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Blue Allium

Allium caeruleum

Also called Blue Of The Heavens

Blue Allium
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain

Allium caeruleum is an ornamental bulbous onion from the steppes of Central Asia, grown for its globe-shaped heads of blue flowers in early summer. It needs well-drained soil and full sun.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water moderately while in growth and keep dry once foliage dies back after flowering.
Soil
Well-drained, gritty or sandy soil.
Temperature
Hardy to about -25 °C; suits USDA zones 4 to 8.
How easy
Easy
Native range
E. Europe to Xinjiang
Climate
temperate

About

Allium caeruleum (blue globe onion, blue ornamental onion, blue-of-the-heavens, blue-flowered garlic; syn. Allium azureum Ledeb.) is an ornamental bulbous plant of the onion genus, native to Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang). In these regions, it is found on dry slopes, plains, and steppes.

This plant is cited in the Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe puis L'illustration horticole by Charles Antoine Lemaire. It grows to 80 cm (31"), producing strap-shaped leaves and small globes (umbels) of blue flowers in early summer. The one-inch wide globular flower heads attract butterflies. The plant has been granted the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (1993).

Other Allium plants

South Idaho onion · Abrams' allium · Allium aciphyllum · Tapertip onion · Allium aeginiense · Allium aflatunense · Allium agrigentinum · Allium alabasicum · Allium albotunicatum · Allium alibile · Altai Onion · Allium altissimum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Allium caeruleum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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