Characteristic features of ornamental onions, recommendations for growing allium in a personal plot, advice on breeding, combating possible diseases and pests, a florist for a note, species. Allium (Allium) is also called onion, and its varieties are part of the genus containing annual and perennial specimens included in the subfamily Alliaceae. In turn, it is part of the Amaryllidaceae family, formerly called Liliaceae. If you rely on information from the site The Plant List, then this genus has up to 900 species in itself, which are mainly distributed on the lands of the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. There they are found in the wild in meadow and steppe expanses, as well as in forests.
| Family name | Amaryllidaceae |
| Life cycle | Annuals and perennials |
| Growth features | Herbaceous |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (bulbs or bulbs) |
| Landing period in open ground | At a sufficient distance |
| Substrate | Any fertile neutral soil |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting or partial shade |
| Moisture indicators | Moisture stagnation is harmful, watering is moderate, drainage is recommended |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | Up to 1 m |
| Color of flowers | Blue, wine red, purple or pink, occasionally white |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Umbrella |
| Flowering time | June August |
| Decorative time | Spring-summer |
| Place of application | Rock gardens, rockeries, rock gardens, group plantings and borders |
| USDA zone | 3, 4, 5 |
The plant got its scientific name thanks to the taxonomy of flora and fauna Carl Linnaeus, who used the Latin word "allium", meaning garlic. This term, in turn, is rooted in the Celtic word "all" which has a translation of "burning" or, according to another version of the Latin derivative, "halare" meaning "to smell". Well, the Slavic name of the bow comes from the roots of different peoples, which are reduced to one derivative - "bend" and "bend" or "moon" or "white".
Almost all Alliums have a herbaceous form of growth, with practically no developed bulbous roots. They can grow as biennials or perennials. They have a pungent smell and taste with onion or garlic notes, which are provided by a large amount of essential oils. The shape of the bulb in many representatives of the genus is large in size with flattened spherical outlines. Its surface is covered with shells that have a reddish, white or purple color scheme.
Leaf plates are linear or with belt-like outlines, grow close to the root zone, fistulate. The stalk of the decorative onion is thickened, it often reaches meters in height, and has a swelling. Foliage in height is always less than peduncles (arrows).
Naturally, the adornment of the allium is its flowers, which are crowned with long flowering legs. From them, inflorescences are collected in the form of umbrellas, which have the shape of a ball or a hemisphere. When the inflorescence is still young, then it is covered with a kind of cover. Indicators of the diameter of the inflorescence in some varieties are close to 40 cm, but usually 4–7 cm. Flowers are small in size, mostly inconspicuous with the outlines of bells or stars. The color of the petals in the buds is blue, deep red, purple, pinkish, occasionally white. On the surface of the petal, there is a brownish-green vein in the central part. In the center of the corolla, dark catchy anthers are formed, which are crowned with crimson stamens. The arrows of such a flower onion can rise by 40–70 cm. The flowering process occurs in June – August and takes 15–30 days.
After pollination, fruiting occurs, which takes time from August days to September. Allium produces round or angular seeds.
Basically, it is customary to grow decorative onions not only in garden beds, but rock gardens, rockeries, rocky gardens or group plantings and borders are decorated with plantings. Variations of such plants are quite numerous and they can change depending on the outlines of foliage or inflorescences.
Recommendations for growing allium: planting and caring for a personal plot
- Choosing a landing site. Like all bows, and its decorative "brother" is distinguished by an increased love of bright light. It is best to plant such a plant on the southern slopes or where they will bask in direct sunlight. It is the amount and level of the sun that will directly affect the color intensity of both leaves and flowers. Allium is comfortable between the crevices of stones or slabs.
- Substrate temperature, recommended for planting varieties of ornamental onions should be approximately 10 degrees, that is, when it warms up, so that the formation of roots takes place.
- Landing of Allium. The disembarkation is carried out on a well-moistened bed, on which grooves are made. Above, mulching is required. Some varieties, such as moth, pink, as well as blue, blue-blue and Ostrovsky are planted in both spring and autumn. After being kept dry in the winter when kept cool. The depth at which the crooks are planted directly depends on their size. So for species with larger bulbs, the ground will be deeper. But it is important to remember the rule that above the upper point of the bulb, the soil layer should have a height of three times its height.
