How to Combine Alliums with Perennials
Garden designers love using alliums and it’s easy to see why. These unusual and highly attractive flower globes grab your eyes with their bold shapes and sparkly florets. They bloom for weeks in late spring and early summer, and the seed heads continue to add interest long after the flowers are gone. Alliums are reliably perennial and not troubled by deer or rodents. Pollinators love them, too!
Observing how garden designers combine alliums with perennials can be a great source of inspiration for your own garden. Read on to see examples of some creative and unexpected pairings. (Note: this article features alliums that are grown from fall-planted bulbs rather than the herbaceous types. You can learn about the differences in this article: Types of Alliums.)
Allium Purple Sensation and Dictamnus albus (gas plant)
Combining Alliums with Other Perennials
Alliums have a big presence, yet they also play well with others. In fact, alliums with long, slender stems look best when other plants are growing beneath them. You’ll also find that once alliums finish blooming, they quickly away. If there are no other plants nearby to fill in the gaps, you will be left with… gaps!
Allium Gladiator is planted among aquilegia, euphorbia and delphinium.
Here’s another good reason to have your alliums emerging from a bed of foliage. Alliums that grow from fall-planted bulbs, including Purple Sensation and most of the big-headed varieties, begin to lose their leaves while the flowers are still in bloom. While you can remove these yellowing leaves, it’s much easier to simply hide them with the foliage of other perennials.
Allium christophii coming up through a bed of hosta.
Below is a list of perennials that are good companions for alliums. Since alliums bloom early in the season, even perennials that eventually get very tall make suitable partners.
- Hosta
- Upright Sedum
- Ornamental grasses
- Lady’s Mantle
- Nepeta (catmint)
- Salvia
- Stachys (lamb’s ears)
- Astilbe
- Lavender
- Geranium (cranesbill)
- Aquilegia (columbine)
- Dianthus (carnation)
- Santolina
- Peony
- Hemerocallis (daylily)
- Foxgloves
Here are some other combinations of alliums and perennials to inspire you:
Allium atropurpureum rising from a bed of nepeta (catmint).
Allium karataviense in a rock garden. Creeping sedums such as golden ‘Angelina’ are the right scale to be good companions.
In this garden, Allium His Excellency grows among peonies, lilies, baptisia and several types of shrubs. The variety Ambassador will give you a similar effect. Its flowers are larger and the color is more blue than amethyst.
Landscape designer Nick McCullough underplants allium Mt. Everest with nepeta and salvia nemerosa.
Herbaceous peonies bloom at approximately the same time as big-headed alliums. Shown here is allium Globemaster.
Plan for Contrasting Heights
While some alliums can reach 4 or even 5 feet tall, others top out at just 6 inches. This is why it’s important to match the type of allium with the planting location.
Alliums on the shorter side, such as karataviense (6”), ‘Graceful’ (10”), christophii (18″) and schubertii (15”) can be planted near the front of a flower bed where they are easy to admire.
Locate Purple Sensation, Pinball Wizard, and other mid-height types (18-30″) in the middle, and the tallest ones such as Ambassador and Forelock at the back. Or turn that approach on its head and use tall alliums as “see through” plants as shown in the example below.
Get Creative and Experiment with Color and Form
The wonderful combination above was photographed at Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, England. Waves of ornamental grass (Nassella tenuissima) are paired with a 3-foot tall, big-headed allium, possibly Gladiator. Bold and surprising in the best sort of way, it accentuates the texture and form of these two very different plants. Can you imagine a place in your garden where something like this could work?
Here, the post-bloom seed heads of Purple Sensation complement the color and form of this eryngium (sea holly).
Let the Seed Heads Linger
Once your alliums finish blooming, don’t be too quick to remove the spent flowers. Let the show continue! Most types develop decorative seed heads that will persist for weeks or even months. How long they last depends on your climate. With good air circulation and relatively dry weather, they can last well into August. Alliums christophii and schubertii have particularly long-lasting and attractive seed heads.
