Allium have unusual globe-like flowers that add a new dimension and profile to floral design work. The flowers are shiny stars that are grouped in round clusters or umbels at the end of a straight stem. The clusters can range from 2-25 cm in diameter. Colours include many shades of purple and pink, as well as white, and yellow.
The Allium genus belong to the lily family and the word Allium is Latin for garlic. There are over 500 species of Allium, with approximately ten to twenty species that are used as cut flowers or garden plants. The genus includes the vital food crops of onions, leeks, shallots, and chives. Compared to other bulbs such as tulips, Alliums are relative newcomers to the commercial cut flower industry.
Most species were “discovered” in the late 1880’s or early 1900’s. They were found in places such as Turkestan, Siberia, Iran, and the Himalayas. One of the old-timers is Allium sphaerocephalon, which is native to southern Europe and Asia Minor and has been cultivated since the late 1500’s.
Alliums are true bulbs, and they are usually propagated from bulbs. Bulbs are planted in the fall to bloom the following spring or summer. Once the bulbs have finished blooming and the foliage has died back, they should be dug up, cleaned and stored until planting in fall. Each bulb produces one flowering stem.
The ALLIUM GLOBEMASTER is an exceptionally vigorous and reliable Allium bearing giant flowers on firm straight stems. With large and dense flowers, 25 cm across with an abundance of violet purple florets that bloom for weeks, Alliums offer a wide diversity of color, height, and blooming times.