This member of the Amaryllidaceae is native to Europe, southward to North Africa, and eastward to Iran. They lay their eggs in the spring and fall, and after a few days, the white or light yellow larvae hatch and start chewing their way through allium leaves. You can purchase bulbs, or get some bulbs or starts from a friend or neighbor for planting in the spring or fall. Once again, the foliage is rather tatty. Keep in mind that you won’t get flowers for the first year or two when you plant by seed. Deadheading helps to prevent them from spreading, with the added bonus that you can rub the seed heads in your hands to separate out the chaff and retain the rest for planting next season. Drumstick Allium will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon) Drumstick allium is a charming species which produces drumstick shaped flower heads that have a rich purple color. Here's a little information of interest: Drumstick Alliums are happy in USDA zones 4 to 8, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. The plants can reach up to 36 inches tall and blossom from late spring until late summer. It blooms with eight-inch violet-purple flowers atop 12 to 18-inch stalks. White rot is caused by the fungus Stromatina cepivorum. Sometimes referred to as round-headed leeks, in the US they grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8. Drumstick alliums are ideal for gardens where you want to plant something that can resist deer and squirrels, and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Keep in mind that sellers generally won’t ship bulbs until the fall when they’re ready to go in the ground. In the UK it grows wild in the Avon Gorge so is known locally as the Bristol onion! Just keep in mind that if your plants get too crowded, you might be inviting fungi that can spread disease. Read our tips and get this done if you haven’t determined the makeup of your soil. While A. sphaerocephalon might not have the same stunning flavor as its edible relatives, it makes up for this with its easy, showy display. If they do enough damage to the leaves, this can cause a reduction of photosynthesis, which can lead to lower rates of flowering. Without any work required on your part, they’ll send seeds out into the surrounding area, and you’ll find new plants popping up all the time. Thank you, Kristine, for good, comprehensive information all about alliums. The long, sturdy stems make drumstick allium flowers ideal for cut flower arrangements. With your sharing of your knowledge, I may begin to see light shades of green radiating from that stub I call a thumb! It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. Similarly, Craspedia globosa is also known by the common name drumstick flower. How to grow alliums These ornamental onions are bold and architectural, with large rounded heads of usually purple flowers, followed by attractive seedheads. Eventually, plants will turn brown and die. This type of fungi thrives in cool temperatures and high humidity. Don’t confuse drumstick alliums with drumstick flowers ( Scabiosa stellata ), also known as starflowers. Drumstick allium plants require full sunlight Avoid damp, poorly drained locations because the bulbs are likely to rot. You can sometimes spot fine white furry growth on the leaves, and you may see violet lesions as well. As an added plus, many varieties of wild birds like to eat them. Allium really look best in the company of other summer bloomers. Family Alliaceae . Val Bourne - Garden Writer The flies have clear wings and yellow heads. This drumstick allium self seeded and spread into big clumps in gravel below the sunny border they were first planted in. Like many of their edible allium cousins, ornamental alliums self-seed readily. You can snip the flower heads in the fall when they turn dry, during September and October. They look best when allowed to waft their way throughout the garden so that they can surprise you by peeking out through other flowers. Sweet alyssum, rock cress, bachelor's buttons, coreopsis, sweet William, foxglove, baby's breath, daylily, iris, red hot poker, coralberry, barberry, Japanese Maple, Deutzia rosea, weigela, and Geranium pretense are just some of the companion plants that look fantastic with Alliums. Grow Common Sage, a Mediterranean Culinary Staple, Tomato Big Bud Disease: Symptoms and Prevention Options, How to Stop Carpenter Bees from Attacking Your Home, Plant Your Salad Greens Early: Tips for Growing Lettuce and Microgreens, How to Grow Rutabagas: A Cool-Weather Crop Perfect for Fall, How to Save Bachelor’s Button Seeds for Planting, Tips for Growing Brussels Sprouts in Winter, Back of borders, specimen plants, cut flowers, dried arrangements, Allium leafminers, onion thrips; downy mildew, white rot, Plant in full sun; provide afternoon shade in hot areas, Watering needs are moderate and plants can handle short-term drought conditions, Protect plants from wind to prevent toppling or breakage. If you can’t plant your bulbs right away, put them in a cool, dark area until you can get them in the ground. The adults have pale yellow or light brown bodies. The inconspicuous bud emerges in mid-May, followed by a deep green flower that over a week’s time changes to a rosy-burgundy flower that the honeybees adore. Ornamental blooming drumstick alliums are members of the same genus of plants that edible garlic, onion, shallots, chives, and leeks belong to. This allium can actually be grown down to zone 2! I have always drooled at the sight of alliums but thought I probably couldn’t grow them… I don’t have that much-desired “green thumb.” I am so happy to have found you online. A. cristophii, commonly known as star of Persia, is the parent of several ornamental allium favorites. These are plants that do best in well-draining, slightly sandy soil. It may even cause flowering to stop altogether. You can sterilize the soil using solarization, which involves placing transparent plastic over the soil in the summer and allowing it to sit for 4-6 weeks. Here’s what we’ll cover in this article: Part of what I love about ornamental alliums in general is that they’re a mild-mannered plant. Plant the bulbs at a depth of 2 to 4 inches. Deer and squirrels just walk (or bounce) on by. Allium sphaerocephalon is a quite unique, summer-flowering plant that prized by gardeners because of its striking floral display. Underground, the roots and bulbs will start rotting. After the foliage has died back, you can dig up and separate bulbs for planting elsewhere. The long, sturdy stems make drumstick allium flowers ideal for cut flower arrangements. