Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Amazing Alliums and Some Non-onions

Of all the large-bloomed alliums I planted this year, these are the only ones blooming so far. The other alliums are either not hardy or just tardy.
Allium "Purple Sensation":

Next is a more humble relative of the showy alliums: good old chives. This is one of those plants that can rival the weeds for their hardiness. Clumps of chives that I have heaved into the bushes have continued to grow where they landed. There are a few clumps randomly growing among the groundcover and in my flowerbeds; I don't bother removing them. Perhaps this is because they are difficult to eradicate, but I also don't mind the purple flowers in June. I remove the spent flowers before they go to seed though, to reduce their reproductive proclivity.
Chives:

Sloped rock garden, with the fluffy seed heads of Pulsatilla vulgaris:

Raised beds, with tulips coming towards the end of their season:

This is a new columbine for my garden, Aquilegia flabellata nana alba. It is about 12" tall with whitish-grey flowers held above the foliage. It is also known as the Japanese Fan Columbine. I started several plants from seed last year.

5 comments:

Rosemary Waigh said...

You have such a gorgeous garden! I love the raised beds.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

I love the Japanese Fan columbine - gorgeous!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there girl ! I am an "allium virgin" but I have now ordered bulbs for Spring and because my husband has seen the neighbor's allium (I think also Purple Sensation) I have 6 of them coming and I must find a beautiful place to see them as much as possible !
Your gardens are gorgeous : )
Joy

Anonymous said...

How did you get your fan columbine seeds to sprout? I've tried several times and waited 60 days and more, and they still didn't sprout! =(
Any tips?

Thanks!

Gardenista said...

I can't recall what I did exactly, but several seed stores suggest sowing on surface (light needed for germination) first at room temp for a few weeks, then 3 weeks in a baggy in the refrigerator, then back out at room temp (or outside) in the light again. I try that general technique with quite a few plants with some luck.