Starting the Year with a Garden Experiment: Giant Ornamental Onions, Garden Alliums

A Note: It’s 2020 and I am trying to get back into writing again. I’m going to shy away from using the term “blogging”. There is too much weight to the term, and I hope my writing extends beyond my Internet musings moving forward. I am woefully out of practice; yet the only way to do it is do it, so here goes!

Giant Ornamental Onion, most likely Allium 'Globemaster', in the Public Garden in Boston, MA, Summer 2014

Winter Musings

As I sit here the spring peeper frogs are chirping in the night. A sweet breeze blows in through the open window that smells more like the beginning of spring rather than the middle of January. Such is winter in North Carolina these last few years.

Chimonanthus praecox at Juniper Level Botanic Garden

It is this time of year that the Hyacinthus rosettes are pushing through the winter mulch in the gardens of central North Carolina, and one can smell the familiar fragrance of wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox and C. nitans. These lovely shrubs never seem to be confused by the shifting weather. But back to bulbs.

The Hyacinthus remind me that winter is not a season of death, but of change; and there are rewards for patience: winter/spring bulbs.

I took some time today to wander through a local garden shop (Logan’s Garden Shop) to see what was on offer. I find it important to see what is easily available to gardeners so I can make better suggestions or recommendations when I am asked. It has been a couple years since I’d poked around Logan’s and I was glad for the exercise of it. And glad that my personal rule of not buying plants unless they’re REALLY special was not tickled. I was almost to the door when it was.

“30% OFF ALL BULBS” screamed the big red letters on the bulb bins next to the discount Christmas decorations. Well, crap. I couldn’t help but look.

Tulips, Iris, Amaryllis, and, of course, Hyacinthus….. and Allium! Science brain triggered: I had always wondered how the different giant Alliums performed compared to each other, and here were some of the major hitting cultivars rotting away on the bottom shelf at 30% off. Well, crap, I say; and hand over my money for three different cultivars and a species (summarized at the end) (except for the one I really want one day: Allium schubertii).

Getting Ready for Planting, Bulbs Ordered from Shortest (left) to Tallest (right)

The Great Giant Ornamental Onion Evaluation Experiment

Giant Ornamental Alliums are the sexy garden onions you may see punctuating a mixed herbaceous perennial border or seasonal planter; or as a stunning mass of floating heads, like the planting in the Public Garden in Boston, MA in the summer of 2014 when I’d visited for a walk around the Emerald Necklace (see the blog post and photos here).

Allium in the foreground, Boston Skyline beyond

I agree with Carole Ottesen from the American Horticultural Society that “Alliums don’t get the recognition they deserve” (although her article is a great place to start your “alliophily”). The Great Gardening minds of the modern era all agree they are garden stand-outs, yet they were still languishing on the bottom shelf at Logan’s. In their defense, if you look at charts comparing the different giant Alliums available, like the one in Ottesen’s article in The American Gardener or on Gardenia.net, it is hard to envision their performance differences and it is easy to get bogged down with the idea of “what’s so special about THIS one?”

Article Link: Checklist of Ornamental Allium Species and Cultivars Currently Offered in the Trade (Reinhard M. Fritsch, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung Gatersleben, Germany, 2015)

Hence, why I spend my money: to further our collective understanding of these plants!

So, Let’s Talk About My Garden’s Culture: Adapting How to Grow Ornamental Onions

Alliums, according to the great Allan Armitage (see page 60-72 in the third edition of Herbaceous Perennial Plants aka the Perennial Bible), need well-draining soil, preferably with a lack of heavy clay. Unfortunately, despite the addition of bucket-loads of organic matter, there is still a lot of clay in my garden beds at home. I’ve done my best to create a raised bed that runs deep. Such is the reality of trying to convert modern house foundation into an herbaceous perennial border.

I fertilized the bed a couple weeks ago with Espoma’s PlantTone as a general broadcast (yes, I do a light fertilization with this organic fertilizer in December, as I am fighting some organic matter issues); but I had a sample of Espoma’s Biotone Starter Plus from Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. and thought this was as good a time as any to use it (it is suggested to use it at time of planting). (Find out where you can get Espoma Products here). After some Internet searches, I also found some information about soaking garlic cloves before planting and wonder if that would have worked on Allium.... maybe a future experiment.

