(Bunching Onion)

Fresh grown onions just taste better. These popular vegetables come in many shapes and colors and are quite easy to grow if you have good, friable soil and lots of sun.

The onion is a perennial that’s grown as an annual root vegetable. Unknown in the wild, Allium cepa may descend from several species found across Central Asian to include Allium oschaninii, Allium praemixtum, Allium vavilovii, Allium pskemense,...

(Scallion, Shallot)

Onions in the Aggregatum Group produce numerous small bulbs rather than a single large bulb. Like other varieties of garden onion (known collectively as Allium cepa), they are biennials that originated in Central Asia but that are unknown in the wild.

The pale- to mid-green, hollow, awl-shaped leaves of these onions arise from clusters of small papery-coated bulbs. Some varieties produce globular heads of greenish-white flowers on upright stems in the summer of their second year. Hot...

(Egyptian Onion)

The outlandish "flower heads" of Egyptian onion contain bulbs instead of blooms. Like other varieties of garden onion (known collectively as Allium cepa), they are biennials that originated in Central Asia but that are unknown in the wild.

The pale- to mid-green, hollow, awl-shaped leaves of Egyptian onion arise from a large, papery-coated bulb. In summer, spherical clusters of small bulbs ("bulbils") are borne atop tall stems. The clusters may also include a scattering of small yellowish-white...

(Nodding Onion)

Distinguished by its nodding flower heads and its relatively long season of bloom, this small to medium-sized bulbous perennial is among the most popular of the ornamental onions. It is native to slopes, prairies, and open woodlands throughout much of North America.

Plants form clumps of flattened, arching, grass-like leaves, arising from narrow bulbs with grayish, fibrous coats. In late spring and summer, bulbs produce solitary flower stems, each bearing a domed cluster of 20 to 30 purple-pink...

(Nodding Onion)

Distinguished by its nodding flower heads and its relatively long season of bloom, this small to medium-sized bulbous perennial is among the most popular of the ornamental onions. It is native to slopes, prairies, and open woodlands throughout much of North America.

Plants form clumps of flattened, arching, grass-like leaves, arising from narrow bulbs with grayish, fibrous coats. In late spring and summer, bulbs produce solitary flower stems, each bearing a domed cluster of 20 to 30 purple-pink...

(Japanese Bunching Onion, Onion-leek, Scallion, Stone Leek)

The fresh savory flavor of scallions tastes even better when they are harvested straight from the garden. Also called Welsh onions or Japanese bunching onions, these easy-to-grow veggies are a must for the culinary garden. They originate from Asia and were brought to Europe in the 17th century where they quickly gained popularity.

These evergreen perennials form clumps of upright scallions with small white bases and upright greens that are rounded and hollow. Their flavor is much like that...

(Japanese Bunching Onion)

The fresh savory flavor of scallions tastes even better when they are harvested straight from the garden. Also called Welsh onions or Japanese bunching onions, these easy-to-grow veggies are a must for the culinary garden. They originate from Asia and were brought to Europe in the 17th century where they quickly gained popularity.

These evergreen perennials form clumps of upright scallions with small white bases and upright greens that are rounded and hollow. Their flavor is much like that...

(Japanese Bunching Onion)

The fresh savory flavor of scallions tastes even better when they are harvested straight from the garden. Also called Welsh onions or Japanese bunching onions, these easy-to-grow veggies are a must for the culinary garden. They originate from Asia and were brought to Europe in the 17th century where they quickly gained popularity.

These evergreen perennials form clumps of upright scallions with small white bases and upright greens that are rounded and hollow. Their flavor is much like that...

(Dutch Ornamental Onion)

Dutch ornamental onion sprouts a softball-sized globe of purplish pink, star-shaped flowers in the summer. The flower stalk rises several feet as the large, strappy leaves die back. This species is a natural hybrid variant of Allium aflatunense, which is native to central Asia. Alliums are in the onion family and thus release the familiar pungent fragrance when their leaves or stems are crushed. It thrives in well-drained, even sandy, neutral soil in full sun.

Plant this bulb in the...

(Dutch Ornamental Onion)

Closely allied to Central Asian species such as Allium stipitatum, this ornamental onion of garden origin bears softball-sized globes of violet-purple flowers on tall stems in late spring. The strappy basal leaves wither at flowering time. The bulbs and crushed leaves give off the familiar "onion smell".

This perennial thrives in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Plant it in fall and keep it well watered through the growing season. Lift and divide the bulbs only if they become...