Ornamental onion – what is it and how to grow it correctly?

Ornamental onion is also called allium, although in fact it is the name of a whole genus of plants. There are many varieties of it, which are used mainly for decorative purposes. Allium can be planted in many ways, and caring for it does not require much effort.

What is an ornamental bow?

Ornamental onion is a plant that is valued and grown for its attractive appearance. It blooms for a long time, and the forms and colors are very diverse.

The plant is mostly perennial, although annual species are also found. It is used mainly for decorative purposes, but some varieties are also suitable for food – leaves or bulbs can be edible.

Ornamental onions are usually grown outdoors, since belonging to the Onion family makes itself felt with a specific smell. For the same reason, they prefer to plant it with other plants, use it in landscape design.

The flowers of ornamental onions are small, but usually collected in large inflorescences – spherical or umbrellas. More often there are various shades of pink, lilac, purple. The start time and duration of flowering depends on the variety. Using several species and other ornamental plants, you can create a garden of continuous flowering.

Varieties

More than a hundred varieties of ornamental onions are known. The most popular are the following varieties:

Aflatun bow

The plant is perennial and mostly ornamental. Its leaves can be eaten, but only before flowering. It occurs in May-June, the flowers have a light purple color. The flowers are star-shaped. The inflorescences are spherical, the flowers are small. The stem can reach a height of 1,5 m, and a diameter of 12 cm. The plant prefers the middle and upper mountain belts, it is frost-resistant.

Aflatun bow

Bulgarian bow

The height of the stem can reach 90 cm. Flowering occurs at the beginning of summer, the color is purple-white, the appearance is very spectacular.

Bulgarian bow

Gladiator

An ornamental perennial with dark green edible leaves. The stem can grow up to a meter in height. The flowers are star-shaped, blue-lavender in color, with a pleasant sweetish smell. A spherical inflorescence is formed, which can reach a diameter of 20 cm.

Gladiator

Dutch Bow

The peduncle of this decorative perennial can stretch up to 2 m in height. The diameter of the inflorescences reaches 25 cm, the color is white or deep purple.

Dutch Bow

blue bow

This species is edible – bulbs are eaten. For decorative purposes, it is used because of the blue, wide-bell-shaped flowers. In length, they reach only 5 mm and form an umbrella of spherical or hemispherical shape. The stem can reach 90 cm in height.

blue bow

Mountain Bow

The plant is perennial, prefers gravelly slopes and the upper mountain belt. The stems grow up to 5-10 cm, the flowers are small but notable for their pink-purple color. Flowering occurs in July-August.

Mountain Bow

gigantic bow

Perennial species, used for decorative purposes, the leaves are edible. The height of the stem can reach 1,5 m. The color is light purple.

gigantic bow

Karatavsky

The height of the stem of this perennial reaches 15-25 cm, so the inflorescence seems especially large. Light pink-purple color. As an ornamental plant, this species is used not because of its flowering, but because of its unusually wide and dense leaves.

Karatavsky

Forged

The perennial attracts with early flowering – it falls on May-June, but lasts only 2-3 weeks. The plant is undersized, the height of the bush rarely exceeds 30-40 cm. The inflorescences are spherical and very showy. The color is white, the smell is pleasant.

Forged

Roundhead

Perennial prefers steppes, slopes and hills. The stem can grow up to 80 cm. Flowering occurs in the middle of summer and lasts about a month. The color can be pink, purple, purple. The inflorescences are oval.

Roundhead

Bow Ostrovsky

Low-growing perennial – the height of the stems rarely exceeds 20 cm. The plant attracts with its decorative effect – broadly bell-shaped raspberry flowers with a pleasant smell. The diameter of the inflorescences can reach 10 cm.

Bow Ostrovsky

Christopher’s Bow (Star of Persia)

This ornamental perennial prefers soft slopes and the lower mountain belt. The stems reach a height of 40 cm, their thickness is 15 cm. The flowers form a ball with a diameter of up to 20 cm. Their shape is star-shaped, the color is pink-violet or purple-violet. Flowering in June, after which the leaves die off.