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. If you want to deter them, put down silver reflective mulch in the spring. Noteworthy Characteristics. Click here to find out more. By: Mary H. Dyer, Credentialed Garden Writer. Allium Drumstick, also known as Sphaerocephalon, produces two-toned, Burgundy-Green flower heads. Alliums aren’t as challenging as they may seem and you get so much reward for your work. In the U.S., drumstick allium grows best in USDA Zones 4-8. Then, just follow the steps covered in the article for planting by seed. Replace some of the bulbs in the soil in the original planting area with four to six inches between each at the same depth they were growing before you dug them up, and fill in with dirt. She was raised in the Utah desert, and made her way to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs in 2018. But I’ve done lots of work (and made tons of mistakes!) It attacks all types of plants in the allium family. Thrips (Thrips tabaci) are tiny insects – about 1.5 millimeters long – with two sets of wings that are covered in long hair. Their dark crimson to deep purple flowers are egg shaped and are held on thick stems up to 24 inches in height. Explore beautiful plant combinations for your garden in our Alchemilla Lady's Mantle plant family category. Since the drumstick allium spreads, can I share the dried heads with friends and how would they start them in their garden? It also works well in a pot. Originally native to parts of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, these days you can find this showy plant growing in gardens around the globe. Prepare the soil at the new planting location by adding sand if it’s particularly heavy or does not drain well. Growing drumstick alliums is easy. I am ridding my small front flower bed of all its plants this winter and want to give it a different look. If you’re still having trouble, use a spinosad-based insecticide following the manufacturer’s directions. Allium Sphaerocephalon is also recommended by Which! Allium decipiens. The tall slender stems are topped by an oval head, as opposed to the usual conical sphere. The allium leafminer (Phytomyza gymnostoma) can be devastating to onion and garlic crops, but for ornamental alliums, they’re more of an inconvenience. Snip the seedhead off the plant and rub the heads between your hands to release the seeds. Allium flower purple. I like to wrap a rubber band around the base of the stems and then tie them onto a hanger. Lift the clump of soil out and gently tease out up to half of the bulbs. When I’m looking at my drumstick alliums, they often bring to mind the little lavender balls that chive plants send up in the spring. If you have heavy clay or dense soil, you’ll want to work in some sand to improve drainage before putting seeds in the ground. A very large variety, this Allium bears umbels of distinct violet flowers. An allium flower head is a cluster of individual florets. Drumstick Allium, Roundhead Leek, Round-Headed Allium, Ornamental Onion, Spring Bulbs, Spring Flowers Allium sphaerocephalon or 'Drumstick Allium' is a lovely addition to the border where it adds interest and movement with its dense egg-shaped flower heads atop straight and slender stems, delicately turning from green to purple as they mature. Hang them individually or in small groups of fewer than six flowers each in a dark area with good air circulation. Place yellow sticky traps within a foot or two of your plants at about six inches above the ground to attract and capture the adults at the same time. Some of these links may be affiliate in nature, meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased. They are related, after all. Each type of allium adds its own distinctive style and personality to the garden. Don’t plant alliums in the same location again for at least 15 years, unless you sterilize the soil first. Shades of Delft Blue bulbs will brighten up any garden display. These pretty flowers need full sun in most regions, but if you live somewhere where it gets particularly hot, they’ll do well with a bit of protection from the harsh afternoon light. As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with The top inch of soil should thoroughly dry out in between at this point. They can, however, create conditions that invite fungi to attack when they chew holes in your plant. Once your plants have white rot, there isn’t anything you can do. Plant drumstick allium bulbs in spring or fall in sandy, well-drained soil that has been amended with compost or organic matter. The drumstick allium has egg-shaped flowers in summer that start off green, then bloom and develop to pink and then clover red-purple. Place bulbs four to six inches apart. Synonyms Allium descendens Allium cilicicum. Once air temperatures reach 75°F and higher, the fungus can no longer thrive. Alliums don’t have particularly deep roots. 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