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Identification

morag_girdwoodmorag_girdwood Posts: 7
in Plants

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Last year at the Tatton Show I bought 3 Alium bulbs from a Dutch supplier- the photo on the left shows what I have grown, the one on the right is what I was expecting! What have I got - any ideas? They look like Leeks to me! 

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  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,223

    Hi Morag. Goodness me! They certainly don't look like any alliums I know. My first thought, as I scrolled down and before I saw your comments was 'sugar cane' but that wouldn't have grown here - way too cold. I don't think they look like leeks either. Its a little difficult to judge scale/size from your picture but those leaves look like the leaves of common garlic. Perhaps in time you will get a flower to assist in identifying. I bought alliums at Tatton last year too and have already booked for this year's show.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
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  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150

    Hi Morag.   Ignore the foliage in your Tatton photo, it's just part of the "flower arrangement" that has been created to show off the allium blooms (looks like eucalyptus foliage).

    The stems and leaves in your garden don't look like allium to me.

    Thinking about Mr J's maize theory, could be dropped bird seed maybe ???

    You could tell the difference when planting bulbs vs corn seed.

  • morag_girdwoodmorag_girdwood Posts: 7

    Thank you all for your thoughts and responses. These have definitely come from the 'Allium' bulbs I bought as I had three and specifically marked them with a label, so I really don't think they're random dropped seed.

    I'm thinking perhaps the garlic theory may be a good one. The supplier was an Allium specialist - and these I believe too are in the same family? Perhaps the bulbs got mixed up in transport...

    I hope to go to Tatton again this year and will find them if they are there again and show them the photos.

    I will give the plants a few more weeks and possibly months, see what happens and post an update!

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 84,012

    I would contact the suppliers now Morag ... if you have their details?   They'll be rushed off their feet at Tatton. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,169

    Are they definitely alliums? The smell, when scratched,is unmistakable.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,223

    I'll look forward to the update Morag! image

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150

    What's the name of the allium you're growing Morag?  

    Maybe a search of google images might show you one growing in a garden setting for a leaf/stem comparison.

  • morag_girdwoodmorag_girdwood Posts: 7

    Hi Kitty 2 - I didn't take a note of the Allium that I bought, but it was in a large container which had with it a photo of the single stem/purple pom pom version...

  • Barefoot gardenerBarefoot gardener Posts: 162

    I know it's nowt like an allium but the colour of the bottom of the stem and the leaf shape looks like sweet corn... I grow sweet corn, never successfully enough to eat it yet but I am working on that but the huge plants you have in the picture looks like sweetcorn 

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