(Chives)

Chives are a bulbous perennial grown primarily for their edible, pungent, dark-green foliage. As a bonus, pale purple clover-like edible flower heads bloom from spring to summer. Profusion chives bear an abundance of sterile flowers which last longer than those of other forms.

Plant the bulbs in fertile, well drained soil at a depth two to three times their width. Once established, chives tolerate some drought. Lift and divide the clumps only when they become crowded. The leaves can be chopped...

(Blue Siberian Onion)

Named for its spiraling blue-gray leaves, this North Asian native is also noted for its small dense umbels of cup-shaped lilac-pink flowers, which bloom from mid to late summer. The finger-length, flattened, strap-shaped leaves appear in spring and remain attractive all season. They emit an onion scent when crushed. The leaves and flower stems grow from narrow bulbs clustered on a shallow rhizome.

Blue Siberian onion prefers sun and well-drained soil and tolerates drought once established. Lift...

(Siberian Onion)

One of the few ornamental onions to bloom in late summer, this native of Europe and Central Asia bears small dense umbels of cup-shaped lilac-pink flowers on compact stems. The grassy, pungently scented leaves appear in spring and remain green all season. The leaves and flower stems grow from narrow bulbs clustered on a shallow rhizome.

Siberian onion prefers sun and well-drained soil and tolerates drought once established. Lift and divide the clumps only when they become crowded. Grow this diminutive...

(Drumstick Onion, Round-headed Garlic)

The drumstick onion, a bulbous perennial, is grown for its dense, egg-shaped clusters of small, greenish-pink to dark-red flowers, which bloom in the summer on tall flower stalks that emerge from a basal clump of long, linear green leaves. When crushed, the leaves and stems have the familiar, pungent fragrance of the onion family. The drumstick onion is native to Europe, Africa, and Asia, where it grows in full sun and well-drained, often sandy soil.

In the fall, plant this bulb a hand’s width...

(Angled Onion, Three-cornered Leek)

The ancestor of the cultivated leek is a bulbous perennial native to southern Europe. Small umbels of white bell-shaped flowers with green stripes in the middle of the petals are borne in spring amid grassy leaves on stalks whose bases are sheathed by the withered remains of the long, strap-shaped leaves.

Plant the bulbs in full sun and fertile, well drained soil at a depth of two or three times their width. This ornamental onion is a natural for the herb or vegetable garden, but also works well...

(Chinese Chives)

There are lots of reasons to love and hate garlic chives, also called Chinese chives. On the upside, they’re easy to grow, attractive and delicious to eat. The downside is they're impossibly invasive if one doesn't remove their flower heads before they set and drop seed. Each seedhead produces copious amounts of viable, black, wedge-shaped seeds that germinate fast. You’ll be weeding baby garlic chives out of every garden nook and cranny. The plants originate from Southwest China but have become...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear)

Alocasia is a genus of about 70 huge-leaved species of tropical plants native to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. They are usually perennial evergreens and have large rhizomes (underground lateral stems) or bulbs. The leaves are roughly oval with lobes at the base. Some are arrow-shaped and all have the petiole (leaf stem) attached inside the leaf edge. Large, prominent, variously colored veins often decorate the leaves. The leaves top long, variously-hued petioles which grow directly...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear)

Beautiful dark leaves are the shining glory of Alocasia ‘Black Velvet.’ This smaller tropical elephant ear is adapted to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. Some list this selection as a cultivar of Alocasia reginula but the parentage of this Borneo discovery is still unclear.

Evergreen in the tropics, 'Black Velvet' is a dwarf Alocasia, which grows via rhizomes (underground lateral stems) that branch to form large clumps. The leaves are roundly heart-shaped, dark greenish...

(Alocasia, Blue Lady Taro, Elephant Ear)

Alocasia is a genus of about 70 huge-leaved species of tropical plants native to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. They are usually perennial evergreens and have large rhizomes (underground lateral stems) or bulbs. The leaves are roughly oval with lobes at the base. Some are arrow-shaped and all have the petiole (leaf stem) attached inside the leaf edge. Large, prominent, variously colored veins often decorate the leaves. The leaves top long, variously-hued petioles which grow directly...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear, Green Shield Taro)

Grown for its beautiful, bright green, heart-shaped leaves with dark venation, 'Green Shield' is a vigorous elephant ear ideal for large garden spaces. First introduced in the Philippines, its thick leaves are quite leathery and can stand up to heavy rains better than many Alocasia with thinner leaves. This cultivar is likely the species, Alocasia clypeolata.

When weather is favorable, 'Green Shield' will flower sporadically throughout the year. Its Anthurium-like flowers...