Allium

Allium akaka

It seems to be only every few years that we are able to offer this striking Asian species.

It makes just two decorative, grey-green, flat oval leaves in a pair, close to the ground. From between these rises a short stem topped by a large hemispherical head of reddish-purple flowers.

Slow from seed, sparing with its offsets but easily grown and good in a pot as well as a sunny, well-drained spot outside.

Allium akakaallakaaka	£10.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium armenum

Purple-pink bell shaped flowers are produced in a lax hemisphere, each petal with a diffuse, central dark stripe. The flower stalks are long and nod slightly due to the weight of the flowers, which lends a most pleasing effect.

Well drained sunny spot is ideal.

Allium armenumallarmarm	£7.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium balansae

An intriguing species from the alpine zone of the Hop Pass in North East Turkey. It makes only 1-2 tubular leaves and a 5 cm tall stem, topped with a tuft of 5-10, tubular, light-purple flowers. In overall appearance it is reminiscent of some of the North American species.

From the same area as Fritillaria alburyana, like that species, it needs a long, very cold, almost dry winter.

Allium barsczewskii Snowcap

The normal pink form is both desirable and rare, however the white form exceeds it, being very beautiful indeed but even rarer.

Ghost white flowers of a good size with wispy tips, are held in an up-facing umbel in summer. Slow to propagate but well worth waiting for and very well-mannered being sparse both with its offsets and with its seed.

Summer dry cultivation in a sunny spot in well drained soil, or the equivalent in a pot where its small (15-20cm tall) slender growths are easily accomodated.

Allium barsczewskii Snowcapallbarsno	£7.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium bisceptrum

Stems from just 10-15 cm tall bear attractive, dense-flowered umbels of bright sugar-pink flowers in summer. Each flower is quite large and stiffly star-shaped.

Useful in a well drained, sunny spot in the garden especially so as this has just 2-3 slender leaves, even when mature. Dry during dormancy.

Seed originally from Lyon County, Nevada, USA.

Allium bisceptrumallbisbis	£5.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium bolanderi

This is a tiny Allium (with naturally very, very small bulbs). It has just one or two slender leaves and stems just 5-7cm with tiny, widely cup-shaped, pale pink flowers stained bright rose-purple at the tips with yellow anthers.

Perfect for a pot. From seed distributed by Northwest native seeds.

Allium bolanderiallboland	£5.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium brevicaule

A super miniature plant, just 10cm tall with up to 10 cup-shaped flowers in a dense, upfacing tuft, an unusual feature.

A rare, high altitude species, from Anatolia. Described as pink based on herbarium specimens, but actually white, becoming pink when dried. Loam compost.

Allium callimischon callimischon

A very attractive species, valuable for its autumn-flowering habit, with the blooms borne in clusters on the bare, over-summering growths of the previous season.

Small bulbs and thread-like leaves which die away in summer leaving a thin stem which contains the flower buds. These open in September to dense, slightly hanging clusters of white, unspotted bells with a hint of violet. Northern Greece, 30cm.

Allium callimischon callimischonallcalcal	£2.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium callimischon haemostictum

This is the dwarf Cretan form, making stems only 10-15cm tall, in which the flowers are white, but densely spotted all over the petal surfaces with blood red. This flowers on pre-formed buds in September.

An excellent and choice autumn-flowering plant for a sunny spot, well-drained rockery, or in a pan under glass.

Allium callimischon haemostictum allcalhae	£3.25		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium cardiostemon

This makes a 40cm tall stem with a large, tightly-packed, ball head of richly coloured, deep blackish-purple flowers; the colour of ripe blackcurrants!

Easily grown in a well-drained sunny site and very valuable for its late flowering and deeply coloured flowers, which are borne with the leaves.

Caucasus and Iran.

Allium cardiostemonallcardio	£8.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium caspium yellow green

A species with the same 50cm height and huge, 20cm umbels as its relatives cristophii and schubertii. However, the flowers are of a unique, greenish-straw colour. It makes 3-5, short, 10cm wide, attractive silver leaves, which dry out at flowering time like its relatives.

Sunny site, loam soil it must be dried after flowering ceases. Annual lifting is essential.

Allium chelotum

Growth is easy in a well drained, sunny spot and the plant reliably makes large ball heads of light to dark purple on stems from 30cm up to 60 or even 80cm.

The flowers are long-lasting and the leaves are narrow, elliptic and shiny green, unlike many of the other ball-headed species.

In the wild this grows with 1ris reticulata Kuh-e-Abr in the Elburz Mountains. This is one of Per Wendelbo's species described from Iran in 1966 and hardly seen since as increase is very slow.

Allium chelotumallcheche	£7.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium chloranthum

This perhaps looks a little like Allium flavum but it hangs less and has far more flowers in each umbel than that species. In addition, as the name might suggest, the flowers have an intense green infusion or colouring.

It has a pleasing garden habit and is happy outside in a well drained, sunny site and valuable for its late summer flowers which appear when many other species have finished.

Allium chloranthumallchlchl	£4.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Allium circinatum

A tiny Allium, 7cm tall with white flowers, each petal with a central, purple vein. There are 5-10, cup-shaped blooms in each head. The leaves are wonderfully distinctive and decorative, 2-3mm wide and strongly coiled.

This is lovely but it is so small that its beauty can only really be appreciated in a pot. Traceable to coastal dunes in Northern Crete.

Allium circinatumallcircir	£6.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Naturally tiny bulbs. Large view

Allium darwasicum yellow form

A wonderful greenish-yellow form collected by Arnis Seisums in the very south of Tadjikistan (Darvas range, near the village of Iol). It fits perfectly into the description of darwasicum except for the unique flower colour, of pale yellow. Stems 30-40cm tall with tight umbels of numerous narrowly cup-shaped flowers.

This species dislikes any moisture after the end of flowering. It comes true from seed (of isolated plants), with only slight shade variation.

Allium darwasicum yellow formalldaryel	£8.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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