If you don’t want to leave the seed heads in the garden, consider drying them to enjoy indoors. You can learn how to do this here: Another Reason to Love Ornamental Alliums.
Planning for Different Bloom Times
Our Bloom Time Planning Guide for Alliums shows the approximate bloom time sequence for 14 different types of alliums. You can use it to plan specific plant pairings and orchestrate a succession of blooms from May into early July.
You can see a good example of bloom time sequencing in one of the photos above, where the fading flowers of Purple Sensation are giving way to the frosty white flowers of allium nigrum.
A terrific color harmony: allium christophii emerging from the burgundy-tipped leaves of an Itoh peony.
Alliums are available for shipping and planting from September-November, click HERE to see our full selection. Learn more about growing alliums in these articles on our website: All About Alliums, Types of Alliums and Alliums for Every Garden. In a collaboration with garden designer Nick McCullough, we also offer designed two allium-focused planting plans that are available free HERE and HERE.
Hello,
Thanks for sharing these wonderful ideas & very pretty flower gardens. Plus letting me know where to buy some.
Tina W. (Tx)
💘love my Alliums. Just planted some last year, and again this fall. Can’t wait for Spring to see 👀 them bloom!!
Do moles and voles like to eat their bulbs?
Hi Shawn – allium bulbs have a strong onion-y odor and taste. This makes them distasteful to pesky rodents such as voles and mice. Many people think moles eat bulbs, but moles are actually carnivores and do not eat flower bulbs. They can make a mess with their tunnels, but they are hunting worms and insects, not bulbs.
I planted alliums last year. They came up and bloomed beautifully. This year they came up and foliage looks like green onions with no blooms. They were planted in different places. Planted another variety this year and they are beautifully in full bloom. Can you help me with what I may have done wrong? Thanks so much for any help you may have for me.
Hi Margaret – Alliums that are grown from bulbs are not reliably perennial. It depends on the species, climate and growing conditions. In my garden, Allium ‘Purple Sensation’, drumstick alliums and Allium bulgaricum come back reliably every year. Some of the big-headed alliums such as christophii and Gladiator also bloom for multiple years, but not always. Unfortunately, Allium nigrum and atropurpureum do not come back for me — but I’m in a very cold, wet climate. I know that in some parts of the country, all of these alliums are perennial and may even multiply.
would it work to plant white Ranunculas with Globemaster Alliums? I think the Ranunculas bloom earlier than the Alliums but if so, would the folliage look ok? We have lots of deer so looking for something deer won’t eat.
Any other suggestions for perennials to go with the Aliums?
Hi Denise -You don’t say where you are located, but unless you are on the California coast where ranunculus really thrive, I think the globemasters will out of scale with the ranunculus. Peonies are good companions as are Nepeta (catmint), salvia (like S. nemorosa) and perennial geraniums. Ornamental grasses can also be good because they are very slow to get started and won’t compete with the alliums. Hope this helps!
Great suggestions for plants to go with Allium. I am planting my first bulbs this month ( Summer Drummer and Gladiator). So good to know that not all varieties will naturalize. Also, the climate area says they don’t grow here but I see them around in other gardens so I figure we may be a microclimate. Central California coast on Monterey Bay.
So happy salvia is one of the plants that will work as Allium cover.
What about annuals?
Hi Bambi – So glad you enjoyed the article. Very true about microclimates — always worth a try (or two)! I think these alliums look best when the flowers are hovering over other plants. So I’d choose annuals that will be about half the height of the alliums — in the spring when the alliums are in bloom. Later in the season height doesn’t matter because the alliums will be dormant. I don’t have experience gardening on the West Coast, so am not sure which annuals are in bloom at that time. I think mounding plants would look good — maybe calendulas or even poppies for the color contrast?
I love the ideas here!
