Good day everyone!
Let's talk today how to grow decorative onions planting and care. The ornamental onion or Allium has many types and varieties, impressive in size or color. All onions are excellent honey plants; during flowering, bees and butterflies circle around them. Growing onions is not difficult.
Onion decorative species, planting and care
There are many types of decorative bows, here are a few:
- Onion Sicilian, or honey garlic - it is tall with straight peduncles, the inflorescences are pale pink or cream. The bees love them! It is perfect for winter dry bouquets.
Onion Sicilian
- Luk Karatavsky- it is low up to 30 cm, but it has large inflorescences (10 cm), dense, lilac or white, on large stems and beautiful decorative leaves. Grey-green with red or purple veins, up to 15 cm wide. Blossoms in June. Bulb 5 cm in diameter, light. Very handsome!
Luk Karatavsky - Onion Blue - It grows from 70 cm to 1 meter, the inflorescences are blue, small balls are 4 cm. It blooms in July and by this time the leaves are already drying. The bulbs are round up to 2 cm. It is distinguished by a delicate azure color.
Bow Blue - Gigantic or Giant Bow From the name it is clear that he is tall. Peduncles up to 170 cm, flower balls 15 cm, stellate purple flowers. A giant bow must be tied to a support so that the wind does not break it. Blooms in early June, leaves die off in July. The bulb is white up to 8 cm in diameter.
giant bow - Bow of Christophe or Star of Persia- Very effective! Height up to 60 cm with huge inflorescences up to 25 cm! Up to 80 lilac flowers can bloom on them at the same time! This beauty can be observed for a month and a half! Bulb up to 3 cm, the flowers become hard after flowering and are good in winter bouquets.
Bow of Christoph - Moth Bow or Golden Bow- a low flower with yellow inflorescences. It blooms in June, the bulb is white up to 2.5 cm.
- Bow of McLane- a beautiful onion up to a meter high with large inflorescences. There are varieties with bright purple balls-inflorescences.
Bow of McLane - Bow Yellow- Its bellflowers are collected on inflorescences up to 35 cm. Unusual yellow color.
Bow Yellow - Bow Bow or Wild Bow- low up to 50 cm, fan-shaped leaves at the root. Pale pink flowers.
bow bow - Bow Roundhead- late onion - blooms in July-August. Unusual inflorescences in the form of an oval of pink or burgundy color, small up to 2 cm. Up to a meter high. Blooms in June. Bulb oval, yellowish, up to 3.5 cm.
Bow Roundhead
And now more about
- Landing
- care
- Reproduction
- Luke in the flowerbed
- In a bouquet
Planting bows
Ornamental bows love a lot of sun, so choose your location accordingly. In the sun, they show all the properties of the species, large flowers, rich color of leaves and flowers. Onions love loose, light soils. You can add humus when preparing the soil. Again - do not add fresh manure. Bulbous do not like him and get sick.
They need potash fertilizers - that means add ash.
Like all bulbs, we plant onions in September, October. Buried in the ground. Leaving a distance above the bulb equal to its size. Decorative onions are planted no closer than 30 cm. Sprinkle humus on top of the planting.
reproduction
Usually the onion grows in one place up to 5 years, then it is transplanted and you will see many young small onions on the bulbs. They can be planted. It is necessary to dig up an onion for transplantation after the aerial part has completely dried.
You can plant onions from seeds, but they do not germinate well when sown in the spring. Sow onions with seeds before winter, let them undergo natural preparation in the ground. After sowing with seeds, low-growing onions bloom in the 3rd year, and high ones in the 5th. Seeds for sowing are selected from the best plants and flowers, well ripened.
Karatav onion Care
Watering the onion is important, especially when it is gaining color. Under natural conditions, onions calmly endure drought, but their cultivated relatives do not like dry conditions and freeze. Water for beautiful blooms!
Bows are not covered for the winter. In the south and in the middle lane, they winter well. But for some species, for example, Schubert or Christopher onions, it is necessary for the bulb to be in dry conditions during the dormant period. In their homeland, in Central Asia, it is hot in summer. And we may have rain. Therefore, these types of onions are dug up after flowering and stored in a dry place until September, as
Decorative bows are a whole family - alliums. The Latin word "allium" is translated by various sources both as "onion" and as "garlic", as if confirming that our garden friends garlic and onions are close relatives. There are also several variants of the origin of the word "allium": one version goes back to the adjective "burning", the other to the verb "smell". Here it is, allium - sharp and fragrant.
Different types of alliums are similar and unlike each other at the same time. Fans of decorative onions will be able to find short kids (about 5 centimeters) and real giants (one and a half to two meters) for their garden. The coloring of flowers gives a huge scope for imagination, it seems that the lush caps of blooming alliums compete with the rainbow. The palette contains, probably, all existing colors and their shades - from white to almost black.
What is allaria?
Perhaps, after reading this combination "garden of onions", you imagined something like this:
Well-groomed and clean, but this is not an allaria, but a garden bed. Allaria flower garden looks something like this:
Sometimes the allaria is called the "onion hill", hinting at the resemblance to the rock garden and their relationship. However, not every alpine hill with a couple of planted decorative bows is an allaria. We will be closer to the truth if we call so several types and varieties of onions planted in harmonious groups, and it is better - large ones. It is clear that country spaces do not allow everyone to arrange a large onion experiment, but it is still possible to organize a small allaria.
Allaria is more of a collection garden, and less of an alpine hill. Hence the reasonable question: is it worth adding other plants to the onion flower garden? Yes. But the first place should be occupied by a variety of bows, although they are perfectly combined with flowers and decorative leaves.
In order to preserve the decorative effect of the “pure allaria” for the whole season, it is necessary to initially carefully select species with different flowering periods, and then remove the yellowed foliage in time, cut off the dried flowers. And if the “dried” look of flowers can still be forgiven (they are more or less decorative), then it is almost impossible to hide bald spots from obsolete greenery. The disadvantages of pure allaria are predictable: the short flowering period of most species and the short life of foliage, so most often the onion garden is supplemented with other plants.
Still, pure allaria is a dream that can come true. Check out our table, which shows the approximate flowering times for various ornamental onions. In some cases, the beauty time for alliums can be slightly adjusted by planting them a little earlier or a little later. You can also plant individual allium bushes in containers and complement the composition with them during flowering.
| Name | Appearance | flowering time |
| Aflatun onion (Allium aflatunense) |
Violet color of various shades, height 80-100 cm, cm, flower diameter about 7 cm | End of May-beginning of June |
| onion giant (Allium giganteum) |
Violet color, height 120-180 cm, flower diameter about 10 cm | The end of May |
| Color purple or pink, height 100-120 cm | The end of May | |
| Violet color, height 100-150 cm, flower diameter up to 8 cm | The end of May | |
| Violet coloring, height 100-150 cm | The end of May | |
| Violet coloring, height 70-170 cm | The end of May | |
| Violet coloring, height 50-70 cm | June | |
| Violet color, height 40-60 cm, flower diameter up to 25 cm | June | |
| Schubert bow (Allium schubertii) |
Gray-pink color, height 40-60 cm, flower diameter from 30 cm | June |
| The color is dark pink, height 20-35 cm, flower diameter is about 12 cm | June | |
| blue onion (Allium caeruleum) |
The color is blue, with time the color turns pale and becomes pink, height 70-100 cm, flower diameter about 5 cm | June July |
| Coloring white, height 50-80 cm, flower diameter up to 15 cm | June | |
| June | ||
| The color is dark red, height 50-80 cm, flower diameter is about 4 cm | June | |
| Coloring white, height 40-60 cm | May June | |
| The color is dark red, height 20-30, drooping inflorescences with 5-12 bell-shaped flowers | June | |
| Coloring pink, height 60-80 cm | June | |
| Coloring yellow, height 60-80 cm | June | |
| Onion large (Allium grande) |
Coloring white-pink, height 50-70 cm | June |
| Onion black-purple (Allium atroviolaceum) |
The color is dark purple, height 60-80 cm | June July |
| Coloring yellow, height 20-30 cm | June July | |
| Onion mountain \\ Ostrovsky (Allium oreophilum\Allium ostrovskianum) |
Violet-pink color, height 15-20 cm, fragrant flowers | June July |
Allaria is a difficult flower garden, it is edible. Tender feathers of some types of onions (before it blooms) can be eaten, supplying the body with vitamins and other benefits, which are full of fresh greens. Try adding some chopped giant onion leaves to the salad, its delicate aroma slightly reminiscent of garlic, the taste is spicy-spicy and slightly burning. We will talk about other edible alliums in this article, but for now let's talk about care.
