The enormous flowering Allium

I am sure when you read the title of this story you said to yourself, "Paul, flowering onions, are you kidding me?" No, I'm not kidding you, because when you read this I am hoping that you will plant some of the many varieties available at your local garden centers and bulb catalogs on the Internet. There are over 700 varieties available for you to choose from, but most retailers will carry only a handful, because gardeners are just getting to know about this wonderful family of spring and summer flowering bulbs. I will tell you that once you see them in flower in the garden you will be hooked.

I'm sure that many of you have seen and even planted the most popular flowering onion in the garden world and never knew it was a flowering onion. The one I am referring to is called Allium giganteum. Now think about the flower that will grow on a thick stem about the diameter of your index finger. The stem will grow 3 to 5 feet tall and will hold a round dense ball-shaped cluster flower that will open up to 8 inches in diameter. The flower cluster is made up of countless small purple star-shaped flowers. If you ever saw a chives flower, yes the herb that you cook with, it looks just like it--but much, much bigger. By the way, chives are in the Onion family, just in case you did not know.

A few of the flowering onions, like garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots, are used in your kitchen but today I want you to know about the ornamental types. Let start with where would you plant these flowering onions. Some varieties will look great when planted in groups in-between shrubs, under flowering trees like dogwoods and flowering cherries to help naturalize these planting areas. Others will look great in perennial gardens, some of the smaller growing varieties will give your rock gardens unique texture and dimension.

Some will look wonderful when planted in ground cover beds, such as English ivy, pachysandra, and even ground cover junipers to help give these garden s color, flowers, and a little height that is unexpected from these common ground covers. Now the main reason I like to plant in-between other plants is because most of the flowering onions have terrible foliage and most of the foliage dies before the flowers come into bloom--but some have great foliage also.

Not all the flowers are shaped round, some are disk-shaped, rounded umbel, oval or spherical flower clusters at the top of the stem. The tall-growing varieties make wonderful cut flowers and they will last for two weeks or more in your favorite vase. If you can change the water in the vase every few days the flower will last longer and you will not have an onion smell from the flowers.

Plant allium bulbs in the fall, at the same time as you would plant tulips and daffodils. The allium family loves a well-drained soil and it will do better if the soil is not too rich, so no need to add soil conditioners like compost or animal manure to the soil before planting unless the soil is of poor quality. The onion family does not like fresh animal manure AT ALL. Use Seaweed Kelp Meal as a fertilizer to encourage good root development and not attract rodents to your planting bed. Plant your bulbs at a depth that is equal to the height of the bulb, so a 2-inch bulb will need 2 inches of soil on top of it and a 4-inch bulb will need 4 inches of soil on top of it. Water bulbs weekly until Thanksgiving to encourage a good root system and then all you have to do is wait for spring to arrive for the wonderful flowers to emerge from the garden.

Here are some great varieties to look for this fall at your local Garden Center:

Allium atropurpureum
1.5 to 2.5 feet tall, dark, wine-red star shaped flowers that start as a tight round flower and as it ages the individual flowers grow on long stem making the flower resemble a big spider with long legs.

Allium christophii
I think it is the most exquisite ornamental onion for the garden. The flowers are large spherical clusters up to 8 inches in diameter and some of the flower cluster can have up to 100 star shaped violet flowers with a metallic sheen. It looks like fireworks and grows 2 feet tall, great cut flower or let it dry in the garden and use in a dried flower arrangement.

Allium fistulosum
Looks like a coarse chive plant but it blooms with flowers that are yellow-white. It will grow 2 to 2.5 feet tall blooms during May- June and the flowers and foliage are edible. This variety has great foliage also.

Allium 'Globemaster'
A new Hybrid with flower clusters up to 10 inches in diameter. The stalks will grow up to 3 feet tall and has violet flowers. The foliage is beautiful, and has large shiny deep green leaves like straps or your belt that holds your pants up. The bulb is bit pricey but worth the money for this bulb

Allium 'Molly'
Just beautiful small flowers those are yellow and easy to grow. The flower stems will grows 10 inch tall with 2-inch flowers and the foliage that is gray- green in color. Great bulb to naturalize in a sunny or light shade area, rock gardens and under small flowering trees.

Allium 'Mairei'
reat grass-like foliage with 8-inch tall flowers. Blooming in the late summer, the flowers are loose and wide open. The flowers are pink and look more like small bells. Great for naturalizing in rock gardens and can be used as wild flowers.

Allium meapolitanum
A wonderful bulb for planting as wild flowers and grows 8 to 16 inches tall. The flower cluster is made up to 30 or more star-shaped white flowers. It is offer used in Bridal bequest and it flowers in May- June.

