How to Grow Ornamental Alliums (Bees Love These Spring Blooms)

Alliums are those gorgeous flowering perennials in the spring garden with the big, round purple flower heads on tall, green stems. Planted from bulbs in fall, they are easy to grow, attract bees and butterflies, and (bonus) deer and rabbits don’t like them.

This is part of my Best Flowering Plants for a Cottage-Style Garden series.

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Growing Alliums

I love alliums in spring and so do the bees! Just as the early spring tulips and daffodils are finishing up, it’s allium time.

There’s nothing quite like these tall, bold flowering plants with their giant purple flower heads.

As winter fades out, there are few food sources available, and the bees go wild for them, marking the transition to the warm growing season.

Alliums are bulb plants. Planted in fall, they will flower in spring, and provide blooms for several years to come.

The bulbs will gradually multiply, and the original bulbs will gradually weaken or die off.

At some point you may need to divide the bulbs to give the babies adequate growing space.

Allium flowers also produce seeds, which may sprout in the garden as well.

I’ve certainly found that alliums spread around my garden (which I love), but I’m not entirely sure if it was by seed or bulb, or, more specifically, from squirrels digging them up and moving them.

Allium Facts & Growing Tips

How to Plant Ornamental Allium Bulbs

The best time to plant allium bulbs is in fall after your first frost but before the ground is frozen.

Follow the directions on your bulb pack or plant at a depth 3x the size of the bulb. If the bulb is 2-inches tall, plant it 6-inches deep.

Light Exposure Definitions

Full Sun To Shade: How To Assess Light Conditions In Your Garden

Choose a location with sun or part-sun in spring.

As with any bulbs, ornamental alliums need well-draining soil because they rot if waterlogged.

Alliums bloom in spring. Allow foliage to die off after blooming—this is when the plant replenishes its energy for the next blooming cycle.

You can divide the bulbs any time the ground is workable. It’s recommended to do so before or after flowering so you don’t disrupt the flower cycle.

How to Sow Ornamental Allium Seeds

Allium seeds are slow growing—that’s why it’s more common to grow from established bulbs. It can take years from seed to flower.

If your seeds come from a cultivar in your garden, they may not grow flowers true to type but it’s always fun to see what you get.

Some species need cold stratification to germinate. This would occur naturally in a cold climate garden.

In your home, you can use the method shown here for delphinium seeds.

If you don’t know if they need stratification, try a germination test first to see if the seeds will sprout without this process.

Alliums naturally disperse their seeds in fall, winter, and spring. Seed packets recommend sowing after last frost in spring. Be sure to mark the location with long-lasting plant tags since growth will take several years.

Have onions stored in your kitchen sprouted?
See how to regrow them.

DIY Garden Art Alliums

This craft project is made from recycled items including old nails and a softball. Follow the tutorial to make decorative alliums for your garden.

How to Make Garden Art Alliums

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