Allium Care
Despite the different size, color, shape of leaves and flowers, all decorative bows require approximately the same care. There is nothing fundamentally new: the flower garden needs to be weeded, the earth periodically loosened, mulched as needed.
Alliums love the sun. The illumination of the place chosen for planting affects the color of the onions (both foliage and flowers) - the more light, the brighter the color.
Alliums prefer loose fertile soil with neutral acidity. Too acidic soil needs liming. For good growth, decorative onions require potassium, with a lack of this element, the bulbs do not develop well, the foliage loses its color saturation. Feed your pets with ashes, it will revive them and make them more beautiful. Also, the plants will be grateful for the spring fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers.
Ornamental onions easily forgive the mistakes of novice gardeners, who may forget to water the plants, and then overdo it and arrange a small deluge. Of course, if such violations are practiced too often, the plants will not be pleased with their appearance ... Alliums should be watered moderately and regularly, sufficient moisture is especially necessary at the beginning of the growing season.
Experts do not recommend immediately removing the yellowing leaves of alliums, because at this time the bulbs continue to accumulate nutrients. In order for the plants to be as strong next season, you must wait until the foliage dries and only then remove it. Then the bulbs must be dug up and stored in a dry place until autumn, after which they can be planted. However, there are a few important points...
In Central Russia, it will not be possible to repeat the climate of Central Asia, but this is the birthplace of most alliums. Therefore, when caring for decorative bows, the gardener will have to imitate some features of weather conditions, in particular, dry and warm summers. No, your pets will be able to grow under almost any circumstances, but storage of bulbs should be treated with great attention.
After the alliums fade in the hot homeland, and their leaves dry out, the bulbs remain in the dry ground. The sun warms the soil, the rains do not indulge ... Here are the ideal conditions for storing bulbs!
It is impossible to leave a plant that has completed its cycle in the same place - in our country it will most likely be flooded with rain, and the heat has recently been very unstable (+8 in July has happened more than once!). And so that the allium bulbs do not die, they must be carefully dug up, dried and hidden in a dry place with a comfortable temperature.
In autumn, around mid-September, pets can be planted. The depth of planting is easy to determine by the size of the bulbs themselves: three pieces should fit in each hole. But we plant, of course, one onion each! Plant the bulbs that you left to winter in the ground, mulch.
If summers are hot and dry in your climate zone, then alliums can not be dug up. But keep in mind that every year they will grow thicker, which will cause fewer flowers, and the plants themselves will be crushed.
If you prefer spring planting, then store bulbs (especially small ones) in sawdust, sand or peat in winter so that they do not dry out.
Allium reproduction
The first way to propagate alliums is by seeds. Do not cut dried flowers, but wait until the "chernushki" ripen and collect them. The seeds of the giant, Aflatun and stalked onions must be sown before winter so that they can be hardened by severe weather, and only after that they will be able to adequately prove themselves. Other species can be sown in spring.
When planting alliums with seeds, do not expect a quick effect, since some types of ornamental onions “gain weight” for several years and take on the appearance expected by gardeners in 3 or even more years.
You can propagate alliums with the help of children. They are formed on the maternal bulb, but they themselves do not become "mothers" immediately, but only in the third year. It is necessary to separate the children in the fall, when the transplant is carried out. The correct onion for planting should have small roots and a live shoot (or better, two shoots).
Rhizome types of ornamental onions are preferably propagated by division. A good delenka, like a baby, has live roots and intact shoots.
Bulbs are well suited for propagation of onions - small bulbs that form on peduncles during flowering. Their appearance can be accelerated, for this the buds are cut and treated with plant growth stimulants.
We protect allium from pests and diseases
Possible pests of alliums are the same as those of the usual garden onions and garlic. For example, an onion fly. Insect larvae bite into the bulbs and live inside, torturing the plant until they grow. If the tips of the allium leaves begin to turn white, and the bulbs rot, then you need to urgently start a rescue operation.
To combat the fly, experts recommend foliar application of ammonium carbonate, and folk experts suggest mixing half a teaspoon of boric acid, 3 drops of iodine, a little light pink solution of potassium permanganate and a tablespoon of ammonia in a 10-liter bucket of water. Pour a little less than a glass of the mixture under each bulb, it should help.
Frankly, the fight against the onion fly is better to prevent. To do this, you can sprinkle the ground near the alliums with a mixture of tobacco dust and ash; instead of tobacco, you can use black pepper or chopped dry wormwood.
Do not store the bulbs in places with high humidity, and be sure to warm them up before planting. The temperature for heating should be 40 degrees, time - about 12 hours. This simple procedure will protect alliums from many diseases, such as downy mildew. To avoid cervical rot, which manifests itself during storage of the bulbs, it is necessary to dry them very well in the sun immediately after digging them out.
Before planting, be sure to inspect the bulbs: there should be no mold or plaque on the outside. If in doubt, try holding the onions in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Carefully monitor your garden pets, feed them in time, do not allow waterlogging, then troubles can be avoided.
Types and varieties of alliums
For gardeners and lovers of landscape design, such characteristics of decorative bows as the height of peduncles (tall, medium and short), flowering time and flower color are important. Although there is one more thing - the edibility of one kind or another! Let's start with the most delicious...
Edible and beautiful
One of the popular and fragrant guests of our gardens is chives.
Its thin tubular leaves have a delicate taste, and small but lush flowers are pink, lilac or purple. Chives will be an excellent base for a border along the path, it will decorate a rock garden or become one of the tiers of a "multi-story" flower garden. Dried inflorescences almost do not change color, so they can be used to create dry bouquets.
Eating and admiring the flowering at the same time will not work, because the foliage of chives is coarsening. But this species is considered frost-resistant: and if, after collecting the seeds, cut the leaves almost to ground level and feed the plant, then after a couple of weeks you can again feast on delicate greens, and so on until December ...
Despite the unappetizing name, one of the most delicious is considered slime onion. Its leaves are flat, juicy and fragrant, with a slight garlic aroma.
This plant is incredibly useful: it contains a lot of different vitamins, trace elements, amino acids. Experts have calculated that there are so many useful substances in 10 kilograms of slime onion that they will last a person for a year! There is even a recommendation for use - eat 27 grams of leaves per day, then the body will thank you.
In nature, the slug onion grows both in meadows and in rocky places, so it will feel equally comfortable both in a flower garden and in rockeries or rock gardens. Juicy greenery and lush flowers will decorate borders and mixborders, and just a garden bed will look bright, especially during the flowering period.
And victorious bow often combined under one name - wild garlic. They differ in that the victorious one has coarser leaves, its greens appear later than that of the bear, and the umbrellas of flowers are denser.
Cheremsha is another “storehouse of health”. The garlic aroma of the leaves will liven up any spring or summer salad, and at the same time treat an unexpected cold and become a source of vitamin C.
Juicy greenery and delicate caps of flowers give wide scope for using wild garlic for decorative purposes. Just have time to prepare delicious greens before the plant blooms - the foliage coarsens.
From wild plants to gardens sometimes moves long pointed onion(long-awned), it is also called wild garlic.
Incredibly hardy and well-reproduced, it can become a weed in the area, so plantings should be carefully monitored. The feathers and bulbs of the long-pointed onion have a sharp spicy taste and can compete with garden garlic.
