Allium ampeloprasum (Wild Leek)

Allium ampeloprasum (Wild Leek) is a robust herbaceous biennial that has been cultivated for centuries. Grown for its long blanched or unblanched stems, it forms a thick, fleshy cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths that are generally blanched by pushing soil around them. Rather than producing a bulb, a swollen tubular leaf sheath is enclosed by flat, stiffly erect, blue-green to yellow-green leaves arranged in a fan-like manner. Spherical umbels of small, tightly packed, pale purple flowers, up to 500 (!), appear atop tall sturdy stems in summer. The taste of leeks is milder than those of onion and garlic. Attractive in appearance with their silvery-white base and green fan-shaped leaves, leek plants can make decorative backdrops in the garden.

• Allium ampeloprasum has been divided into five cultivated vegetables, namely leek, elephant garlic, pearl onion, kurrat, and Persian leek.
• Many cultivars selected for long, white, edible bases and green tops, winter hardiness, and resistance to bolting are available for cultivation.
• There are 2 main types of leeks: early-season ((harvested in the late summer or early fall) and late-season leeks (harvested in late fall or even winter).
• Leeks can be used in the kitchen in many ways, including casseroles, salads, stir fry, soups, and stews or eaten raw.

• Grow up to 3-4 ft. tall (90-120 cm).
• Performs best in full sun in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Add grit when grown in clay soils to improve drainage.
• No serious pest or disease issues. Keep an eye out for onion white rot, and downy mildew. Deer resistant.
• Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring.
• Allium ampeloprasum is native to Southern Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, and Egypt, but it is cultivated in many other places and has become naturalized in many countries.

Hundreds of Allium species exist, but only a few have made a name for themselves as garden plants. The ornamental onions distinguish themselves by their remarkable diversity in color, inflorescence, and flowering height. Many species bloom in early summer – just after the spring-flowering period and just before the exuberant full bloom of summer. Certain small species are just perfect for a rock garden, and several lend themselves to naturalizing. All species can be used in the border.