Create Your Garden

Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Allium)

Drumstick Allium, Roundhead Leek, Round-Headed Allium, Ornamental Onion, Spring Bulbs, Spring Flowers

Allium Sphaerocephalon,Drumstick Allium,Drumstick Allium, Roundhead Leek, Round-Headed Allium, Ornamental Onion, Spring Bulbs, Spring Flowers, Purple flowers

Allium sphaerocephalon or ‘Drumstick Allium’ is a lovely addition to the border, where it adds interest and movement with its dense egg-shaped flower heads atop straight and slender stems, delicately turning from green to purple as they mature. Blooming in late spring to early summer, this spectacular bulbous perennial adds dramatic color to the garden.

  • Grows up to 20-24 in. high (50 – 60 cm). This Allium naturalizes easily and will come back year after year.
  • Easily grown in rich, sandy to gritty, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Add grit when grown in clay soils to improve drainage. This Allium is drought tolerant.
  • Stunning in beds and borders, city gardens, cottage gardens, coastal gardens, or containers. Spectacular in large sweeping drifts. Plant in groups (at least 20 to 25 bulbs) for the best visual impact.
  • Excellent as cut flowers for both fresh and dried arrangements! Beloved by florists for its long vase life!
  • Known for attracting bees, butterflies, ​moths, and other pollinators, but deer ignore it.
  • No serious pest or disease issues. Keep an eye out for onion white rot and downy mildew.
  • To be planted in the fall.
  • Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring. Alternatively, remove offsets in autumn.
  • Allium sphaerocephalon is native throughout Europe to the Caucasus, Iran, and northern Africa.

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 great 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. All species can be used in the border. Certain small species are perfect for a rock garden, and several lend themselves to naturalizing.

Learn How To Plant And Care for Your Spring Flower Bulbs


 To achieve optimum flowering results, it is important to plant the bulbs at the right time.

Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 11
Heat Zones 1 - 11
Climate Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Bulbs
Plant Family Amaryllidaceae
Genus Allium
Common names Ornamental Onion, Onion, Drumstick Allium
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late), Summer (Early),
Height 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread 4" (10cm)
Spacing 2" (5cm)
Depth 4" (10cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit, Dry Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Coastal Garden, City and Courtyard
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Allium
Guides with
Allium
Not sure which Allium to pick?
Compare Now

Alternative Plants to Consider

Allium cepa Aggregatum Group (Shallot)
Allium cepa (Onion)
Allium sativum (Garlic)
Allium ‘Purple Rain’ (Ornamental Onion)
Allium ‘Pinball Wizard’ (Ornamental Onion)
Allium ‘Ostara’ (Ornamental Allium)

Recommended Companion Plants

Anemanthele lessoniana (New Zealand Wind Grass)
Achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’ (Yarrow)
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (Mediterranean Spurge)
Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’ (Sea Holly)
Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion)
Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

Summer Symphony: A Garden with Bee Balm, Verbena, and Swaying Grasses
A Low Maintenance Summer Idea for your Borders with Bulbs, Perennials & Grasses
A Low Maintenance Summer Idea for your Borders with Alliums and Grasses
A Long-Lasting Summer Idea for your Borders with Bulbs, Perennials & Grasses
A Lovely Raised Bed Idea with Grasses, Blood Pinks and Sage
An Eye-Catching Summer Border with Alliums, Achillea, Eryngium and Spurge
Pure White Flowers for a Touch of Elegance in Your Garden
26 Terrific Summer Bulbs to Grow in your Garden or Pots
30 Best Spring Flowers to Spruce up Your Garden
How to Create an Enchanting Butterfly Garden
For the Love of Butterflies: Best Flowers to Attract them to Your Garden
6 Reasons You Should Create a Butterfly Garden
For the Love of Bees: Best Flowers to Attract them to Your Garden
How to Cultivate a Thriving Bee-Friendly Garden
Popular Flower Bulbs For Your Garden and Pots
18 Best Plants That Repel Mosquitoes
Learn How To Plant, Grow and Harvest Chives
Brighten Up Your Garden From January Through May with Colorful Flower Bulbs
Wonderful Plants That Repel Insects
Allium (Ornamental Onion)
Great Rose Companion Plants: Allium
Bulbs that return to the garden year after year!
Tall Alliums for your Garden Borders
Small Allium Species for the Rock Garden
Learn How To Plant And Care for Your Spring Flower Bulbs
Great Bulbs and Perennials as Companion Plants for Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Plants with Purple Flowers to Add Charm to Your Garden
Awesome Allium Combos
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Buy Plants

Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 11
Heat Zones 1 - 11
Climate Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Bulbs
Plant Family Amaryllidaceae
Genus Allium
Common names Ornamental Onion, Onion, Drumstick Allium
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late), Summer (Early),
Height 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread 4" (10cm)
Spacing 2" (5cm)
Depth 4" (10cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Showy
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Rabbit, Dry Soil
Attracts Bees, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Coastal Garden, City and Courtyard
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Allium
Guides with
Allium
Not sure which Allium to pick?
Compare Now

Gardening Ideas

Plant Calculator

How many Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Allium) do I need for my garden?

Input your garden space dimensions

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Allium) N/A Buy Plants

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone