Allium senescens
Garden Plant Information

Allium senescens

 

Name

Allium senescens (also called German garlic)

Genus  

Allium

Species

senescens

Cultivar/variety

 

General description

Hardy bulbous perennial grown for dense umbels of pale lavender-pink flowers and twisted, glaucous, grey-green leaves. Often confused with  A. montanum, which is very similar but shorter. Good for alpine and gravel gardens, being drought tolerant. Easy to grow in fertile well-drained soil.

 

Very attractive to butterflies, moths, beetles, bees and hoverflies.

Season of interest

Flowers from early to late summer.

Key horticultural features

  1. Habit - upright. H: up to 25cm, S: 5cm.

  2. Stems - slender, straight to slightly lax. Lightly ridged, pale grey-green.

  3. Leaves - short, strap-shaped, growing from the base of the plant in a twisted fan pattern. The colour is a dusty, glaucous, grey-green.

  4. Flowers - pale lavender-pink, cup-shaped, flowers are borne in dense spherical umbels.

Cultural details

Aspect

Full sun.

Soil

Well drained, light. Add grit if grown in clay soil.

Hardiness

Hardy.

Maintenance

Lift and divide congested clumps every three to four years in autumn.

 

Generally pest free but can be affected by onion white rot and downy mildew.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring, in a cold frame. Prick out three seedlings to a pot to get a clump forming more quickly.