About
Allium 'Guardsman' is a robust, clump-forming perennial that thrives in various conditions. This bulb produces abundant shoots resembling spring onions, available from late spring through autumn. In mid-summer, it sends up conical clusters of small, white flowers, adding both utility and visual interest to the garden.
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, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs, Herbs - Culinary
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous, Semi evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Wildlife gardens
- Fragrance
- Foliage
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in rich well-drained soil, planting six inches apart in rows or in between crops to fill in gaps.
- Pruning
- Deadhead to avoid the plant going to seed if grown as an edible crop.
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to leek moth, onion fly, eelworm.
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to bolting, bull neck, downy mildew, neckrot, rust, white rot.