Small Allium Species for the Rock Garden

Alliums are plants of exquisite beauty that deserve a place in perennial gardens. Easy to grow and undemanding, these very ornamental bulbs distinguish themselves by their great diversity in color, inflorescence, flowering height, and bloom times. Many species bloom in early summer – just after the spring-flowering period and just before the exuberant full bloom of summer.

• While all Allium species can be used in the border, certain small species are just perfect for the rock garden where they create lovely accents.
• There is a wide range of colors to choose from, including pink, lavender, yellow, purple, or white. Their flowers offer a nice array of shapes, from tight balls to graceful pendants of drooping bells.
• They are easily grown in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Although they like a soil rich in organic matter, these small alliums are planted more shallowly than most bulbs. Therefore, digging in rocky soil is not a problem.
• Alliums attract bees and butterflies but are relatively resistant to deer, chipmunks, and rabbits.
• Alliums are virtually pest and disease free! There are no serious diseases or insect pests that bother them.