Allium sphaerocephalon
Often called the "drumstick" allium; the flower bud is very dense and thick. The flower stalks will grow 2 feet tall; they are great for cutting during June -July. Red to purple flowers form a green bud and you will often see the red develop on top of the flower bud and work its way down the green sides of the flower, very unusual to have bi-colored flowers on a plant.

Allium tuberosum
Flower stems grow to 2 feet tall and develop at the end of the summer. The flowers and the buds are edible, scented and white in color. These bulbs will thrive in a rich, damp soil in a sunny spot.

Try some of these bulbs this fall and you will be in for a real treat next spring or summer. Nice plants if you are looking for unusual flowers for your garden. Enjoy!!!

Tiny Tim - Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Here is an oldie for you about tulips
 

Spring flowering crocus in every color in the rainbow

Most of us think that big is better--and sometimes that is right--but when it comes to spring-flowering bulbs, think small bulbs this year. This fall, I would love for you to plant in your garden the "little" bulbs, the miscellaneous bulbs, sometimes called the minor bulbs, along with the traditional tulips and daffodils. The smaller spring-flowering bulbs usually cost less, so you can plant more for the same money and get twice the flowers. There are dozens of varieties of inexpensive spring-flowering bulbs that will bring your garden big benefits in terms of beauty, color, scent, hardiness--and that are not eaten by animals.

The little bulbs come in every color, they spread and multiply more easily than the larger bulbs, they usually require less maintenance in the garden and they will survive and flower for more years then the larger type bulbs do. Small bulbs can be planted in rock gardens, perennial gardens, open woodlands, and some will do well when planted in open fields, meadows or even in your lawn. I like planting these "miscellaneous" bulbs at the base of shrubs, under flowering trees, with ground covers and even in a planting of low growing ground cover junipers for spring color.

Many of these so-called "minor" bulbs will make wonderful cut flowers for a small vase on your kitchen windowsill or even on your nightstand by your bed. Just think about waking up to a vase of flowers as you turn off the alarm to greet the new day. All this is possible and much more if you act now by visiting your local garden center or nursery. Fall is the time for mums, pumpkins, corn stalks and Halloween--but fall is also the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. This weekend, as you clean your gardens and put the garden to bed, ending the growing season, plan and plant the flowers that will wake you from the long winter inside and draw you back out into the garden.

This is all you have to do when planting bulbs this fall. Say to yourself: "Self, these bulbs will be in the ground for several years and the better I prepare the soil when planting, the better chance they will have to spread and survive for years to come." Condition the soil before planting with compost, animal manure, or seaweed kelp meal but stay away from the old-fashioned bone meal to prevent encouraging rodents from coming into your garden. If your soils are sandy, add some Soil Moist Granules to help retain moisture in the soil and encourage a good root system.

I always had a problem with rodents eating my bulbs in the garden, so last year I tried something different when planting and had great success. I dug my hole and as I added my bulbs, I worked into the soil a couple handfulls of crushed oyster shells under, over and around the bulbs. Crushed oyster shells are sharp to animals digging in the soil and it helped to keep them away, giving me the best results I have ever had. Oyster shells also gave the plants calcium and improved the drainage in heavy soils.

I also changed from bone meal to seaweed kelp meal as a fertilizer when planting and there was no smell to attract rodents and the neighbor's dog to the garden. Seaweed kelp meal is now available at many garden centers and provides more beneficial ingredients and fertilizers to the bulbs than bone meal ever did. I also fertilized my bulbs with seaweed kelp meal during the flowering season to help them flower longer and help them maker new flower buds for the following spring. Try it and you will like it, too--and so will your bulbs.

Chionodoxa/Glory of the Snow is an early spring-flowering bulb that has dainty starry shaped flowers that will bloom for 3 to 4 weeks in your garden. The upward-facing flowers come in groups or waves of 10 or more flowers per stem that can be cut and used is a small vase of water. The flower has 6-petals, is pale blue with a white center, and begins to flower during late February-March, depending on the snow. This bulb will spread in your garden--a real plus.

Crocus is a midseason-flowering bulb that flowers just before the tulips do in the spring. Everyone knows the crocus for its rainbow of colors--even striped varieties. The crocus also comes in a miniature type that grows 2 to 3 inches tall--and it flowers earlier than the common types, as well. The common large flowering crocus will grow to 3 to 5 inches tall and the bulb divides easily, spreading in your garden. This is the number one selling small spring-flowering bulb.

Eranthis/ Winter Aconite is an early spring-flowering bulb often flowering with snowdrops during February. The flowers often form a glossy bright yellow carpet on the bare ground. The flower has six petals and resembles buttercups but only grows 3 inches tall. When the flowers open, the foliage will develop around the flower, resembling flat, deep green needles. This plant does produce many seedlings from seed pods as the flowers fade. Great plant to naturalize.

