according to the shape of the inflorescences - spherical, umbrella-shaped, paniculate, narcissus-like;
according to the color of flower petals - white, greenish, blue, lilac, yellow, pink, with or without veins, etc.;
according to the shape of the leaf blades - flattened, tubular, narrow, wide.

In appearance, many varieties are very similar to their vegetable relatives. By choosing varieties according to the timing of blooming, according to color, and according to the size of the peduncle, you can ensure that the space for planting picturesque onions will please the eye for a long time.

Landing

It is recommended to plant decorative onions in sunny, bright areas with loose, fertile soil. The soil should be light and drainable. When digging the soil, you need to add a little sand and add organic matter. The optimal time for planting bulbs is mid-September.

Planting material is buried in a moistened hole or groove at three bulb heights at a distance of 20-35 cm (large-flowered varieties), and small-flowered varieties with an interval of 5-15 cm. To avoid the appearance of a crust after planting, the beds are mulched with peat.

Reproduction

Decorative onions are propagated vegetatively and by seeds.

Propagation by seeds

Reproduction by seeds is a method suitable for absolutely all types and varieties of this plant. Seed material is sown either in spring or autumn.

With this method of reproduction, you need to pay attention to two points:

seeds of a fairly large group of species (xerophytic ephemeroids) germinate only when sown before winter, after exposure to a combination of conditions of the autumn-winter and spring seasons. Some varieties (Aflatunsky, Gigantsky onion, etc.) do not germinate when sown in spring. Even such a method as stratifying seeds in a cold place (for example, a refrigerator) will not affect the appearance of sprouts;
some varieties (ramson, ansur and many others), propagated by seeds, bloom only in the eighth year. This is explained by the bulb building up the necessary mass for reproductive growth and development.

The earliest possible flowering of plants grown from seeds occurs only in the third year after sowing. Onion bushes grown from seeds are recommended to be divided for propagation starting from the 3rd year of growth.

Vegetative propagation

Perennial onions are bred using this propagation method:

The depth of penetration of bulbs into the ground is within 5-8 cm. This method of breeding is optimal for multi-tiered onions that do not produce seeds;

by dividing an underground modified shoot (rhizome). In early spring (early April) or mid-October, 2-3 year old plants are dug up and the rhizome is divided into fragments with the obligatory presence of 2-3 healthy, strong buds. The resulting planting material is planted in rows according to a 70 x 20 pattern;
division (branching) of adult bulbs. This procedure is carried out after the plant has finished flowering, no more than once every three to five years. The depth of embedding the bulb in the ground is determined by its two diameters, and the distance between them must be at least 50 cm.

The technique of vegetative propagation is evaluated and used in accordance with the uniqueness of each particular variety. So, not all varieties can form “children”, and some types of alliums do not have a rhizome.

Flowering during vegetative propagation may occur already in the first year after disembarkation.

Care

Decorative onions are considered very unpretentious plants. Caring for them is simple and comes down to:

infrequent watering. Plants should be watered when there is a clear lack of moisture in the soil, during budding and during flowering. Excessively moist soil has a detrimental effect on the bulbs and can cause bacterial and fungal diseases, causing the death of the bulb;
loosening the soil crust. This is done to seal off moisture and enrich the earth with oxygen. It is also recommended to harrow the soil after heavy rains;
weeding. If the air temperature in winter can drop below 27-30° C, then you need to cover the onions with pine spruce branches or special covering material.

Immediately after the start of flowering, the foliage of decorative onions begins to turn yellow and become dead. It is strictly forbidden to remove drying leaves, since during this process an accumulation of nutrients and beneficial substances occurs in the bulbs. At the end of summer, when the dormant phase begins, the dried foliage is cut off.

Different varieties of onions different requirements for digging out mother bulbs. Some species can be grown without planting for up to 5 years, others are subjected to periodic (every second season) digging, and others are dug immediately with a change in the color of the leaf apparatus.

To improve their decorative properties, alliums should be fed, and to increase the flowering time, complex mineral fertilizers are applied to the plants.

At the beginning of May, the onions are watered with a solution (0.2 -0.3 cups per 1 plant) consisting of urea (1 tbsp), Agricola vegeta (2 tbsp) per 10 liters of water.
In early July, fertilize with AGRI-COLA-2 solution. In September, superphosphate and effekgon are added. For abundant flowering in the snow, in March you can scatter phosphorus fertilizer granules near the plants.
Professional flower breeders use bone meal to improve the quality of the soil and increase the concentration of phosphorus and calcium in it, which onions really like. Flour consumption is 3.0 kg per 1 m².

Application in landscape design

Decorative gardening experts advise combining onions with representatives of the flora that bloom at the same time. As a rule, these include poppies, irises, and peonies.

It has already become traditional to plant alliums among, which looks very impressive. A unique solution in landscape design is very dense planting of onions (up to 50-70 plants per 1 square meter). When they bloom, they produce gorgeous, colorful carpets of flowers.

Alliums look great in “noble” gardens and go well with the strict geometry of trimmed trees and hedges.

Allium is widely used for designing and decorating flower beds, borders, alpine slides, and ridges.

Allium in the border

Video compilation

You can admire the varieties of decorative onions, captivating in their diversity, in the selection from the “Plants” video blog.