- Soil selection. For decorative onions, it is necessary that the substrate be loose, with a high content of nutrients. Soil acidity indicators should be neutral, if they are higher than pH = 5, then liming of the soil will have to be carried out. Before planting Allium bulbs, the place must be prepared - mix rotted compost into the soil and add complete mineral fertilizer containing trace elements. Then dig everything up thoroughly. But everything will depend on the fertility of the land. It is important that there is enough potassium in the soil, since allium, like all bows, is very aware of its lack.
- Watering. It is recommended to moisten ornamental onions moderately, while the condition of the plant when it clearly needs moisture serves as a guideline.
- Allium fertilizers are executed twice. For the first time in the spring, complex mineral preparations with a high nitrogen content are used. Funds are selected in liquid form. This is how the plants will grow deciduous green mass. The second time after flowering with the arrival of autumn, phosphorus-potassium dressings are recommended. Such fertilizers are taken dry.
- General advice on care. Ornamental onion is a rather unpretentious plant, while it will need regular weeding from weeds and loosening the soil after watering. To perform these actions as rarely as possible, flower growers are recommended to mulch the plantings. In autumn, the bulbs will stay in the ground until the soil temperature reaches 2-3 degrees. Small bulbs must be kept in peat or sawdust in autumn and winter, and should not be allowed to dry out.
Breeding tips for beetroot
In order to get a new decorative onion, it is recommended to plant its seeds, bulbs or bulbs.
When Allium is transplanted in the autumn, you can carefully divide the overgrown bulbous formations and plant them in a prepared place in the flower beds. At the same time, a considerable distance is maintained between them, since in the future the plants are prone to overgrowth and subsequent transplantation is recommended only after a 4–5 year period.
Seed propagation of allium will require the seeds to ripen naturally. At the same time, it is recommended to take only material from the first, completely faded large-sized inflorescences. For sowing, a small bed is allocated and seeds are sown on it in the grooves made. In the first year, they will give small bulbs, the parameters of which will be equal to the nail plate or a little more. They will somewhat resemble onion sets used for growing onions. Only when the size of such bulbs becomes 4–5 cm, then flowering can be expected and this time will come in 3–6 years from the moment of sowing.
However, in the absence of a large number of bulbs for sowing, reproduction is carried out using bulbs. In this case, the faded heads of decorative onions are cut and treated with a root formation stimulator. Then they are planted in fertile soil. It is important that with this reproduction technique, the plant will retain all the characteristics of the parent species, such as the parameters of the height and color of flowers.
Fight against possible diseases and pests of allium
Of the diseases to which ornamental onions are susceptible, there are: downy mildew (peronosporosis), onion rust, smut, black mold (heterosporiasis), leaf cercosporiasis. If all such troubles are found, it is recommended to remove all the affected foliage, and then treat the allium with Bordeaux mixture, kartocide, ridomil, and also apply HOM.
Of the pests, the golden bronze (Cetonia aurata) brings troubles to the Allium plantings. When such beetles are found, they need to be quickly collected. When planting plants, it is important to inspect the soil, digging it up, and then loosening it in the process of care for the identification of pests. Often there is a defeat with thrips, then treatment with insecticidal preparations is needed.
For flower growers a note about allium, a photo of a flower
The greatest contribution to the taxonomy of representatives of this genus was made by the doctor of philosophy and botanist engaged in gardening Eduard Ludwigovich Regel (1815-1892). He published monographs dating from 1875 and 1887, where he described about 250 varieties of alliums, which had not been considered by anyone before.
Many varieties of onions are grown as a crop, but in some areas the population has adapted to use wild specimens of the genus for food. Among the ornamental araliaceae of the genus Allium, the giant onion (Allium giganteum) and the Christof's onion (Allium christophii) are very popular; they are not lagged behind by such species as the Allium oreophilum, which has flowers of purple tones. This also includes the Schubert's Bow (Allium schubertii), which has curly foliage of a bluish color.
Many species of these plants are currently included in the Red Book, since they are on the verge of extinction. All this is due to human economic initiatives and the places of natural growth are gradually decreasing.
