I may have been late to the Allium party, but I am definitely making up for lost time. Over the past 3 years, I’ve added at least 6 new Allium (ornamental onion) species/cultivars/varieties to my garden. The deer never touch them and they add a sweet pop of color throughout the spring and summer months. For today’s purposes, let’s chat a bit about Allium Drumsticks.
I added this bulb in fall of 2014 and within one year it is already kicking some major ass. I planted a lot of 15 of these in close proximity to each other and could not have been more thrilled with the results.
Starting in early summer, Allium Drumsticks buds started to transform from a green to a reddish purple color.
As the first wave of blooms on the bee balm (in the background) started to fade, Allium Drumsticks took over as seen below.
And the bees waste no time locating the blooms.
Within a week or two, they were in full egg-like bloom.
I’d estimate the blooms stayed at peak form for two weeks before the inevitable fade.
Together with the spent bee balm buds, they formed the ultimate in the late summer fading garden, which I still enjoy.
Some more Allium Drumsticks info:
- Prefers full sun
- Viable in zones 4A – 10B
- 1 to 3 feet in height
- Blooms in mid-summer
- Deer resistant
- Best planted in the fall like most spring/summer bulbs
- Best planted in drifts for the greatest garden impact
- Naturalizes freely (will see if that is so with my conditions)
- A great “peek through” plant (see bee balm combo above)
- Susceptible to rotting in wet conditions
Because of that last note, I decided to craft this post sooner rather than later since there is a good chance my bulbs will have rotted come summer.
Fingers crossed.
Thank you! I had this plant in my garden and I couldn’t recall what its name was…I think I pilfered the seeds form an obliging botanical garden…Shhh!
Please provide the botanical garden’s name immediately. Ha! Love it! A great plant for sure.
Good luck! I have these Drumstick Alliums in my garden. They do naturalize, but they don’t spread too fast. I really like mine. My only problem with them is that they’re difficult to weed around. The foliage kind of blends in with grasses and other weeds, so the weeds are hard to pull. But I’m trying to introduce other plants that take up the space in spring and late summer to prevent the grass growth. These Alliums would be great to grow among some type of ground cover. Last fall, I added several other Ornamental Alliums, as well, to help deal with an overpopulation of rabbits … and because they support pollinators, and they’re beauitful! Good luck with your new additions!
Beth – you nailed it on the weeds underneath. I had a ton of them and had to let them go to ensure I didn’t destroy the Allium. I like your suggestion a lot. I just pray these come back this year for me and if they increase in number at all it is a bonus.
I had to tell my husband not to pull these up, as they’re NOT “onion grass.” I made the mistake in another bed last year not remembering that I planted them…
I think I may have actually pulled one or two myself before remembering what I had planted. I keep telling myself to let it all grow before making any rash decisions.
Your photographs are really stunning. What equipment do you use? I’m especially curious about what kind of lens you use. It looks like it might be a macro.
Hi Becky – I use a Nikon 5100 with a macro lens and typically just use the auto setting for the most part. Thanks for the kudos and thanks for stopping by!