Tenderness and pleasant taste are different greens blue onion, and any plant can envy the spectacular blue flowers! For their noble appearance and exquisite beauty, blue and blue-blue onions are called royal.
In early spring, the first leaves of this species appear, do not spare them - immediately on the table! Delicate garlic taste and delicate aroma will make any dish tastier and supplement it with vitamins, which are in abundance in blue onions. The bulbs of the plant are also edible.
Blue onion inflorescences reach 7 centimeters in diameter and change their color over time: gradually turn pale and turn pink. Such a "plant chameleon" will be able to add zest to the garden, changing the appearance of the flower garden during the flowering period.
Has amazing healing properties Suvorov's bow. Wide leaves and a large purple ball on a tall stem make this allium indispensable for decorating the back row of mixborders, and the complex of substances it contains makes it possible to compare onions with ginseng.
The first greenery breaks through in early spring. Tender leaves are rich in vitamins and have a pleasant garlic taste. Bulbs taste different from greens and not everyone may like them, but they can also be eaten, though carefully - no more than two cloves, and it is better to hold them in a salt solution beforehand. An overdose of Suvorov onions can cause an allergic reaction or even poisoning, but moderate use will be beneficial. Suvorov's onion contains vitamins C, D and E, the plant strengthens the immune system, has tonic properties, and improves memory.
You can talk and write a lot about the edibility of alliums, so let's stop for now. It's time to focus on beauty! Next, we will separately describe tall and short alliums - it will be easier to figure out which bow and where to place it.
Tall ornamental onions
Ranked first in popularity allium giant. A tall peduncle (about one and a half meters) is crowned with a large purple umbrella.
It is better to protect such an “Uncle Styopa” from the wind and plant it in sunny places sheltered from the weather, or tie the peduncle to a support, so it will definitely not break (although in this case the decorative effect of the composition may suffer). Giant onions bloom in early summer, and in July the leaves turn yellow and die. By the way, in spring, giant onion leaves can be cut into a salad or put on a sandwich - tasty and healthy.
Among the tall alliums known Aflatun onion. The peduncle reaches a height of one and a half meters, fluffy purple balls of flowers have a diameter of up to 10 centimeters and smell pleasant, which attracts bees.
Aflatun onion is resistant to lack of moisture and cold. The first leaves of allium break out of the ground in early spring, even if the snow has not yet melted. Hurry up to replenish your supply of vitamins - fleshy leaves with a taste of garlic are rich in useful substances!
When inflorescences appear, the foliage begins to turn yellow, so they must be removed in time to preserve the beauty of the flower garden. Because of this feature, it is better to plant the allium in the background or in the center of the flower bed, so that the lower tier is hidden on all sides by other plants.
(or Maclean's onion) outwardly resembles a giant allium, but its peduncles are not so high - from 100 to 120 centimeters. A fluffy white flower gradually changes color to pink or pale purple.
In its name it is similar to the previous allium, but it can shine in height - from 70 to 170 centimeters. Purple flowers will delight the owner's eye for 2 weeks after the giant onion has faded - an excellent change for a continuous flower garden.
Dense fluffy flowers chives have a rich purple color, although there are varieties of other colors, such as white 'Mount Everest'.
The stalked onion reaches a height of one and a half meters, the balls of flowers have a diameter of up to 12 centimeters. Allium leaves are very delicate and easily damaged by spring frosts, so it is advisable to plant this plant in the background of the flower garden.
Srednerosly types of alliums
Not a giant, but a big handsome man - rosenbach bow. Its spherical inflorescences adorn the garden in June and look like delicate lilac lace.
Rosenbach's onion actively reproduces and can flood the entire area, since it is not picky about the soil, it can grow in the shade and in the sun. Allium openwork umbrellas look good in rock gardens, rockeries and in the background in borders.
Allium Star of Persia boasts large flowers, which is officially called Christoph's bow. Purple balls grow up to 25 centimeters!
The openwork ball looks even larger in comparison with the fact that the height of the flowering bush does not exceed 60 centimeters. A fluffy star, gradually drying up, does not change its appearance and can decorate a flower garden for more than a month and a half. Christoph's bow harmoniously combines with cereals, it's nice to look at its neighborhood with ground cover.
It differs in large inflorescences and schubert bow, but its balls are so delicate and openwork that they are more like fireworks. This effect is created due to the different lengths of pedicels: from 1 to 20 centimeters.
Probably not a single garden plant has a more original appearance. Schubert's bow will make an unusual accent on the alpine hill, it will look good in the foreground of the flower garden, and in itself it is very unusual.
Very winter hardy and effective Neapolitan bow fascinates gardeners with delicate white bouquets of bell-shaped flowers. This species is good for group plantings, looks wonderful in borders, and is also great for cutting.
Among the delicate pastel shades of most bows, a rich dark red color is distinguished by onion roundhead(ball-headed). The diameter of the spherical inflorescence is not that big - about 4 centimeters, but the deep color makes it indispensable for creating bright compositions.
The inflorescence of a ball-headed onion seems to be divided into two parts - while the lower part retains an immature green color, the crown of the flower already has time to gain dark paint.
Fully lives up to its name onion pretty- he is really very cute, and his inflorescences look like a firework explosion or a fountain. This plant is planted to decorate borders or rocky gardens. The charming allium loves warmth, so it is better to cover the wintering place during the cold season.
Similar shape but different color yellow onion- bright, sunny, juicy yellow. Loose lacy inflorescences consist of many bell-shaped flowers on thin threads.
A slightly disheveled umbrella is crowned with a peduncle, reaching a height of 80 centimeters. After flowering, the allium foliage dies off, so the resulting void will have to be somehow hidden. By the way, the breeders liked the shape of the yellow onion so much that they also bred a white variety, although the name of the parent species remained the same - yellow.
Pure white color can boast zebdan onion, and if you spare no effort and time to care for this allium, then it will generously endow you with a lush foam of flowers.
This allium is great in groups! It can grow in the sun and in partial shade, and the pleasant aroma of flowering Zebdan onions will please you and attract bees to the garden.
(aka pink onion) needs the warmth and attention of a gardener who will have to shelter his pet for the winter, loosen the ground and monitor regular, but not too plentiful watering. For such care, the allium will thank the owner with beautiful pink flowers, which can be admired not only in flower beds, but also at home - cut flower stalks will stand in a vase for a long time.
Fantastic appearance distinguishes the hybrid variety allium ‘Hair’(translated from English, this word means "hair").
It is not easy for such an upstart to find a mate, but in the company of openwork cereals, he will remain a soloist and acquire a worthy background. The onion grows up to 50-70 centimeters, and the diameter of the "hairy head" reaches 15-20 centimeters. ‘Hair’ blooms in June-August, during flowering, the funny “hair” of the onion changes color from green to beige.
undersized alliums
Among low decorative bows, one of the most popular is onion karatavsky. Its large, globular flower is typically pink, but white, cream, and red cultivars can be found.
It is hard to believe that the Karatav onion belongs to the alliums - it looks so unusual. Broad leaves, a short peduncle ... A star straight on the ground! This allium will decorate the alpine hill, add a little originality to the coastal zone of the garden pond. The low Karatav bow will perfectly fit into any flower garden and will gladly play the role of the first tier in the flower "high-rise building". The foliage remains decorative even after the allium has faded, so you don’t have to hide the baby from prying eyes.
Another unusual representative of alliums - onion narcissus flower, its original flowers adorn the garden in June. Graceful drooping inflorescences are not at all like daffodils, and even lilac-pink or red ...
This onion aristocrat is thermophilic. The ideal place for a daffodil is where it will be clearly visible. Such exquisite beauty cannot be hidden, so select a noticeable corner in the flower garden for the allium or decorate the rock garden with it.
Bring some sunshine into the garden onion moth. This charming, bright yellow, undemanding allium is especially impressive in a group planting.
