Allium obliiquum is blooming now, and again this year I want to mention it, if only to encourage others to champion this cool plant. It’s usually described as a yellow flowering onion, and while that’s literally true, the yellow is a very pale yellow. And I don’t grow it for its flower color. I grow it because it is, in effect, a miniature hard-neck garlic. Hard neck garlics, traditionally called Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon (ophioscorodon “means” snake garlic) , produce very ornamental curled, curving scapes. There are worth space in the garden for that alone. Little Allium obliquum brings the same effect in a somewhat smaller plant. Mine are about two feet high. Now on to another favorite, this one unfortunately to be discussed in the past tense. For several years now I’ve mentioned that Allium caeruleum seems to require a dry summer under our conditions. It’s one of the least expensive flowering onions, and one of the most ornamental, yet I’ve never seen broad masses of it naturalized in local garden. And for years I covered my plants against summer rain. By last summer my plants had multiplied into the hundreds from a start with perhaps two dozen. Last year, in an experimental mood, I did not cover them. This year they are not there. I’m tempted to go on in the sadder but wiser theme, but I’ll stop here. Onions have great powers. Fro another example, read “Dead rat story” here: http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/