The site I chose is in the front of my house in the sunniest bed, but will most likely get part sun un the summer time because of the oaks in the front yard. The bulbs will sit amongst other plants, mainly Salvias and Sedums, and will be side-by-side for easy comparison (see starting summary chart at the bottom).

The timing of my planting is very late. They most likely would have preferred to be planted in October in North Carolina, but I cheated and planted them on this unseasonably warm January day. Wrong time, but right price. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, which I cannot recommend enough, ships their fall bulbs up to this time of year, so I’ll just fudge my timing with their shipping season!

Rotten Part on Allium 'Gladiator', healthy bulb in background

Unfortunately, because the bulbs did wallow on the bottom shelf for the entire buying season, there were a lot of rotten bulbs in the bags. I inspected each one for rot, and still ended up with one rotten bulb, cleverly hidden by the papery skin. I cut the rot out with sterilized tools and sterilized the region with isopropyl alcohol, as I did not have bleach or hydrogen peroxide on-hand.



Parameters for Evaluation of Ornamental Onions

So, what am I looking for with this little evaluation? I will be looking at when the plants emerge, when the inflorescence stalk starts to elongate, when the flowers open, how tall the inflorescence stalks are, how wide the inflorescences are, how long the bloom period is, how strong the stems are, how the foliage performs, and how long the flower stalks withstand the season after senescence. I might even use them in holiday craft projects next year.

I don’t think I will want to run the evaluation for more than one year. It’s just enough time to see my garden grow through its second season and gives me time to find the best place to move each Allium to next year to highlight its strengths. As gardeners know, everything in the garden is an exercise in patience.

Pretty Packages

A Note: Garden Marketing Has It Easy

A beautiful picture can sell a plant in no time(just check out this “photoshopped” Allium on Amazon Smile); and no time is it more effective than selling bulbs. Papery, dirty skins, some bumps and bruises, and no roots are what await the brave gardener through the plastic, hole-punched packaging. Giant Alliums can be 3-4’ tall and are a garden show-stopper; but on the shelf, they are glorified onions. Que those cute photos of kids and flowers: three of the four packages contained children for scale, and certainly for effect. It is easy to trust that weird-looking onion with a smiling kid hugging the purported giant flower stalk.

The bulbs used in the experiment are from the Netherland Bulb Company. I was especially charmed by the marketing phrase of “Dig. Drop. Done.” You can even go to www.digdropdone.com and learn about bulb culture. It is a marketing tool for bulb companies, but it is an effective tool to help people overcome any hesitation they might have about growing bulbs in their garden.

If you want to learn more about Alliums, or bulbs in general, the Pacific Bulb Society has a great website and is a great society to join.

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Figure 1.1: Table summarizing cultural and marketing points from label that came with the plant, Internet sources, and Herbaceous Perennial Plants (Armitage, Third Edition, 2008)

Plant Name	Origin	Flower Diameter	Flower Height	Resistance (marked)	Light Requirements	Bloom Time	Winter Hardy	Fragrant	Good for Mass Planting	Good for Rock Gardens	RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner
Allium ‘Gladiator’	A. aflatunense x A. macleanii	7-8”	32-36”	Deer, squirrel, rabbit	Full sun	Early summer	X			X	X
Allium ‘Ambassador’	Hybrid A. aflatunense (likely)	6-8”	36-40”	Deer	Full sun to part shade	Early summer	X	X		X	X
Allium ‘Globemaster’	A. christophii x A. macleanii	7-8”	36-40”	Deer	Full sun	Early summer	X	X	X		X
Allium giganteum	Species type	6-8”	50-60”	Deer, squirrel, rabbit	Full sun to part shade	Late spring to early summer	X		X		X

Meeting the Thunderbird: Plant Collections Symposium in Vancouver, BC

The Thunderbird stared down at me from above the gateway to Customs. It was an imposing, majestic creature overlooking a hallway full of dioramas of Pacific Northwest woodland scenes and First Nations artifacts in the Vancouver Airport. The symbolism was different from the Native American tribes I was familiar with in the eastern part of the continent….