The mysterious herb "moth" is mentioned in Homer's poem "The Odyssey": this plant was given to Odysseus by the god Hermes so that the hero could protect himself from the evil magic of Circe. Despite the fact that the description of the mythical plant does not at all fit the appearance of the onion Moth (“... the root was black of it, the flowers were milky ...”), the allium was given this name and was considered a symbol of good luck.
A good company for such a handsome man will be bow Ostrovsky(city-loving) - loose bright pink allium umbrellas appear at the same time as the yellow flowers of the Moth onion, and also exude a very pleasant aroma. Flowerbeds, borders, rock gardens ... There are no forbidden flower beds for Ostrovsky's onion!
Onion Ostrovsky grows slowly. Its bulbs can be planted in the spring, but autumn planting is preferable, so the allium will grow and develop better.
Decorative bows in flower beds
A tall and bright allium can be a wonderful accent in a colorful flower garden. The ornamental bow pairs well with irises, geraniums, peonies, hostas, delphiniums and lupins.
A combination of allium and rose will be a win-win. This couple looks wonderful both in the garden and cut in bouquets.
The flower garden looks great, in which the decorative bow is combined with geraniums.
Flower beds made from alliums of different heights look spectacular. As in the photo below: a three-story mixborder of giant allium, red-yellow flowers of 'Moerheim Beauty' gelenium and ball-headed allium.
Two tiers of alliums and cereals look interesting and very gentle.
Decorative bows do not bloom for long, and this feature can be used to change the appearance of a flower garden in just a couple of weeks.
A flower garden with different shades of the same color always attracts attention. A wide palette of decorative bows allows you to choose the right color for almost any plant. Using alliums with blue umbels next to forget-me-nots, delphiniums, you will create a fresh and noticeable blue corner. A snow-white garden is easy to create from alliums with white flowers (for example, multi-bulb allium), adding to it the night violet of the 'Alba' variety, white lupine, the coronal 'Variegatus' mock orange, olearia and iberis.
White, silver, pink... Monochrome gardens of alliums and other flowers look incredibly impressive! The number of color combinations and variations is limited only by your imagination and possibilities.
Decorative bows are frequent guests on alpine slides. For planting, undersized types of alliums are chosen, such as Karatav onions, slime onions and chives. In rock gardens, most bows feel good, because the abundance of stones and relative dryness resemble the conditions of mountainous terrain, that is, the distant homeland of alliums. Against the background of stones, these plants are noticeable and very harmonious.
Do not forget to keep an eye on the alliums, because they quickly lose their decorative effect. Remove leaves in time, remove dried inflorescences so that they do not spoil the appearance of your composition.
Abroad, decorative flowering bows are very popular. Those who did not get bulbs are ready to decorate their gardens even with artificial alliums.
Plastic or metal imitations of decorative bows are not for everyone. If you know how to take care of plants, love your land and want to decorate the site with beautiful flowers, then it will not be difficult for you to grow alliums. Try it just once, maybe you, like many gardeners, will “get sick” with decorative onions and every year you will replenish your flower and onion collection, making your garden brighter!
Onions are not only onion and green, used in nutrition. Many varieties of wild plants have been cultivated to beautify the landscape, breeders have bred hybrids with the desired characteristics. The decorative bow is unpretentious in planting and care in the open field, it is used to create borders, flower beds, alpine slides, and make winter bouquets.
Description and origin of culture
Allium (ornamental onion) is a herbaceous, biennial or perennial plant of the Amaryllis family with an almost undeveloped head, which has a specific onion or garlic smell. The leaves can be linear, belt-like, wide or thin, grow from the root, inside are fistulate. The stem is thick, reaches a height of one meter or more. Allium flowers are spherical in shape, their color and size vary depending on the species.
Ornamental onions bloom in spring, summer or autumn, depending on the variety. This feature allows you to use the culture to compose compositions of alpine slides, flower beds, flower beds. Properly calculated time, when one or another type of allium begins to bloom, makes the site decorated with bright flowers without interruption.
The first description of culture was made by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. In his work, there are 31 names of decorative bows. In the 17th century, some varieties were brought to Western Europe from areas between India and the Mediterranean. The most beautiful plants began to cultivate, breed.
Classification and varietal diversity
Alliums differ in terms of flowering, size, shape, color of flowers and leaves. Some varieties are edible, others smell good, others are used to make winter bouquets. For a flower garden or an alpine slide, it is better to choose species that bloom for a long period (for example, Globmaster), and also do not dry out for a long time (Slizun, Fragrant, Schnitt).
Varieties of ornamental onions by flowering time:
- early (May);
- mid-flowering (July);
- late (August, September).
Varieties of alliums according to the height of the peduncle:
- low (up to 40 cm);
- medium height (40-80 cm);
- high (from 80 cm).
Ephemeroid species of ornamental onions are characterized by a short growing season in spring or summer, a long dormant period. In nature, they grow in the mountains of Central Asia, where favorable conditions for their growth develop after the snow melts and before the onset of heat. The rest of the time they are in a state of intrabulbous development.
Undersized varieties
Onion Karatavsky has pink-purple, star-shaped flowers, collected in spherical, dense inflorescences. The stem reaches a height of 25 cm, almost half buried in the ground. The leaves are broad, smooth, longer than the stem. The bulb is gray or black, round, 2-6 cm in size. The variety is drought-resistant, photophilous. It blooms at the end of May, flowers adorn the flower bed for about 20 days.
Schubert's onion belongs to the early varieties, blooms in early or mid-May, blooms for 10-16 days. The flowers are white or pink, similar to stars, collected in hemispherical or spherical umbrellas. Peduncle hollow, tubular, up to 50 cm. Leaves 2-3 cm wide, green with a bluish tint. The plant is frost-resistant, needs good drainage, does not tolerate waterlogging.
Onion Moth blooms in late May - early June with large yellow flowers, collected in spherical or flat inflorescences 4-7 cm in size. The stem is straight, up to 30 cm in length. The leaves are wide, flat, drooping at the tip, have a bluish bloom. A characteristic feature of the variety is the garlic smell. Can grow in one place up to 15 years.
Christophe's onion with purple, purple, large (1.5 cm), hard flowers similar to pointed stars, collected in spherical and hemispherical inflorescences up to 20 cm. After drying, the peduncles harden, keep their shape, the flowers do not crumble, which allows them to be used when making winter bouquets. The leaves are raised, belt-like, 2-3 cm wide, bluish-green in color with pubescence along the edges. Stem up to 1.2 cm thick and up to 40 cm long. The onion is spherical, up to 4 cm, with a gray, paper-like husk. Flowering occurs in May-June.
Ostrovsky's onion is distinguished by a pleasant aroma of large, delicate, loose inflorescences of pink or burgundy flowers. On the petals of the perianth, a dark purple vein in the center is clearly visible. The leaves are narrow, long, flat. The variety blooms in June.
The Neapolitan onion blooms with white or pale pink large flowers, similar to bells, in June. The peduncle is flexible, thin, up to 35 cm. The bulbs are small (up to 2 cm), oval, ovoid, grayish in color. The leaves are linear, belt-shaped.
Onion Gorolyubivy in nature grows on the rocky slopes of the mountains. The petals are pink-purple, the flowers are collected in a bud-like, spherical or hemispherical umbrella. The leaves are linear, 2-8 mm wide, much longer than the inflorescence. Blooms in July - August. The representative of the species is the Ostrovsky variety.
Onion Narcissus flower is the most unusual of the alliums. Differs in bell-shaped large flowers of dark red color. Flowering occurs in the second half of summer, duration - up to 35 days. Loves warmth, grows well in partial shade.
Onion Pink has thin peduncles, about 60 cm high. The flowers are large, bell-shaped, warm pink color. Flowering begins in late June - early July. It is preferable to grow in the southern regions, does not tolerate frost.
