About
Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii is a bulbous perennial that can function as either an ornamental plant or a seasonal vegetable. It features elongated, strap-like leaves of medium green and produces tightly clustered, spherical flower heads that are pale purple-pink. The stems can reach heights of up to 1.8 meters, blooming in mid to late summer.
About the genus
Allium consists of bulbous herbaceous perennials characterized by a pronounced onion or garlic aroma. They feature linear, strap-like, or cylindrical leaves that arise from the base. The flowers, which can be star-shaped or bell-shaped, are arranged in an umbel atop a stem that lacks leaves.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Wildflower meadow, Wildlife gardens
- Fragrance
- Foliage
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Easy to grow in full sun and a fertile well-drained soil. It is best to grow in containers where garden soil is heavy clay and prone to saturation over winter. See allium cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required, other than to remove old flowered stems and foliage
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring and by offsets which can be carefully detached by lifting the bulb after flowering has finished. See bulb propagation
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs, snails and allium leaf miner
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to onion white rot, and onion downy mildew