But I knew this magnificent figure’s gaze was something to heed. This was going to be a trip to remember.

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Botanic garden curation has been a passion of mine since my time with Tom Clark at the Polly Hill Arboretum back in 2014. I have grown and learned a lot since then (thankfully!); but, without the opportunities, guidance and support I got at PHA, I would never have been aware of this very specific field within horticulture.

I attended the APGA’s Plant Collections Symposium at the end of my time on the Vineyard as a capstone to my internship and found it incredibly valuable to my development as a botanic gardens professional. The symposium only occurs every four years, so there was no way I was missing it this time around, even if I was new in my position at Juniper Level Botanic Garden (and I am grateful for Tony for letting me have the time to represent JLBG there!).

The American Public Gardens Association held their annual conference in Hamilton, ON in 2017, and that was the first time I had ever been to Canada. This time the Plant Collections Section had settled on Vancouver, BC. I was excited to explore a new side of not just Canada, but the North American continent.

The Fall color in Queen Elizabeth Park was mind-blowing. People, including myself, wandered around in awe of the incredible shades of red, orange, and yellow.

The trip from Raleigh to Vancouver was a long one. The 3 a.m. alarm was jarring and the disorienting taxi ride to RDU gave the day an air of dreaminess. Was I awake? We ran away from the sun for hours, gliding over the patchwork of farms that covered the heartland of the United States. Three planes later I was riding the Metro from the airport to my AirBnB. It was only 12 p.m. in the afternoon, but I’d been awake for almost 16 hours.

My tired brain refused to go to bed, and instead demanded food and exploration. I was only a couple blocks away from a Vietnamese place and then only a few more blocks from Queen Elizabeth Park, so off I went.

The park was beautiful, and the weather was sunny and clear (apparently, this is quite unusual). Even still, I barely made it past 6 p.m.

Looking down in the garden of Queen Elizabeth Park

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Becky looks down into the canopy of a western red cedar forest at the Capilano Suspension Bridge walkway.

Of course, fate would have it that a dear friend of mine from Edinburgh would be in Vancouver. How could it not be? A chance, very tired, end-of-night post brought us together that Monday before I fell asleep.

Becky and I met up the next morning, and she drove us out to the mountains to experience the views over the city and let me get a glimpse into the cedar forests. If only I had reached out to her sooner! We could have gone much further afield! That’s on me though. Even still, we had a lovely time exploring and hanging out with each other!

Becky dropped me off just in time to join up with the conference mixer at a bar near the conference hotel, where Tom Clark and Elaine Chittendon (of the Botanic Garden at Smith College, who I’d met just four years prior (see the link for the blog post)) were chatting right inside the door!!!

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Click here for more photos and check out the captions 

for more of the story!

Wednesday the conference began at the University of British Columbia. I took the early bus to the campus with all the sleepy morning commuters. The sun hadn’t even risen yet as I made my way across campus to search for a coffee shop. I found one and arrived at the conference site just in time to meet the buses as they arrived from the hotel. Whew!

The morning talks were very stimulating, and the UBC folks kept us entertained with a walking tour of UBC’s campus and an afternoon of rotating sessions before the poster session/mixer. I had a chance to catch-up with some cool folks and meet new people, while also strolling through a beautiful afternoon.

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Thursday’s venue was at VanDusen Botanic Garden and was a packed day of panel discussions and talks. The day was gorgeous outside and the colorful skyline of trees teased us from the wall of windows in the conference hall. It was tough to wait until the afternoon to have a walk through the Garden I took the bus back to the hotel and spent the whole trip talking to Mike Motta about my time at NTBG. He caught me up on all the developments in the last six years. It is amazing how time flies, how some things change and others do not. That evening I hung out with some cool folks for Indian food and drinks (these folks included Jaimie from Newfields (Indianapolis Museum of Art), Tom Clark, Nick Courtens of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, and Tim Timbaut from the Huntington!). It was a good night on the town.