Medium-sized varieties
Onion Roundhead has burgundy-reddish umbrellas, collected in loose cones. Plant height up to 50 cm. The leaves are fistulate, rough at the edges, with a garlic smell, begin to dry out even during flowering, which falls on June-July.
Rosenbach's onion prefers partial shade, but also tolerates the sun well, not whimsical to the soil. It blooms in June for 2-3 weeks with lilac-pink, star-shaped flowers 1.5 cm in size. The inflorescence is loose, up to 12 cm in diameter. The height of the pedicel is about 70 cm. The leaves are shorter than the stem, broadly linear.
Allium Purple Sensation blooms in June-July, reaches a height of 70 cm, tolerates frost well. Decorative bow of hybrid origin. The flowers are dark purple in color with 6 petals, collected in umbrellas with a diameter of up to 12 cm.
Tall varieties
Decorative bow Gladiator reaches a height of 1.2-1.4 m. Inflorescences up to 25 cm in size, spherical, dense, consisting of lilac-blue flowers. Blooms at the end of May, blooms for a long time, almost until the end of July. The leaves have a garlic odor and are edible.
Onion Giant has more than 750 subspecies. It can reach a height of up to 1.7 m. It is distinguished by long flowering, even in autumn, boxes with seeds adorn the flower garden. Light purple, star-shaped flowers are collected in a dense, spherical umbrella, which can reach impressive sizes.
Decorative onion Globemaster - a hybrid that blooms from late May to September. The diameter of the spherical inflorescence is 25 cm. The flowers are purple, star-shaped. Peduncle 80 cm high. The variety can be used to produce dried flowers.
Onion Blue has small umbrellas (4-7 cm) of blue-blue, azure color. Blooms up to 25 days, begins in late May - early June. Plant height - up to 100 cm. The leaves are trihedral, 1 cm in diameter, up to 40 cm long. Until they become coarse, they can be used for food, have a weak garlic taste and aroma.
Decorative onion Bulgarian blooms in July with white-red drooping bells. The pedicel reaches a height of 80-90 cm. The variety prefers a sunny place with loose soil, tolerates partial shade well. Abundant spring watering is required.
How to plan allaria on the site
The selection of varietal diversity is carried out taking into account the height, color of flowers, the beginning and duration of flowering. It is important to create a composition that will please the eye from spring to autumn. In addition to decorative bows, you can use other plants to help hide imperfections. For example, cereals will divert attention from the yellowing leaves of some varieties.
Continuous decoration of the flower bed with blooming flowers is easy to achieve with the help of planting planning according to the flowering time:
- Allium Moli, Giant - end of May.
- Decorative bow Ostrovsky, Rosenbach - early June.
- Bow of Christoph, Schubert, Karataevsky - the middle of summer.
- Slizun, Pretty - the second half of summer.
You can include in the composition varieties that are characterized by long flowering. They will decorate the flower bed when one variety begins to form fruits, and the other does not have time to bloom. Globemaster onions should be planted with the goal of continuous flowering, purple and purple flowers will attract attention, even if there are no other inflorescences for a while. Onion Gladiator will bloom almost until the end of July with purple, lilac spherical umbrellas.
Growing features
Planting and caring for ornamental onions is not much different from the food species of the family. There is no need to grow a bulb, so the main activities are aimed at developing the aerial part. Many species need an open sunny place, but some feel good in partial shade, shade.
The flowering period is different for everyone, so it is important to choose the planting time for each individual species. Depending on the propagation method, decorative onions can be grown immediately on an alpine hill or separately for several years, since they will not begin to bloom until they begin to bloom.
Reproduction methods
Allium reproduces in several ways: seeds, dividing bulbs, bulbs. Seed material is best sown before winter, so that the plant begins to develop earlier, hardens. Those grown from seeds are more resistant to environmental changes, but take longer to develop. Some varieties begin to bloom in 3-5 years, when the bulbs reach the desired size.
Bulbs should be planted in autumn or spring. In order to harden off and reduce the ripening period, planting before winter is preferable. Bulbs are formed on the inflorescences of some species. To obtain high-quality planting material, it is important to collect them on time.
Site selection and preparation
To arrange an alpine slide from a decorative bow, choose a bright, open space. Clean the soil from the remains of plants, dig. It is important that weeds do not grow on the finished flower bed, so even small roots should be removed.
There must be a drainage layer of crushed stone, expanded clay, broken brick or slate, covered with sand. Above is a layer of soil approximately 15 cm high. After compaction, add a little more loose earth. Perennial decorative bows are not demanding on fertilizers, but peat, rotted compost, superphosphate, wood ash can be added. The acidity of the soil should be closer to neutral.
Dig stones around the allaria to strengthen the hill. It is advisable to plant the allium after some time has passed. The earth will settle, the stones will finally become stronger and will reliably protect the embankment from being washed away by rains and irrigation.
Landing dates
Allium seeds should be sown in autumn (September) or spring (late April, early May). Bulbs should be planted at about the same time, the exact timing depends on the variety and variety of the plant. The temperature of the soil must be at least 12 ° C, otherwise the seed and planting material will not take root or will develop poorly and bloom. This does not apply to frost-resistant species.
Planting material preparation
Usually, special events are not required, especially before autumn planting. But for the best result, it is possible to disinfect bulbs and seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate or special preparations. Some varieties need to be refrigerated for 5-6 months before spring planting.
Landing technology
Pre-prepare the soil, dig. When planting in a bulbous way, make holes with a depth of 2-3 bulbs in height. Depending on the scheme of the flower garden, decorative bows can be placed with a distance of about 30 cm between them. Water the hole, if necessary, make approval. Sprinkle the bulbs on top with loose earth, mulch with dry rotted humus or peat. After landing in the fall, it is not necessary to water, it is enough to moisten when laying planting material. This will promote the development of the root system.
Ornamental bow care
Compliance with the basic rules of agricultural technology when planting and caring for allium will allow you to grow beautiful, healthy plants that delight with flowering for a long time. Decorative bow is an unpretentious culture. Only periodic inspection for the appearance of diseases and pests, weeding, top dressing and watering as necessary are required.
Dry leaves are undesirable to remove until completely dry. During their withering, all the nutrients pass into the bulb, which contributes to the development of the plant for the next year. You can mask the flaws by adding other crops to the composition of the onion slide. When designing it, you can pay attention to the species that remain green until autumn.
Some varieties are desirable to dig in the middle of summer. This is due to their characteristics of growth in nature. Plants can be left in the flower bed, but there is a possibility of disease, decay, or, worse, flowering. Ensuring a dormant period for such species is necessary.
Watering and feeding regimen
Decorative onions do not require special care, but in its absence it can dry out, stop growth, and bloom worse. The plant needs occasional watering. From excessive moisture, the culture will begin to rot, and if it is not enough, it will grow poorly, therefore, if development has stopped in hot weather, it is time to moisten the soil. It is necessary to care for plantings, remove weeds in time, and when a hard crust is formed, loosen the ground. So excess moisture will evaporate, fresh air will be available to the roots.
Top dressing should be carried out in the appropriate phases of plant development. During the active growth of the feather, the formation of buds and bulbs, fertilizers with nitrogen nitrate are suitable. In summer, liquid top dressing with mineral top dressing will be required. In early autumn, add dry phosphorus and potash additives, including wood ash. For the winter, mulch the soil surface with peat or dry humus.
Diseases and pests
The most dangerous diseases are cervical rot, downy mildew, peronosporosis. It is important to notice the symptoms of plant infection in time in order to start treatment in a timely manner. Yellowing of the upper part of the leaves, brown, yellowish or brown spots, drying, not associated with the natural cycle, should alert.
At the first manifestations, immediately remove damaged specimens and burn them. Allium is not used for food, so it can be treated with chemicals that are harmful to garden crops. Often used Bordeaux mixture, fungicides (Ridomil MC, Previkur-energy).
The most dangerous pests are onion fly and moth, root mite. Noticing the first signs of their presence, spray with a solution of chlorophos, infusion of dandelion root, pollinate with tobacco or wood ash, peat. For prevention, you can add cultures to the composition of the onion hill that repel pests with their smell.