Christopher's Bow (Star of Persia)

Schubert’s bow

This perennial is native to Asia. The plant prefers sands and gravelly slopes of the lower mountain belt. The plant is undersized – the stems do not exceed 20-30 cm in height. The length of the leaves is slightly longer, the shape is linear-lanceolate, the width is 2-3 cm. The perianth is stellate, the color is white or pinkish.

Schubert's bow

The flowers are located on long pedicels, which reach 10-20 cm in length. Flowering occurs in June.

Pray

A perennial plant that is used for ornamental, culinary and medicinal purposes. The height of the stem is up to 30 cm, the flowers are star-shaped and yellow. The onion, which has a strong garlic smell, is eaten.

Pray

Neapolitan bow

The height of the bush reaches 25-35 cm. The flowers are pink and wide-ringed, 1-1,5 cm long, form a flat or slightly convex umbrella inflorescence.

Neapolitan bow

Pink onion or roseum

The plant is used only for decorative purposes. The stems can grow up to 40 cm. The flowers are small, can be fawn or pink, form a flat umbrella.

Pink onion or roseum

Chameleon

This kind of decorative bow appeared as a result of breeding work. The result is a frost-resistant plant with a long flowering period, which occurs in June-August.

Chameleon

The height of the bush reaches 50-60 cm. The inflorescences have a spherical shape, the diameter is 6-7 cm. The flowers are star-shaped, the main color is pastel pink, a bright crimson strip passes through the center of the petal.

Pretty

The height of the plant reaches 50-60 cm. The pedicels are drooping, so the bush is compared with a fountain. The flowers are small, usually purple-lilac. Flowering occurs in June, loose umbrella-shaped inflorescences are formed.

Pretty

Schnitt-onion

In another way, it is called skoroda, onion-sibulet or chisel. The plant is a perennial and is used both for ornamental purposes and for food. The onion reaches a height of 60 cm. Flowering occurs in May-August, the color is from pale pink to pink-purple.

Schnitt-onion

Grow chives not only in open ground, but also at home in pots or boxes.

Eros

The height of the stem reaches 30 cm, and the diameter of spherical inflorescences is 10 cm. Flowering occurs in June, the color is varied – from pink to light lilac.

Eros

Unifolium

This variety is also called single leaf onion. Its homeland is the extreme west of North America. The height of the stems is small and rarely exceeds 20 cm. The flowers are 1-1,5 cm in diameter of a beautiful bright pink color, occasionally they are white.

Unifolium

Ivory Queen

The height of this plant does not exceed 25 m. Flowering occurs in May-June, lasts about 3 weeks. The flowers are light, collected in spherical umbrellas. The attractiveness of this variety of ornamental onion lies not in the flowering, but in the leaves. They are long, wide and corrugated.

Ivory Queen

Growing conditions

For the cultivation of ornamental onions of any variety, it is important to comply with certain conditions:

  • loose and neutral soil, the optimum level of acidity is 7,0 pH;
  • elevation – in the lowlands, rainy weather and melting snow lead to stagnation of water, which is unacceptable for growing ornamental onions;
  • the optimal planting time for early-flowering species is autumn, for late-flowering species – spring from the end of April;
  • sunny area – a sufficient amount of color provides a beautiful color of the leaves and more saturated shades during flowering;
  • the right neighborhood – you can plant irises, peonies, delphiniums, poppies nearby.

The site chosen for growing ornamental onions must be dug up by 20-25 cm. Additional fertilizers are not necessary for fertile soil. If the soil is loamy or sandy, the following fertilizers should be applied in the amount per square meter:

  • humus or rotted compost – 5-7 l;
  • simple superphosphate – 25-30 g;
  • potassium sulfate – 25-30 g, can be replaced with a liter of wood ash.

Landing

Decorative onions reproduce in different ways, so there are several options for planting it.

