(Black Garlic)

Black garlic, a bulbous perennial, is grown for its creamy white to pale lilac umbels, which bloom in the summer. Each umbel bears twenty to thirty large, open, cup-shaped flowers on deep purple stems. The flowers emerge from long strappy grayish green basal leaves. Alliums belong to the onion family and thus all have the familiar pungent fragrance when their leaves or stems are crushed. Black garlic is native to the Mediterranean where it grows in full sun and well-draining, often sandy soil.

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(Mountain Onion, Pink Lily Leek)

A perennial bulb that sometimes goes under the name Allium ostrowskianum, this showy-flowered, diminutive onion is native to the mountains of southeastern Europe and Central Asia. Rounded heads of bright purple-pink flowers appear on short stems in early summer. They are preceded by two strap-shaped basal leaves, which wither before the flowers emerge. Several cultivars are available, including the robust 'Agalik Giant'.

Give this little beauty full sun and fertile, well drained soil....

(Showy Onion)

This bulbous perennial is grown for its large round deep-purple flower heads which bloom in mid to late spring atop tall leafless stems. The broad, strappy, shiny basal leaves wither as the flowers emerge. This ornamental onion is similar to and often confused with several other Central and West Asian alliums.

Plant the bulbs in fertile, well drained soil at a depth two to three times their diameter. This plant likes ample sun and dryish summer conditions. Lift and divide the bulbs only when...

(Showy Onion)

This bulbous perennial is grown for its large round deep-purple umbels of star-shaped flower clusters with prominent, almost sparkly stamens. It blooms in mid to late spring atop tall leafless stems. The broad, strappy, shiny basal leaves wither as the flowers emerge. This ornamental onion is similar to and often confused with several other Central and West Asian alliums.

Plant the bulbs in fertile, well drained soil at a depth two to three times their diameter. This plant likes ample sun and...

(Hardneck Garlic, Porcelain Garlic)

Among the many members of the onion family, garlic (Allium sativum), holds a place of honor for its essential culinary role. It offers distinctive, pungent flavor in cuisines across the globe. This ancient crop that was first grown in present day Central Asia and India before it reached the Ancient Egyptians through trade and they began cultivating it around 3200 BC. The ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Romans also valued garlic for food and as a medicinal curative.

Garlic is a hardy bulbous...

(Chives)

Most know only know chives as a chopped herb sprinkled on salads or added to cream cheese for mild onion flavor and green color, but chives are much more than that. This lovely bulbous perennial produces a bottle brush of fine, cylindrical foliage in spring and becomes topped with beautiful lavender-pink, sometimes white, clover-like flowerheads in late spring or early summer. It is a far-flung and diverse onion that’s native across much of the northern hemisphere, so it has been historically used...

(Siberian Onion)

The Siberian onion, a bulbous perennial, is grown for its tiny umbels of cup-shaped pale to mid purple flowers, which bloom from mid to late summer. The flower stalks emerge from a basal clump of short, grassy leaves. Alliums belong to the onion family and thus all have the familiar pungent fragrance when their leaves or stems are crushed. The Siberian onion is native to Europe and northern Asia, where it grows in full sun and well-draining, often sandy soil.

In the fall, plant this bulb two...

(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...

(Blue-flowered Ornamental Onion)

This ornamental onion, a bulbous perennial, is grown for its tiny loose umbels of bright blue or white bell-shaped nodding flowers, which bloom in early summer. The flower stalks emerge from a basal clump of long, green twisted leaves. Alliums belong to the onion family and thus all have the familiar pungent fragrance when their leaves or stems are crushed. This ornamental onion is native to China, Tibet, Nepal, and India where it grows in full sun and well-draining, often sandy soil.

In the...