Many people associate the word "onion" with a bitter-sharp taste and tears. The word "allium" does not evoke such associations, on the contrary, it evokes something mysterious and romantic. But it's the same onion , and in addition garlic , only in Latin. The name "allium" came from the Celts, in whom it meant "burning".
To date, botanists know about 900 species of this plant. Among them, in addition to a very useful, though not very pleasant onion-vegetable, there is a large group of decorative onions. Some of them are used only for decorating the garden, others for beauty and food. A blooming decorative bow brings a light airy openwork to the decor of the garden, adds extravagance and always attracts the eye.
decorative bow Pretty- A. carinatum →
(there is a subspecies of A. carinatum pulchellum). Inflorescences are similar to panicled onions, but differ in lighter tones of the petals. The height of the stems does not exceed 50 cm, the leaves are narrow and long, have a cylindrical shape. The inflorescences are somewhat disheveled, consist of numerous small bell-shaped flowers on thin drooping
legs. The stamens and pistil peek out from the calyx, adding originality to the plant. Blooms in mid-summer.
For the first time, some types of decorative bows were described in the middle of the 18th century by the famous Swede Carl Linnaeus, and the catalog was significantly expanded by the Russian scientist of German origin Eduard Regel. Since its first appearance in high society, people have liked the decorative bow. Florists began to actively use it in garden and park design, and breeders began to develop new varieties. At the moment there are more than a thousand of them.
What is good about a decorative bow, because for more than 300 years it has been a leader among popular garden flowers? Firstly, ease of reproduction, secondly, undemanding care, and thirdly, the versatility of use, and in general, its discreet, but such an attractive beauty.
← Decorative bow Narcissus flower- A. narcissiflorum. A very beautiful undersized species with graceful stems and inflorescences. The leaves are similar to narcissus, about 20 cm long, pedicels can reach up to 40 cm, drooping inflorescences, consist of several rather large blue-lilac flowers, similar to bells. Flowering lasts from late July to late August.
decorative bow Neapolitan ↓ -
- A. neapolitanum. Refers to undersized species. Looks fragile and delicate. The pedicels are very thin, the leaves are small, also thin, grow in lush rosettes. The flowers are bell-shaped, large enough for such pedicels, the petals are snow-white. Among flower growers, the varieties "Cowani" and "Grandiflorum" are popular.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DECORATIVE BOW
Decorative onion combines perennial, less often biennial plants. Outwardly, many of its species and varieties are similar to their vegetable counterparts. Both those and others have a bulb with a bottom, scales and cotyledons, tubular leaves of a juicy green color, a thin peduncle (arrow) and spherical inflorescences collected from many small flowers. The flower has six petals and long stamens, one pistil. A flower arrow develops when the plant finishes producing leaves. The seeds of almost all onions are small, dark, round or angular.
Among the representatives of decorative bows, there are those who, in addition to small onions, have a thick branched rhizome, for example, Ramson, Oblique onion, Slizun.
In addition to species with tubular leaves, there are very showy onions, in which the leaf blades are wide and flat, similar to hyacinths, the pedicel is short, and the inflorescences are more umbrella than spherical. These beauties include the decorative Karatavsky onion, Broadleaf onion, MacLean onion and others.
← Decorative bow Karatavskiy- A. carataviense. The name was given in honor of the Karatau mountain range. A very beautiful undersized species that looks spectacular in flowerbeds with ground cover flowers and as a pot culture. Its broad, fleshy, vaguely lily-of-the-valley-like leaves remain green even after flowering has ended. At
30 cm long, their width is about 20 cm, which looks attractive even without flowers. In addition, ripening fruit boxes with red tones in color also look interesting in this species. The flower arrow is extended by a maximum of 30 cm, but it can also be much shorter. Inflorescences up to 12 cm in diameter, with a small height, the plants seem very large. They are more dense or loose. The color of the petals is from white to lilac.
The most popular varieties are "Album", "Ivory Queen" and many others.
A bit like a Karatav decorative bow broad-leaved →
- A. latifolium. It also has wide rich green fleshy leaves that retain their decorative effect even after flowering. The arrow does not exceed 20 cm. The inflorescence is not quite spherical, more like a semicircular umbrella. The flowers are very densely arranged to each other and are collected in a miniature neat bouquet. Lilac and purple petals.
Another leaf shape seen on ornamental onions is long and flat, tapered at the end, like daffodils. This includes the decorative bow Ponikachiy and many other species.
Even more variations in the inflorescences of flowering onions. They are not only classic spherical, but also umbrella, narcissus-like, paniculate and quite unusual for onions, resembling small amaryllis. The palette of colors of the petals of their small flowers is also diverse. Among them are pure white, greenish, blue, blue, pink, red, yellow, lilac, with and without streaks.
Decorative bow pleases with a large assortment of varieties that differ in other characteristics. According to the height in his large family, there are:
- undersized, pedicels of which are only up to 20 cm;
- medium height, with a flower stem up to 50-70cm;
- tall, growing up to 1.5 meters in height.
According to the flowering time, decorative onions are:
- early flowering (from late April to late May);
- late flowering (from August to frost).
There are also many varieties that bloom at different times from mid-May to late August.
← Decorative bow Cornflower- A. cyaneum. Very delicate flowers with cornflower blue petals. Refers to undersized species. The pedicel can reach a length of 30 cm. The leaves are round, juicy green, drooping flowers resemble bells, collected in a loose umbrella.
REPRODUCTION BY SEEDS
Ornamental onions can be propagated by seeds, bulbs, bulbs and division of rhizomes. The seed propagation method is suitable for almost all species and varieties of this plant. The disadvantage of this type of propagation is that an ornamental onion growing from a seed can bloom only in the 8th year, and the earliest start of its flowering will come only in the 3rd year from the moment of planting. Sowing can be done in spring and/or autumn. Seeds of some varieties (for example, ornamental onions Giantsky, Aflatunsky) do not germinate during spring sowing, even stratification
in the refrigerator does not affect success.
Ornamental onions are sown in grooves or (depending on the composition being created) in holes. It is recommended to fluff and moisten the soil before sowing. Seeding depth should be minimal to make it easier for the sprouts to break through to the surface. The first shoots appear only on the 8-12th day, and it can take about 3 months before the development of a bunch of leaves. While the seedlings are very small, they suffer from weeds and dry soil, so watering and weeding at this stage is necessary.
decorative bow Barshchevsky- A. barsczewskii. Medium-sized species with a pedicel up to 60 cm. The flowers are very beautiful, similar to bells, the petals can be white or pink-lilac. →
Many gardeners advise growing ornamental onions from seedlings. To do this, seeds in February - early March are sown in prepared boxes or, if climatic conditions allow, in greenhouses. Seeds are placed on the surface of the soil and lightly sprinkled with earth through a sieve, pressed down a little. Seedlings are watered only with warm water, the air temperature is maintained in the region of + 20 + 22 degrees.
Seeds are recommended to be pre-soaked for a day in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then dried to a loose state.
decorative bow Dark purple- Allium atropurpureum. It belongs to medium height, the height of the pedicel is up to 70 cm. The inflorescences are umbellate-spherical, the petals are dark purple.↓
decorative bow bent over- Allium cernuum. Srednerosly, one of the longest blooming. Its paniculate-umbrella inflorescences open all summer. Flowers up to 7 mm long, differ from classic onions and more like miniature half-opened tulips with protruding pistils. Petals lilac-purple.
REPRODUCTION VEGETATIVELY
Ornamental onions during vegetative propagation can bloom in the first year after planting. The disadvantage of the method is that not all types of onions are able to give "babies", and not all have rhizomes. Therefore, the method of vegetative propagation is chosen based on the characteristics of each particular variety.