Types of decorative bow
- Christof's Bow (Allium christophii) or White hairy onion (Allium albopilosum). It prefers to grow on the territory of the mountain-steppe regions of Turkmenistan, or the desert foothills of this region. It bears the name in honor of the entomologist who first collected this plant - Christoph. The bulb has rounded outlines, its diameter is 2–4 cm, the surface is covered with scales in the form of grayish films. The leaf plates are flat, with a belt-like shape, with an approximate width of 3 cm. The foliage is painted in a bluish-green color, there is pubescence along the edge. The height of the flowering stem varies from 15 to 60 cm, with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm. In the base part there is a deepening into the substrate. The inflorescence is umbellate, in the shape of a ball, reaching almost 20 cm in diameter. It is composed of flowers with petals open in the form of an asterisk. The length of the bud is 1–1, 8 cm. The color can vary from light to bright purple tones, with a slight sheen of metal. The lanceolate perianth leaves are distinguished by a narrowed contour, while there is a sharpening at the apex. After the flowering process is complete, they become tough and remain on the inflorescence. The flowering process begins in early summer and can take up to a month. When the seeds ripen, the arrow with them becomes a decoration of the flower beds until autumn. After flowering is complete, the leaves die off. Often among flower growers, inflorescences of this species are called "porcupines". As a culture, it has been bred since the beginning of the 20th century, and is often used in breeding works.
- Dutch onion (Allium hollandicum) on sale is under the term Aflatunsky onion. It has a broad-oval bulb, which grows up to 5 cm across. Its surface is covered with a thin paper-like shell. The stalk is distinguished by its strength; clear ribbing is present only in the lower part. In height, it stretches up to 60 cm, but occasionally up to 90 cm. The foliage grows protruding, with an average width of about 5 cm. The color of the leaves is green or with a slightly bluish tint. When flowering, a dense umbellate inflorescence is formed, almost round or semicircular in shape. Its diameter is 12 cm. The color of the flower petals takes on pink or pinkish-bargy shades, the stamens have uniform coloration. The length of the narrowly outlined perianth leaves is 1 cm. When flowering ends, they usually begin to curl and at the same time bend back. The flowering process takes the period from May to June.
- Eddian onion (Allium jesdianum). It has a broad-oval bulb, its diameter is 3.5 cm. There is a paper shell on which veins located longitudinally are clearly traced. The height of the stem reaches 1 m. In its lower part there are clearly visible ribs located at a distance. There are 4 leaf plates, occasionally 6 pieces. Their width is approximately 3.5 cm. The color of the foliage is dark green or with a bluish tinge. A large number of flowers are connected in the inflorescence, its shape is hemispherical, in diameter it is 12 cm. The flowers are brightly colored, pink-purple in color, at the tops of the filaments the shade becomes white. The length of the perianth leaves is up to 9 mm, while they are narrowed, after flowering they begin to bend back. The process of flower formation occurs at the beginning of summer.
- Karatavian onion (Allium karataviense). The native area of growth falls on the lands of the foothills of Altai and the Western Tien Shan, where there is a large amount of limestone and talus. The name of the species comes from the Karatau mountains (Kazakhstan). This variety has the most distinctive and highly decorative outlines. The bulb has a spherical or flat-round shape. Its entire surface is covered with dryish filmy scales of a blackish hue. The flower-bearing arrow is distinguished by a strong deepening into the substrate, but the height of the part that is visible above the ground is 25-30 cm. It happens that the peduncle can rise above the foliage, and is often formed shorter. There are 2-3 leaf plates, their shape is oblong, the length is 30 cm, while their width reaches 20 cm. The color of the foliage is bluish-green with a thin strip of purple, which adorns the smooth edge of the leaf. During flowering, flowers are formed that differ in a light pink-purple tone. A vein of a darker color is present on the perianth leaves. A spherical inflorescence containing multiple buds is collected from the flowers. Its diameter is 12 cm. The flowering process begins in late spring, lasting 20 days. After its completion, the fruits ripen, which are boxes that continue to decorate the plant. The fruits ripen fully in the middle of summer. Grown in culture since 1876.