Erythronium/Dog's Tooth Violets have wonderful wide-open, starry shaped flowers that droop on strong stems and often resemble miniature lilies. The flower petals are soft yellow on the outside and shiny golden yellow on the inside. The foliage is straplike and covered with streaks of brown, giving it much character. Purchase these bulbs early, as they may dry out in the display rack. Once planted, do not disturb the clump.

Fritillaria have bell-like flowers that will hang down on strong stems, making wonderful cut flowers. Many varieties of the small flowering Fritillaria will flower in April and May. Your color selection, flower shape, height, and size will vary a lot, giving you many choices to select from. The plants will do best with a bit of protection from the wind and weather, so plant near a building or an evergreen plant.

Galanthus/Snowdrops--these bulbs are tough and usually are the first to flower in the spring often when snow is still on the ground in February and March. The flower is a pendant white flower that hangs off a strong stem like a streetlight; a great small cut flower. You will notice a green seedpod on top of the flower and the green tips on the inner flower petals. It does reseed if the soil around the plant is not cultivated a lot. This is a must-have plant.

Muscari/ Grape Hyacinths are miniatures of the Giant Dutch hyacinths, very hardy and not eaten by rodents. Makes a great cut flower for small vases and comes in purple and white colors. They flower in late March to April and will reseed if your soil is rich and moist. Great for rock gardens and will tolerate harsh weather in open areas. The grape hyacinth is great plant for beginners to plant in the garden and for indoor forcing.

Dwarf Irises are unique spring flowers on short stems that will only grow 3 to 4 inches tall. The dwarf iris comes in many colors and has 3 to 4 flower petals that resemble the Flag iris, not the common German bearded iris. Plant bulbs in clumps or clusters and mark the area so you do not dig them up later. The flowers will last only a couple of weeks but they are beautiful. Flowers open in late April and are best suited for rock gardens, not large perennial beds.

Leucojum/ Snowflakes: the bell-shaped flowers are pure white with a green spot on the tip of each flower petal. This plant is often confused with Snowdrops but it grows much taller--up to 8 inches, and each stem will produce 3 to 5 flowers on each stem. Snowdrops make only one flower per stem. Great flowers for cutting and they flower later in the spring, usually during late April and May. The foliage is also deep green and grows very prolifically.

Narcissus/ Miniature Daffodils are just like the large-growing family of spring flowers but come in many unusual shapes, sizes and colors. Great cut flower, wonderful for naturalizing, not eaten by rodents and long lasting often for several years in the garden. Bulbs will divide and the clump will enlarge in size. This is a foolproof bulb that will grow just about anywhere and will bloom in the garden for several weeks. Skip the big varieties this year, and pick up the miniatures for wonderful character in your garden. Enjoy!

Fall Fertilization - The key to a great lawn next spring

By: Lonnie Heflin Director of Operations Pro Trust Products 

The arrival of cooler temperatures triggers a dramatic change in the physiology of the millions of individual grass plants that make up your lawn. As the daytime temperatures cool, the "top growth" slows, and the grass plants direct their energy to their roots. Making two applications of Turf Trust® this fall provides the energy your lawn needs to develop a deep, dense root system.

The Turf Trust® Lawn Program is based on four feedings per year. Four applications of Turf Trust® supplies your lawn with the 3 pounds of nitrogen fescue lawns need In order to thrive. Each application of Turf Trust® supplies ¾ of a pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

The fall feedings are the most important. With two applications, the 1st around Labor Day, and the 2nd between Halloween and Thanksgiving, Turf Trust® supplies your lawn with the energy it needs to build a deep, dense root system. This root system will help your lawn withstand the hazy, hot, and humid days of summer.

Grass plants grow from their crown, which is just above the soil surface. By making two applications of Turf Trust® this fall, the expanding root system stores energy in as carbohydrates (sugar) over the winter. When soil temperatures reach 52°F, the root system starts to release the stored sugars, providing the grass plant with enough energy to produce new shoots from the crown. The result is a thicker lawn next spring.

The Pro Trust Products line of ultra premium fertilizers and weed controls are only available at independent garden centers and hardware stores. As a special to Paul Parent Garden Club listeners, if we do not have a stocking dealer in your area, you can purchase our products on our website: http://www.protrustproducts.com  Simply click on the "Shop" tab and place your order. Remember to mention that you heard about our products from Paul Parent, and your order ships for free!

If you want a beautiful lawn next spring, now is the time to start a "Grass Roots Movement:" in your lawn with Turf Trust®. Prepare to be amazed!

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