This group, the big ball onions with great spherical heads of bloom, is probably the best known of all the "ornamental onions". The group is better known as Allium section Melanocrommyum, with Allium giganteum probably the most famous of the lot. Available in the autumn where Dutch bulbs are sold, these spring to early summer blooming onions are easy to grow when given good drainage or light loamy soil in full sun, making spectacular accents in the garden. They dry up and retreat into dormancy immediately after flowering.
Allium 'Gladiator' - one of the many giant ball-shaped onions in varying shades of purple. This one is a cross between A. hollandicum (syn. A. aflatunens of Hort.) x macleanii (probably). It has robust growth green leafage, tall stems of about 4' (120 cm), and lilac-purple flowers. Photo by Mark McDonough.
Allium 'Globemaster' is a fantastic cross between Allium macleanii x cristophii, made by Jan Bijl, requiring nearly 20 years to bring it into commercially scaled production. It has dense globes of purple starry flowers that have that same metallic sheen evidenced by A. cristophii (often misspelled "christophii"). The floral globes start out 4-5" across, but since the new buds pop out just beyond the spent blooms, the great spheres of bloom grow in size over several weeks. Under good conditions, the bloom heads can exceed 11" (28 cm) across! Photo by Mark McDonough.
One of the best features of the "big ball" type of alliums, are the fantastic seed heads. Here's a photo of two dried 'Globemaster' seed heads, taken recently in my office at work. The dried seed structures are about 8 years old now, but still hold their decorative appeal. Photographed up against a brick wall, and knowing that a brick is 8" (20 cm) wide, you'll get a good idea just how huge the bloom heads can get. Photo by Mark McDonough, taken 3/6/03.
Allium 'Globus' - reportedly a hybrid between A. karataviense and possibly A. cristophii. Much shorter stature to about 18" (45 cm) or a little taller, and undiminished balls of purple. Photo by Mark McDonough.
Allium jesdianum ssp. angustitepalum - previously sold as A. rosenbachianum (a very different species). It seems that the nomenclature is sorted out. I like this species as it has beautiful two-toned flowers (rose-purple and prominent white stamens), held in graceful hemispheres, on stems only about 24-30" (60-75 cm). There are several named cultivars, but I like this subspecies the best. Photo by Mark McDonough.
Allium karataviense "Aspects of foliage" - One of the best features of this species if the beautiful broad foliage. In the 1st two photographs, we see regular A. karataviense on the left (purplish tinged foliage) and A. karataviense 'Ivory Queen' on the right (no purple tinge). Photos by Mark McDonough.
Allium karataviense 'Ivory Queen' - A fantastic clean white form of this popular species. It flowers the same time as the regular pinkish form, seen on the left. Photos by Mark McDonough.
Allium karataviense 'Red Globe' - This is a recently available form of A. karataviense that's very different, flowering much earlier, with much larger and longer gray foliage, and huge globes of dark red-violet flowers. The first photo shows 3 bulbs in full bloom. The second shot shows the inflorescence swelling with red-purple seed pods and the much smaller flower globe of typical A. karataviense in the background. It's hard to believe that this hasn't been identified as a new species of subspecies of A. karataviense. Evidently, A. karataviense in the wild is extremely variable. Photos by Mark McDonough.
Allium karataviense (wild collected forms) - The following photos show 3 different forms of wild collected Allium karataviense, showing considerable diversity in foliar and flower form. The one in the center, with red flowers, is from the same locale where 'Red Globe' was first collected. All three collections are from Central Asia.
Allium 'Lucy Ball' - another cross from the same parentage as 'Gladiator', namely between A. hollandicum (syn. A. aflatunense of Hort.) x macleanii (probably). The cultivar seems prone to rot in my garden, and I haven't bothered replacing it recently. The first photo shows the tight buds, and the second photo shows an inflorescence at full anthesis. Photos by Mark McDonough.
Allium schubertii A fantastic, whimsical giant onion, with flower pedicels of various length, creating a big spidery ball of blooms. Not reliably hardy in cold climates. - The first photo was taken by Lauw de Jager. The second from Kelly Irvin is an example where they are planted too close together. This picture might help with imagining the actual size of the inflorescence. The young model accompanying the onions goes by the name Gabriel.
Allium index – American alliums A-C – American alliums D-H – American alliums I-M – American alliums N-R – American alliums S-Z – Allium flavum Relatives – Allium hybrids – Big Ball alliums – Blue alliums – chives – Domed alliums – Drumstick alliums – Miscellaneous alliums A-E – Miscellaneous alliums F-M – Miscellaneous alliums N-R – Miscellaneous alliums S-Z – Rhizomatous alliums
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