Health & Fitness
What's That Mystery Plant? Chances are its an Allium
Lowly member of the onion family is anything but 'garden variety' among perennials
Behold the lowly onion. Among my favorite perennials are the alliums (Latin = for garlic). Give or take, there are 750 species of them in the same family as the onion, garlic and shallots. Edible is NOT the name of the game with these spectacular and fascinating plants. While a lot of perennials stem from southern climes, the allium is happiest is in the Northern Hemisphere (many are originally from Asia).
The blade-like leaves pop up in spring much like the daffodil and quickly fade. Meanwhile, onion-shaped bulbs open into amazing flower heads on long, graceful stems. Wow. Nine times out of ten, when folks ask about something in any of the gardens I help tend, the ‘mystery plant’ is an allium. Among the most stunning is the Schubertii which looks like a large and stocky purple burst of fireworks low to the ground. I also am fascinated by a variety called allium flavium which has a spidery appearance. Dried, the bloomed out flowerheads make great floral arrangements. Check out the slideshow for some of my favorite allium shots.
