How To Grow A Globemaster Allium Bulb – 3 Super-Easy Steps
One of my favorite flowering plants of all time is the Allium, specifically the deep-purple Globemaster. Right now Allium is making quite a show and the Globemaster is definitely the King of the June garden; regally stretching his neck high above the rest of his compatriots. Best yet – Allium is super-easy to grow in zones 5-8, with some varieties going up to zone 3. They love all types of soil but prefer a well-drained area, and bloom May through August depending on which variety of bulb you get.
In 1971, Jan Bijl crossed A. macleanii Baker and A. christophii to come up with Globemaster and it has very long-lasting, 10″ globes of violet florets. Its head rests on very strong stems and the flowers can withstand heavy rains and even strong wind gusts. Globemaster is adored by bees and butterflies. I simply love this plant!
HOW TO GROW AN ALLIUM BULB:
- Dig a hole in the soil in the Fall, once temperatures start to cool.
- Plant large Allium bulbs 6″ to 8″ deep and 8″ to 10″ apart. Plant the smaller Allium bulbs 4″ deep and 3″ to 4″ apart with the pointy side of the bulb facing up.
- Fertilize with an organic fertilizer if you like (but it is not necessary), and mulch well.
My favorite Allium supplier is Van Engelen because their selection is quite large. Allium look great cut in a vase or even dried. I have known some people to spray paint the dried flower head and leave them in the garden until the end of the season as brightly colored spots floating above the other perennials. SPRAY PAINT! Outrageous! Since Allium are easy to grow you can expect them to come back year after year, however, they do like to be divided every few years. To divide, simply dig the allium out of the ground and gently pry apart the bulb divisions.
Shawna these are one of my fav flowers too in the spring. And they are so easy to plant! We had a heat wave for much of May so all my purple ones came and went, but the white ones and a few later bloomers are just now blooming.
Love, love, love Allium. My daughter calls them “aliens” because of their crazy heads.
Shawna
The alliums are a star attraction in my garden border too. You've inspired me to take and photo and post about them too. Give me a couple of days and we can compare notes.
I love these too! But, lol! the one I planted in my teeny tiny garden was like a monster octopus, and it sprawled all over my patch of lawn, with leaves spreading low and very wide. Gorgeous tall blooms, but if you have little space, look at a lot of pics before you plant. Mine probably spread about 4 ft in diameter, and I really didn't have that to spare! Thankfully I can enjoy them in other peoples' gardens!
I love this post. This is my all time favorite bulb! They add such a dynamic element to any garden. I have mine planted in four different areas, but two patches are not doing so well, they're by an overgrown honeysuckle and I wonder if that's the reason. I might try to dig up the bulb this fall and try to move them.
Allium love full sun, so try moving them at the end of this season!
Shawna
Totally agree about the bee thing – pretty much never see one of these without a bee sitting on top of it! Hence why there has never yet been one in the flower vase on my kitchen table 🙁
It looks like a firework in the garden. Cool share.
Love your garden! I pinned this post : ) I saw some spray painted in a garden in Portland at the Garden Bloggers Fling….they looked very cool : ) I am waiting on my bulbs to come in the mail. I ordered them from Easy to Grow Bulbs for a hot climate that is out of Calif. I have had great success with bulbs from there company.
Thanks for your great comments. 🙂
Kjempefin ly.nklee..s<3 Jeg ser pÃ¥ et bilde at du har DAY kalenderen …..hvor fÃ¥r man tak i slike??? Ellers vil jeg takke deg for en super fin blogg!!! Jeg er fast følger og nyter bildne du tar!!!:-) God helg!Marianne