Seeds

When planting ornamental onions with seeds, it should be borne in mind that flowering will occur only after a few years – the specific timing depends on the variety chosen. Species with especially large inflorescences can bloom only for 6-7 years.

Ornamental onion seeds can be purchased at the store or prepared on your own if there is already such a plant on the site. In the second case, planting material must be collected from the earliest and largest inflorescences. They must be selected in advance, but the seeds must be collected only after flowering has ended and they have fully matured.

Features of sowing seeds of ornamental onions depend on the characteristics of the selected variety. This also applies to boarding times. Sowing in open ground can be done in autumn or spring. Some varieties need winter sowing, since with this option the seeds undergo natural stratification.

When planting an ornamental onion with seeds, it is necessary to act according to the following algorithm:

  1. artificial stratification. This stage is necessary only when planting a crop in the spring. It is necessary to wrap the planting material in a damp cloth and leave for 2-3 days. Be sure to moisten the fabric as it dries.
  2. Disinfection. For this, potassium permanganate is used. The solution should be slightly pink in color, the seeds should not be kept in it for long.
  3. Soil preparation and seed sowing. It is not necessary to deepen them strongly – 1-2 cm is enough. Sprinkle with earth on top and water.

Seed germination is low, so you can first grow seedlings, and then plant them in open ground. It is necessary to act as follows.

  1. soak the seeds. You can start landing when they hatch.
  2. Prepare the substrate, using sod land, peat and humus. You can buy ready mix.
  3. plant seeds into a suitable container.
  4. Dive seedlings after germination.
  5. harden seedlings. Start should be 2 weeks before landing in open ground. First, take the seedlings out into fresh air for only a quarter of an hour, then increase this time.
  6. Move seedlings to a permanent place 60-70 days after sowing seeds.
  7. Prepare site for planting. Loosen and level the earth. Make grooves, deepening 10 cm. Water them and the seedlings themselves. Carefully transfer it to the prepared area.

When a plant is propagated by seeds, a change in the characteristics of a particular variety can be observed. More often this is reflected in the color of the inflorescences, which becomes paler.

Bulbs

In this way, you can plant an ornamental onion for the first time or transplant an old plant. The second option is recommended to be used when the plant is 5 years old, if it was also planted with a bulb.

It is necessary to dig up the bulbs after the seeds have fully matured and the leaf plates have dried. It is recommended to resort to such a measure not only for transplanting and propagating the plant, but also every year for winter storage. Dug bulbs need a temperature of up to 18-20 degrees. To keep them from drying out, use peat or sawdust.

decorative onion bulbs

When planting a decorative onion, you need to act according to the following algorithm:

  1. Select planting material. Bulbs should be strong and healthy. Loose and weak specimens should be disposed of.
  2. Prepare planting material. At this stage, you need to take care of the prevention of diseases and pests. It is necessary to prepare a solution of a suitable fungicide according to the instructions and lower the bulbs into it for half an hour. After planting material must be dried. For the prevention of pests, the bulbs should be heated for 12 hours at a temperature of 40 degrees. This is done just before landing.
  3. Prepare site for planting. It must be dug up, loosened and leveled. Apply fertilizer if necessary.
  4. Prepare wells. Be sure to make drainage – pour sand in 2-3 cm. It will absorb excess moisture.
  5. plant bulbs. Planting depth depends on the size of the planting material and should be twice the length of the bulb with the bottom. The distance between plants should be guided by their size: for small specimens, 10 cm is enough, for large specimens, from 20 cm or more. If you plant decorative onions in groups, then leave about 35 cm between them.
  6. Plentifully spill the soil. Moisture should reach the bottom of the bulbs.

Butylocks

This method of propagation is not suitable for all types of ornamental onions, since not all of them form bulbs. This interesting name means small bulbs that form on inflorescences. You can provoke and enhance their formation by pruning buds and treating the bush with a growth stimulator.

