Allium ‘Purple Rain’ (Ornamental Onion)

A spectacular addition to borders, thanks to its architectural flowers lending drama and color, award-winner Allium ‘Purple Rain’ is a striking bulbous perennial with large, open, rounded clusters, 6 in. across (15 cm), loosely packed with small star-shaped rich pink-purple flowers. Blooming in late spring to early summer, the blossoms are borne on tall, sturdy stems above the foliage. Rich in nectar, the flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. They make excellent cut flowers too. The foliage of elongated, strap-shaped, green leaves begins to wither as the flowers open. This Allium enjoys long-lasting blooms, and its seed heads are ornamental, persisting for weeks after the flower has passed.

• Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.
• Growing up to 34-36 inches tall (85-90 cm), this beauty naturalizes easily and will come back year after year!
• Easily grown in fertile, sandy to gritty, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. This Allium is drought tolerant.
• Known for attracting bees, butterflies, ​moths, and other pollinators, but deer ignore it.
• Stunning in beds and borders, city gardens, gravel gardens, and cottage gardens. Spectacular in large sweeping drifts. Plant in groups (at least 10 to 15 bulbs) for the best visual impact. Excellent as cut flowers for both fresh and dried arrangements!
• Mixes beautifully with other late spring flowering bulbs and creates stunning combinations with pink or white delphiniums, peonies, or irises.
• No serious pest or disease issues. Keep an eye out for onion fly, allium leaf mining fly, slugs, snails, onion white rot and downy mildew.
• To be planted in fall.
• Propagate by division: once flowering is over and leaves have died down, lift the bulbs, detach any offsets, and plant them in their final positions or grow on first in gritty compost.

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.