The division of rhizomes is carried out in onions over the age of 3 years. In early spring or mid-autumn, the plant is dug out of the ground, the rhizome is divided so that at least 2-3 healthy buds are present in each fragment, and there is a whole root system. The resulting pieces are planted in rows, trying to place them not too close to each other, as the rhizomes grow rapidly. The optimal scheme is 20X70.
Bulbous "children" are best planted in the ground in the fall at such a time that the "baby" has time to take root, but does not have time to grow much. Otherwise, it will endure wintering more difficult. For spring planting, "kids" need to be stratified.
Some varieties of ornamental onions are very convenient to propagate with bulbs. These are also small onions, only they are formed not in the ground, but in the air, on the upper sections of the stem-peduncle. They are planted in the fall so that they have time to take root. Bulbs are buried in the ground by at least 5-6 cm, and the largest by 7-8 cm. In this way, multi-tiered onions are propagated, one of the few that do not produce seeds at all.
decorative bow Dutch- A. hollandicum. A very showy species that blooms in late spring - early summer. The leaves are not drooping, but growing upwards, flat, ribbon-shaped, up to 5 cm wide. Pedicels are very strong, growing up to 1 meter in height. The inflorescences are spherical, airy, vaguely reminiscent of white fluffy dandelion heads, only in onions their color is lilac and purple. In diameter, they can be 12 cm. A very popular variety is "Purple Surprise".↓
decorative bow Yezdansky- A. jesdianum. A very showy flower, widely used for cutting. Refers to medium-sized bows. The stem can stretch up to 1 meter, but more often it is 70-80 cm. The leaves are ribbon-shaped, up to 4 cm wide, the inflorescences are spherical, 10-12 cm in diameter, the flowers are large, lilac-lilac. Blooms in early summer.
CARE
Decorative bow loves sunny areas, but is not capricious in partial shade, for example, under trees with a not very dense crown. He needs soils that are well-drained, with a pH close to the neutral seven. If the pH is 5 or less, the soil must be limed, as the increased soil acidity
bows are not suitable. Water decorative onions as needed. These plants can easily tolerate a short drought and short abundant waterlogging, but it is better not to go to such extremes. To make the flowers of the decorative onion larger and more saturated, it is advisable to feed it. In the spring, complex mineral fertilizers are applied to the garden, and in the fall, phosphate-potassium dry mixtures. During the season, you can also "pamper" the plants with liquid fertilizers containing a mixture of trace elements.
Decorative onion has a peculiarity - it gives beautiful rich greens only before flowering. After the leaves turn yellow and become unattractive. Many flower growers advise, as soon as flowering ends and the seeds ripen, dig out the bulbs. This prevents them from rotting in the soil. Store dug and dried bulbs at room temperature.
In autumn, as soon as it becomes consistently cool, but not yet cold (in many regions, including the Moscow region, this is the end of September), decorative onions are again planted in the soil. Before this, the bed is dug up and loosened. Planting depth depends on the size of the bulb and should be equal to three of its diameters. Top bed sprinkled with humus.
decorative bow molya(gold) - A. moly. This species belongs to undersized, the height of its stems does not exceed 25 cm. The leaves of the representatives of the species are lanceolate, gray-green, the inflorescences are loose, the flower petals are bright yellow. Leannine stands out because it has two pedicels from each bulb, which provides a more spectacular flowering lasting about 2 weeks in June. →
Onion Tatar(Batun) - A. fistulosum. It belongs to conditionally decorative, since everything in it, except for the bulbs, is edible. The leaves, like those of a vegetable onion, are tubular, fleshy. Pedicels can stretch up to 60 cm in height. Inflorescences are spherical, medium in size. Creamy white petals. You can eat newly growing young leaves all summer.
DISEASES AND PESTS
Ornamental onions can be affected by some types of mushrooms. The most dangerous are:
1. Peronospora destructor, causing peronosporosis. Another name for the disease is powdery mildew. Its first signs are a gray-purple bloom on the leaves. Later they turn yellow and dry up. In winter, the spores of the fungus remain in the ground. For the fight, spraying onions and soil is used. fungicides
, change the place of landing.
2. Puccinia allii, causing rust. In this case, bright spherical spots appear on the onion leaves, in which spores develop. Subsequently, the leaves dry up. The fungus overwinters in the soil and in parts of the plant. Control measures - spraying onions with preparations with copper.
3.Urocystis cepulae. The lesion manifests itself not only on the leaves (dark gray convex stripes), but also on the flowers (they) are bent. Decorative bow loses all its appeal. The spores of the fungus remain to live on parts of withered plants, so they always need to be removed. Treatment and prevention - spraying with preparations with copper.
4. Heterosporium alliiax, causing black rot (heterosporium). It appears with the beginning of yellowing of the leaves at the end of flowering. The disease can be identified by multiple brown pads on the leaves. Ornamental onions affected by black rot can completely disappear (rot) if you do not use spraying with copper-containing preparations or other fungicides.
5. Cercospora duddiae, causing cercosporosis. The first signs of this fungal infection can be seen as early as early summer. Grayish spots with a yellow border are formed on the leaves and pedicels. Later, the onion rots. Sick plants are saved with fungicides.
In addition to mushrooms, some insects infect ornamental onions. Most often it is a golden bronze. Beetle larvae, developing in the soil, gnaw out roots and bulbs, and adults, actively flying all summer, eat flowers. In this case, the control measures are mechanical - digging the beds and collecting the larvae (they are quite large, clearly visible), collecting and destroying the beetles.
decorative bow McLean- A. macleanii. The name was given in honor of the man who brought the bulbs of this species from Afghanistan to Europe. MacLean's onion outwardly resembles a giant onion, but its pedicels do not grow more than a meter in height. The inflorescences are large, spherical, the tone of the petals is purple and dark lilac. Flowering lasts from mid-April to late May. Crossed with Christoph's onion gave a beautiful Globemaster hybrid, and crossed with Aflatun onion - a Gladiator hybrid, pleasing with large lush flowers for several weeks.↓
decorative bow Schubert- A. schubertii. An undersized species with unusual exotic-looking flowers. The height of the pedicel reaches only 30 cm, while the diameter of the inflorescence is also about 30 cm. The flowers that make it up grow on legs of different lengths, which gives the plant an unusual look. Each flower is a bit like a starfish, consists of thin, long, pointed petals of a pinkish-purple color. Of these, about 30% bear fruit. Representatives of this species look best in rockeries and alpine slides. Blooms in early summer.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Decorative bow looks good only in group plantings. In isolated cases, this plant is used very rarely. By analogy with the name allium, flower beds with onions are called allarias. In their device, it must be taken into account that each individual variety of ornamental onion blooms for a maximum of 3 weeks, and more often no more than 2 weeks. Therefore, plants in allaria should be selected so that one flowering variety replaces the next, providing long-lasting beauty from spring to autumn. You also need to select plants based on their height in adulthood.
The decorative bow looks very good in the neighborhood with other garden flowers that can cover the unsightly places that form after the onion leaves die off.
The unpretentiousness of decorative bows allows you to create with their help wonderful rockeries, alpine slides
, decorate artificial small reservoirs
. Tall varieties of onions look great as an accent on lawns and flower beds with low flowers of plain colors of the petals.
Medium and tall bows can be used for bouquets. And if you dry them, they will stand indefinitely.
decorative bow Bearish (Wild cherry) - A. ursinum. It grows wild in Western Europe, Transcaucasia, Ciscaucasia in deciduous and mixed forests. Its stems and leaves are edible. The height of the plant does not exceed 40 cm, the leaves are shorter and relatively wide, the inflorescences are loose umbrellas, consisting of large white star-shaped flowers.↓
There is another wild garlic - onion Victorious - A. victoris. It is distinguished by a taller (up to 70 cm) stem, larger leaves and more compact globular inflorescences with white-green flower petals. Ramson (both one and the other) is very useful, used as an ornamental, food and medicinal plant.
decorative bow deceiving - A. decipiens. This is a child of the Kazakh and Mongolian steppes, modest and, nevertheless, a very spectacular view. It is also found in the Caucasus, as well as in the southern regions of Russia. Pedicel height from 20 to 70 cm, leaves are long ribbon, inflorescences look like a hemisphere. The flowers are large, star-shaped, with a well-defined center. Petals are purple with a pink tinge.↓
decorative bow caroline
- A. carolinianum. →
Belongs to undersized, blooms in early summer. Pedicel up to 30 cm, leaves are long, have a lanceolate shape, keep green until flowering ends. The inflorescences are small, up to 3 cm in diameter, the color of the petals is lilac.