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Cecropia leaves contrasts against the geometric panes of the Bloedel Conservatory

Friday was my last full day in Vancouver and I wanted to see a couple more places before I left. Even with a plan, chance messages and meetings sent me on a different path. I ended up crossing paths with Tim and Ian at the Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park, and walking through the Park with them. We talked about our respective gardens and swapped stories (and found some curious gardening as we walked to the bus stop). Ian and I took the bus to UBC after Tim headed off to the airport, and Ian told me about when he worked for Tony back when he was at N.C. State. We went separate ways, as I went to find Becky for one last gathering. Becky and I walked solemnly through the Cultural History Museum at UBC, and talked about what we saw and shared our collective experiences that we felt were reflecting back at us in the artifacts around us. I ended up joining her on an evening of going-away gatherings. It was quite the zig-zag across Vancouver, but well worth the late night to hang out with Becky on such an occasion.

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Saturday began the same way Monday did: Too early. The Arab gentleman quietly drove me to the airport and deposited me at my gate by 4:45 a.m.. I was really early and had more than enough time to get some coffee and eat the rest of my Indian food for breakfast. I was not looking forward to this day of plan rides…… something about the return to RDU with no one waiting for me depressed me severely. Even still, it was a beautiful day for flying and it went relatively smoothly. A biker-looking guy dropped me back at my house a little before 7 p.m. Thank goodness I had Sunday to recover!

The backbone of the mountains of British Columbia.

Gallery of Gardens 2017 in Mobile, Alabama

The 2017 Gallery of Gardens tour ended today, just in the nick of time before the thunderstorms came. We dodged the weather this year with a successful two-day series of gardens tours through nine private gardens in Mobile, Alabama.

I had the great fortune of making it to five of these gardens (I still had to work too, so five out of nine isn't bad!) before the end. I always enjoy seeing how people interpret the space they have, and love to see what plants strike people's fancy. There were lots of oakleaf hydrangeas in this year's gardens, as well as an excellent palette of textures, and not so much heavy on the use of flowers.

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Click on the addresses for additional photos:


959 Augusta Street
Bob and Sherry Allen

Bob and Sherry have created an intimate garden in their outdoor spaces around their house. The front of the home easily flows to the backyard through the side gate lined with Boston ferns and confederate jasmine. I loved the pottery birds on the birdbaths. Great little plant vignettes, especially their combination planters that featured a Coleus with a Hosta.





261 Marine Street
Barry and Stevi Gaston

I fell in love with Stevi and Barry's backyard the more I spent time there. They have cleverly balanced the existing concrete with raised beds and planters. Each of their studios (Stevi is a painter and Barry is a potter) opens up to the garden, which features many places to sit and enjoy the many lines of sight through the garden. The koi pond features a fountain that creates the sound of running water throughout the space. They've even created an outdoor shower, so they never really need to go inside!




259 North Jackson Street
Jim Gilbert and Tim Lloyd

Agapanthus is one of my favorite perennials and I have to say, Jim and Tim did an excellent job place theirs in this intimate courtyard space. A large cast iron fountain sits in the middle surrounded by tropical plants in all size pots. They've really got a nice palette of tropicals. I especially loved the light pink oleander on the standard.

 



255 North Jackson Street
Pete and Renea Burns

It really amazes me how people have carves out spaces to live in the old streets of Mobile. Renea and Pete's home is cleverly disguised from the street behind a climbing fig-covered wall; once you see the door, then you go down an intimate passageway that opens up into their own private garden. A large window looks out into the garden from the home. Again, a lovely fountain (this one full of water hyacinths though!) trickles in the middle of a pond in the center. Their two friendly dogs were lounging and rolling around under two very large specimens of staghorn fern. They accomplished an incredible amount for such a small space.

255 State Street
Kelly Baker

Oh my goodness! If the stately oaks of State Street don't immediately overwhelm you, the hidden gem through the little black garden gate will. Kelly's garden ceiling is made of beautiful oaks, and she's festooned her garden with elegant statuary and lovely green and white combinations. Each little corner of the garden has something going on in it, and everyone who was with me was envious of how open her house was to this little garden. The use of mirrors and a focal art piece (actually painted by Stevi Gaston, another lady on the garden tour!) draw your eye beyond the dimension you're already in.

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And then to tie up the day, a stop at Roosters for some homemade peach habanero salsa and jerk chicken. Yum!