Bulbs should be planted in the fall. This must be done before frost, so that the plant has time to take root. It is important to properly deepen the bulbs, given their size: deepen small and medium specimens by 5-6 cm, and larger ones by 8 cm.

The attractiveness of the propagation of ornamental onions with bulbs lies in the fact that such planting material is clean for phytopathogens. This means that flowering will begin as early as possible, including next year.

An important advantage of propagating ornamental onions with bulbs is the preservation of all the signs of the mother plant. This means that it will gain the same height, but the color saturation will be preserved.

Care

Decorative bow requires comprehensive care. The conditions for growing it are quite simple.

Watering

This stage of care is especially important during the growing season. In May, the earth should be watered abundantly so that it is moistened by 20-25 cm. After watering, loosening is necessary. Mulching is also useful – you can use any bulk material, including mowed grass.

At the end of the growing season, decorative onions practically do not need watering. It should be carried out as needed if dry weather sets in.

Feeding

Ornamental onions are sensitive to the content of potassium in the soil, so you should regularly make appropriate top dressing. It is also useful to make wood ash and compost.

Ornamental onions need top dressing several times a season – with active foliage growth, during the formation of buds and during the formation of bulbs. An autumn top dressing is also required, which makes it easier for the plant to endure the winter. During this period, it is better to use granular potash-phosphorus fertilizers.

Decorative onions need fertilizer in early spring, when the snow has just melted. Such top dressing gives him strength for further growth and development. It is necessary to loosen the soil and apply complex mineral fertilizer – in dry form or solution. Top dressing should not fall on the sprouts. If you use granular fertilizer, then you need to carefully close it up so that all the granules are hidden underground.

At the end of the growing season per square meter, you can add:

  • superphosphate and potassium sulfate – 40-60 g of each type;
  • bone meal (70-100 g) and 2 shovels of wood ash;
  • ready-made complex fertilizer, use according to the instructions.

Trimming

Before flowering, the leaves die off, while the bulb begins to actively accumulate nutrients. It is impossible to cut off the leaves at this stage, otherwise the plant will suffer in the future.

If it is not planned to collect seeds for propagation, then wilted flowers are best cut off. Be sure to leave 3-4 leaves – they are necessary for the bulb to carry out photosynthesis.

Leaves and stems should be cut back when they are completely yellow after flowering. This sign indicates that the bulb has finished accumulating nutrients.

For planting and caring for decorative onions, see the following video:

Diseases and pests

Decorative onions are susceptible to diseases and pests standard for their species:

  • Peronosporoz. This disease is also called downy mildew. It manifests itself as vague pale green spots on the leaves and flower arrows, as well as the development of mycelium with gray-purple spores. It is necessary to remove the affected parts of the plant. As a preventive measure, spring treatment with fungicides is needed.
  • Cercosporosis, also called leaf spot. Not only they are affected, but also flower stalks, on which gray spots appear. It is necessary to remove the affected parts of the plant and spray it with a copper-containing agent.
  • Rust. This disease can come along with heat. First, orange balls appear on the leaves, then spores form. The methods of struggle are similar to the previous paragraph.
  • Black mold. The disease can affect ornamental onions in the middle of summer. It is manifested by yellowing of the leaves and the appearance of plaque on them. Treatment involves the removal of affected leaves and the use of products containing copper. Prevention is the observance of the rules of planting and caring for the plant.
  • Onion fly and root mite. The defeat of both pests leads to the death of plants. As a treatment, tobacco dust and ash are used for dusting or an infusion of them for spraying. It is also useful to add black pepper to this composition. You can also use dichlorvos, not forgetting about personal protective measures. Prevention lies in the proper preparation of planting material.

Regular inspection of plants allows you to timely identify signs of disease and the appearance of pests. If you immediately take the necessary measures, you can avoid many problems.

Decorative onions are quite unpretentious and do not require much effort when growing. The use of different types of this plant in combination with other flowers allows you to create an original landscape design on your site.

Anna Evans

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