Allium Atropurpureum - Where the hell are you?!
I planted loads of these and the burgundy heads looked great popping up throughout my cottage border last year. Added a real zing and really lifted the planting. This year? Not a one. Not a single sausage. Or onion, I should say. Planted in good but gritty, well drained soil, east and south-east facing.
Anyone any idea why they have disappeared on me? Is there a secret allium bulb muncher out there?
Anyone any idea why they have disappeared on me? Is there a secret allium bulb muncher out there?
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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The following was on another gardening forum, thanks for the info ‘William of Sweden’:
Sorry that so many of you have had problems with Alliums. It's no secret that commercial growers cultivate Alliums in very light soil and lift them annualy. This helps a lot in controlling diseases such as fungal rots, but if pathogens are present it may not solve all problems. Pathogens could be both in the bulbs and in the soil.
If the soil is clay consider planting in a raised bed with sandy or even gritty soil or why not in a pot that is protected from too much rain in the winter. In milder areas this could be as easy as to make a light bulb potting mix made of well draining materials such as horticultural grit, sharp sand or similar mixed with just a little compost. Then just place the pot under a roof overhang. No peat based soils please! Personally I have a lot of sand in my potting mixes for bulbs as the soil is nothing but fine sand here and I try to use what I already have, but this wont be as well draining as a bit coarser sand or grit nor will it hold as much air. Or plant bulbs close to a tree or plant them among a low growing ground cover that helps to suck excess moisture out of the soil.
Don't mulch Alliums. Last autumn I did an experiment and planted some Alliums in a semi shaded situation and mulched with some leaves. This would simulate the conditions in a well drained but more moisture retentive soil. We most often have a lot of rain during autumn/early winter, but this year was worse than most, so the soil remained fairly wet until bloom, but still had excellent drainage. I used Allium Ambassador that I previously had some problems with. I suspect that the bulbs had become infected with fusarium or similar. I also tried the white blooming Mount Everest.
Many of the Ambassador bulbs were very disappointing. Some rotted before blooming and others showed signs of rot and were discarded when dug this summer. Mount Everest on the other hand remained healthy, but almost didn't multiply, rather seemed to produce a little larger bulbs than the previous year, but still overall not a great result. So I think the soil matters here. I think that those of you that try to grow in clay soil are up to a real challenge with the more sensitive species or cultivars.
It probably does depend on the soil, many things do, but it grows lots of other nice things🙂
I have some good-doers that do well every or most years so I just write the others off as a loss...
I had high hopes for AA as it went into very gritty soil in raised beds but alas... I am now thinking Astrantia Claret might give me a similar form and colour injection and hopefully less inclined to do a Houdini.
I buy new varieties each year, looking back I have had a lot of one year wonders.
My longest lasting alliums are Globemaster - maybe 5 or 6 years, but they are near a tree and a hedge so maybe the ground is drier as the quote seems to say above.
Sphaero is great and multiplies. Purple Sens is variable for me, most come up every year, I don't think they increase though.
Purple Calla I'm tentatively pleased with, had at least 3 years and up again so I bought a few more. Violet Beauty has come back for a second year but I can't remember if I liked the flower.
Tall white's Everest and Mont Blanc are sometimes there, sometimes not, but have been in several years.