Ornamental onions

This week it’s:

WE are all familiar with edible onions (Allium cepa), shallots (A. oschaninii), leeks (A. ampeloprasum), scallions (allium species), and herbs like garlic (A. sativum) and chives (A. schoenoprasum). However, these represent a tiny fraction of the alliums out there. In the past 50 years, millions of alliums grown just for their flowering and decorative qualities have found their ways into our gardens, and in late spring or early summer today you would be hard-pressed to find a garden centre (or Chelsea Flower Show display garden), that doesn’t feature them. Let’s look at some of the fascinating stories surrounding them.

The genus name of ‘allium’ is actually the Latin word for garlic; the full botanical name for this plant is, which directly translates as ‘cultivated garlic’.