On the video: Decorative bows in the garden.
Allium only appears in garden plots, this is a plant for innovators who appreciate everything unusual. Ornamental onion (allium): planting and care are described in detail in the article, a description of the plant is also provided, varieties, features of reproduction, cultivation in open ground are indicated, especially successful combinations with other plants in landscape design are indicated. The article is accompanied by colorful photos.
Description: varieties and varieties of allium
Decorative bow - allium - an unusual decoration of the garden plot. The plant looks like an alien among the usual, peonies, attracting the eyes of everyone around with its appearance.
Due to its unusual appearance, the decorative bow is appreciated by landscape design professionals. Even novice gardeners can grow ornamental onions, the main thing is to provide them with the necessary conditions for planting in the open field, care, and follow all the rules for its reproduction.
Decorative onion - unpretentious and very beautiful plant
Existing varieties and varieties of decorative onions can be used not only as decoration for flower beds and flower beds, but also for making bouquets. Certain varieties (such as Hair) have a rather pleasant aroma. Alliums amaze with a variety of colors, shape and structure of inflorescences, they come in different heights.
One of the most common varieties of ornamental onions in the open field is Allium Schoenoprasum(schnitt). The plant is low with lilac-pinkish or light lilac spherical inflorescences. It blooms in spring, suitable for growing both as an ornamental plant and for food use. The green leaves of this allium variety are suitable for salads, have a fairly mild taste.
Allium Schoenoprasum
Spectacular in bouquets and other flower arrangements Schubert bow, Hair, Mount Everest:
- schubert bow- a low plant (arrows up to 25-30 cm), the inflorescence of which (grayish-pinkish shades) has the shape of a star, all pedicels of various lengths, blooms in June. Only professionals can recognize an onion in this plant at first glance;
Schubert bow
- Mount Everest- a type of onion that adorns the garden with white inflorescences-balls, consisting of dozens of flowers in the shape of an asterisk. In height reaches 100-120 cm;
Mount Everest Ornamental Bow
- Excellent as an ornamental plant bow «Globemaster», which blooms in early June and blooms almost until late autumn. Onion inflorescences are spherical in shape (can reach 20-25 cm in diameter), consist of individual flowers in the shape of an asterisk, decorative onions grow up to 80 cm in height;
Sort "Globemaster"
- Bow Moth, golden (Allium moly, Allium aureum) - interesting with star-shaped inflorescences of golden (yellow) color, usually grows up to 20-25 cm;
- round-headed onion blooms quite late (in the middle of summer), blooms for about a month, the inflorescences are oval-shaped (or a little elongated egg). Flowers of pink or purple hues, arrow height - up to 60 cm;
round-headed onion
- Will add variety to the flower arrangement bow bow(wild), growing to a height of up to 50 cm. The inflorescences differ from other ornamental onions in shape - a bunch of short spherical flowers of pale pink hues.
bow bow
Planting a plant
If you want to decorate your flower garden with such an unusual plant as allium, planting and caring for it will not cause much trouble.
You need to remember a few rules:
- ornamental onion is a light-loving plant, it is desirable to plant it in sunny areas;
- the soil under the onion should be soft, breathable, it should be well drained to avoid stagnant water;
- soil acidity should be close to normal (7.0).
Tip: if the acidity of the soil where the allium is planned to be planted is below 5.0, it should be limed.
It is recommended to plant decorative onions in open ground either in early spring or in autumn (in September at air temperatures not lower than 12 ° C). The hole for the bulb is made on the basis that the thickness of the soil above it should be two to three times the height of the bulb itself. Thus, reliable wintering of the plant, protection from drying out is ensured.
Culture loves well-lit places
Before planting allium, the soil should be dug up, while applying mineral fertilizers and humus. It is recommended to water the hole a little, the landing site should be mulched.
Tip: do not plant onions in lowlands, where melt and rainwater stagnates in spring.
plant care
Growing an ornamental onion does not require much effort from the gardener; this plant is quite unpretentious in its care. It is recommended for a decorative bow, it is better to give it less moisture than to pour it.
Attention: the onion does not tolerate waterlogging, the bulb begins to rot and the plant dies.
After flowering and drying of the leaves, the bulbs should be dug up and stored at a temperature not exceeding 18-20°C. Small onions should be stored in peat or sawdust to prevent them from drying out.
Fertilizer and top dressing of allium
Compost, wood ash, mineral preparations are applied as a fertilizer when growing allium in open ground. It is necessary to provide onion top dressing in the phase of leaf regrowth, during the budding period, as well as the formation of bulbs.
At least once a season, onions require top dressing.
Landscape design experts recommend the use of complex fertilizers containing nitrogen in the nitrate form for these purposes. In the summer months, you can water the plants with liquid solutions of mineral fertilizers. In early autumn, to ensure a good wintering, decorative onions need to be fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, granules are applied to the soil without prior dissolution.
Plant propagation
Reproduction of allium, like all bulbs, is possible in 2 ways: by seeds and vegetatively, that is, by dividing the mother bulbs, as well as growing small bulbs - bulbs (see also -, about growing bulbs).
ornamental onion seeds
Ornamental onion seeds can be sown either in autumn or spring in well-lit places. After germination, seedlings should dive. In this case, a number of factors must be taken into account: some types of ornamental onions sprout exclusively when sowing seeds before winter, after natural stratification. An artificial change in the temperature regime (keeping the seeds in a cold place) may not give the desired effect. In addition, when growing onions from seeds, it should be remembered that some species will begin to bloom only in the third, and maybe fifth or sixth season, only after the bulb has gained enough weight for the next reproduction.
It is much easier to propagate your favorite allium varieties with bulbs, separating the cloves from the mother's children. It should be noted that the ability to form small onions, the degree of dividing the bulb into cloves, depends on the features embedded in the species. Children should be carefully separated from the mother bulb, they should have a well-formed root system and shoots.
Allium bulbs
In varieties of alliums, very small bulbs can form on inflorescences. It is recommended to stimulate their appearance by cutting the buds, while treating the plant itself with growth stimulants. These ground bulbs can later be planted in open ground to grow ornamental onions.
Diseases and pests
With improper care, high humidity, decorative onions can be affected by downy mildew, rot, root mites, onion fly. To prevent these diseases, experienced gardeners recommend heating the bulbs for 10-11 hours at a temperature of about 40 ° C (you can use a dryer or oven). Cut onions should be thoroughly dried and also warmed up before storage.
onion fly
When infected with a tick or fly, the plant should be treated with a solution of chlorophos (2%), use peat, ash, tobacco dust.
Decorative bow: combination with other plants
In flower beds, allium will look most advantageous and emphasize beauty:
- peonies;
- aquilegia;
- lupins;
- poppy.
Allium in combination with other plants
You can create beautiful flower arrangements using tall allium in combination with hostas, delphinium.
Allium in landscape design
Allium is spectacular in the photo and "live" both in a single planting and in a group flower garden. A tall plant planted in the area will attract attention and focus on the desired point in space. A decorative onion in a group planting is also beautiful and attractive, by planting several plants in one place, you can create a bright spot of color.
Allium in landscape design
Allium cultivation, planting and care are exciting activities, because using its various varieties and types you can create a garden of continuous flowering and admire amazing shapes and shades from spring to autumn.
Agricultural technology for growing allium: video
Allium in landscape design: photo
