Allium Flower Bulbs

Allium plants are perennials in the genus Allium and the family Liliaceae.  There are about three hundred species in the group, which about seventy of these are native to the United States.  Most of these grow in the Rocky Mountains and in California.  Some of the plants in the allium genus are only four inches tall where others can grow three feet tall.

The leaves of some allium bulbs are long, narrow, and flat. Leaves on other alliums may be long, narrow, round and hollow.  The flowers grow in a cluster at the top of the stems.  Individually, each flower can be less than a half-inch wide or they can be four inches wide.  Alliums can be one of several colors, including but not limited to white, yellow, and red.  They can reproduce in three ways depending on species.  They can form offsets, they can grow from seeds, or they can form tiny bulbs in the flower head and grow from them.

Allium flowers are great for planting in borders and containers.  They are often used as ornamental plants in flower gardens.  Allium plants look their best when many bulbs of the same species are planted close together.  They also make good cut flowers for arrangements.

The allium food plants are strong smelling herbs and vegetables that include chives, garlic, leeks, onion, and shallots.  Allium cepa is a common onion crop.  Allium Canadense is wild garlic that grows in the United States and Canada.  One common field garlic, the Allium Vineale, are spreading in the northeastern states; giving cow milk a garlic flavor after the cows eat the plant.  These are considered troublesome weeds.  Some moths also like to eat some types of allium.  However, deer, rabbits, and squirrels do not eat them.