Allium is quite undemanding plant and you will not do any hard work in your garden to grow it. You just need to pay attention to the steps below to see beautiful globular Allium flowers that will make the garden more attractive and bring more life to it.
1. Allium prefers sunny areas in the garden. It will develop brighter and richer colours of the flowers and leaves in better sunny conditions.
2. Soil should have good drainage, because all gardening bulbs will decay if soil does not have this quality. Allium will grow in light and fruitful enough soils. While preparing the area in your garden for planting Allium bulbs, first add garden compost and fertilizer with all necessary micro-elements into the soil. Allium is very sensitive to the lack of the potassium in the soil, like all other bulb plants. One of the best sources of potassium is tree ashes.
3. Toll species of this plant require protection from wind during blossoming time.
4. One of the main requirements for good development of plants in their first half of the vegetation period is sufficient water supply, because leaves and flower-bearing stems are developing during that period. If Allium has shortage of water supply it will stop developing its leaves and resume it again when water supply will became sufficient again.
5. Apply additional fertilizer after new leaves developed and also during budding phase and bulb development; and apply fertilizer with potassium and phosphorus at the end of the summer to improve conditions for passing the winter time. You need to use fertilizers with sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and manganese after winter. And you will usually use liquid fertilizers in summer.
6. Allium can be propagated by the seeds and bulbs.
When you are gardening bulbs, plant them in the depth of two diameters and try to make enough space between them.
You should plant bulbs in September – October period. Plant them into the wet groove, which you made beforehand. Put the humus or peat on the top – it will prevent developing of the soil crust.
If you use seeds for propagation, you need to remember that some species, like Allium giganteum, Allium aflatunense can come out only after influence upon them environmental conditions from autumn to spring, like soil temperature, water conditions. And also you need to know that some of the species of Allium, like Allium azureum will start blooming only after 3 – 8 years, when bulbs will develop well enough for reproduction.
7. Also it is recommended to transplant Allium species only once in 3 – 5 years. Do not interrupt natural process of Allium vegetation period. Wait until verdure will fade naturally.
You may plant Allium in group planting. Allium species with the low height can be planted on the rocky hills.
If you cut flower-bearing stems – they will decorate your interior for 2 weeks, and you may use dried plants to decorate dry bunch of flowers.
