Bloom Time Chart for Allium Bulbs
If you’re one of the many gardeners who have fallen in love with alliums, our new bloom time chart could get you into some trouble. We have organized the 12 most popular allium bulbs by height, flower size and bloom time. This makes it easy to see at a glance which types you have and which ones you still need to get!
It’s impossible to predict exactly when a plant will bloom. But that said, this chart is a good reference for the bloom time sequence you can expect. If you choose alliums that bloom at different time during the season — early, mid and late — you’ll have alliums flowering from late spring through midsummer.
When to Plant Allium Bulbs
Fall is the best time to add alliums to your garden. Most types grow from bulbs that are planted in the fall, at the same time as tulips and daffodils. (Herbaceous alliums such as ‘Millennium’ are available as plants during spring and summer).
We ship allium bulbs from September through November, but you can order as early as May. Your bulbs will be set aside in our climate-controlled warehouse until proper planting time. We will not charge your credit card until we ship the bulbs. It’s the best way to guarantee you won’t forget to order and run the risk of missing out on popular types.
Need some inspiration for how to use alliums in your garden? We collaborated with garden designer Nick McCullough on two perennial garden designs featuring alliums: Bountiful Blooms and Daring Forms. Both include plant lists for all the bulbs and perennials, and we also offer bulb collections to support each design.
The National Garden Bureau chose alliums as the Bulb of the Year for 2016. Learn more about these easy-to-grow, deer-resistant perennials, here: Alliums for Every Garden, Allium Garden Design: Bountiful Blooms, Types of Alliums, Planting Fall Bulbs in a Meadow (video).
I forgot to plant my allium bulbs last fall its march here in illinois Can i still plant them now /?
Hi Barbara,
If the bulbs are still in good condition and haven’t dried out, you can try planting them as soon as the ground thaws. I’m sorry to say, but it’s unlikely they will bloom. The natural growth cycle is for the bulbs to start growing in the fall and then be dormant over the winter before coming back to life in the spring. We start accepting bulb orders for next fall at the end of March!
Some tulips and now my alliums just produce a seed head and no bloom. What am I doing wrong??
Hi Jane,
First come flowers, then come seeds. To produce seeds the plant must have produced a flower. Maybe you saw buds that didn’t open? Sometimes bulbs will do this when it is too hot/cold/dry. Or there could be a problem with the planting location.
Do the bulbs bloom subsequent years like other perennials and daffodils or are they like tulips , which are one hit wonders?
Hi Pat — Alliums are definitely perennials, but not quite on par with daffodils. It depends a bit on the type of allium bulb and also on your location and soil. The alliums I have found to be most perennial are Purple Sensation, Allium Nigrum and Allium sphaerocephalon (drumstick allium). That said, the big-headed alliums such as Globemaster and Gladiator have returned in my garden for at least 5 years now. For me, Allium atropurpureum and christophii don’t always come back, but I know others find them to be reliably perennial. All types are fun to grow!
Hi! I planted allium bulbs in late fall (I am in zone 9). It is now January, and we have had a much warmer than usual fall & winter—at least until this week. To date, none of them have sprouted. Did I wait too long to plant them? Is there a possibility that some of them may still come up?
Hi there. We recommend alliums (the fall-planted ones that grow from bulbs) for zones 3-8. Where you are in zone 9, they may require pre-chilling in order to bloom properly. But regardless, the bulbs should eventually sprout as long as they have not rotted or dried out.
The best way to know what’s happening is to carefully dig up a bulb or two. If the bulbs are firm like a potato, they’re probably fine and will eventually sprout. If they are dry or mushy, please contact customer service — information is at the bottom of our home page.