I have 6 Allium Gladiator bulbs from Longfield Gardens received as a gift. It is January in California. I have no plants which will properly offset the bulbs and it is late to plant them in the ground.
Should I grow them in a big pot this year and transplant them after bloom near to perennials which I can plant in the next few months?
Hi Pam – These bulbs should have been planted months ago. At this point, the plants inside the bulbs may have begun to deteriorate. If the bulbs still feel firm and heavy like a potato, they may still be OK. Another concern is that most alliums require a chilling period before they will bloom properly. I don’t know whether or not that’s necessary in your part of California. Your idea of planting them in pots makes sense. See how/what they do in the spring. If they produce buds, you can transplant them into the garden either before or after the flowers open. Good luck!
Hi! Of the larger purple alliums (Purple Sensation through Globemaster), which have the largest foliage and which have the least amount? I have multiple types and would like to add more of those with less foliage, if that makes sense.
Thank you!
Alicia
Hi Alicia – I understand your question. The bigger the heads, the broader/bigger the foliage. Purple Sensation may have slightly less foliage per flower head, but the bulbs multiply so you will wind up with more foliage overall. I’d say A. christophii, A. nigrum and A. atropurpureum have the least amount of foliage. In my opinion, christophii is one of the best — doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Hope this helps!
May I ask, how far apart do you plant the alliums – when you have other plants among them? I’d like a spectacular display with lots of them, but can’t visualise how to space them
It depends on the flower size of the allium you are planting. I’d recommend planting in groups of 3 for the really big-headed ones (Gladiator and Globemaster). Groups of 5 for the mid-size (Christophii, His Excellency, Ambassador, Forelock, Nigrum). You can plant in larger groups with Purple Sensation and drumstick alliums because the bulbs are inexpensive. Check the packaging or the specific product pages on our website for instructions about how closely to space the bulbs.
I have a large bed of euonymus and am wondering if allium would look good there. Little Rock Arkansas Zone 8a
Above a long patio stone wall there are Autumn ferns, guacamole & Patriot hostas, beside them are limelight hydrangeas. What alliums would work there?
Hi – Alliums grow well in most places, though zone 8 is at the edge of their range. So definitely worth a try, but you’ll have to see how they do. Since you are interplanting them with existing shrubs and perennials, I recommend selecting by the height you think will be best. Use our Planning Guide for Alliums to see heights, flower sizes and bloom time sequence.
Thank you for the suggestions on other plants in between the alium. I planted daylillies in between mine. I love the color yellow of the daylillies with the purple alium. I received a lot of compliments on the album . My alium is done blooming for the season and the seed heads have turned green. Do I leave the seed heads and if so for how long? What do I do with the leaves at the bottom that are yellow, do I leave them as well? Thank you
Hi – I pull out the leaves once they have yellowed. Not necessary other than for aesthetics. You can leave the seed heads where they are as a decorative element, or cut the stems to the ground, or pull on the stems to detach them from the bulbs. If a gentle tug pulls up the bulb as well, leave the stems on for another week or two. They should pull out easily and leave the bulbs behind. Some alliums will self-sow and create lots of weedy seedlings on the ground. Depends on the type and your growing conditions. So keep an eye on them. In my garden, I find the big-headed alliums, including gladiator, globemaster, christophii and schubertii do not self-sow.
Hello! I just read all the questions and you’re so good about providing simple direct explanations I thought I would pick your brain a bit… planted Gladiator, Globemaster, Drumstick and Christofii allium (beautiful, I agree!!) with daffodils, tulips and hyacinth for the first time in zone 6A with clay soil and honestly not much light in the front of my house. I did add looser soil to the bottom of each hole but was not aware that I should put Bulb Tone in each hole…?
I’m worried that they won’t make it with my clay soil & approximately 2-3 hours of late afternoon sun. I don’t want to put any more money or effort into them until I see what happens in the spring so before I plant my remaining bulbs this week, was wondering which types of allium you believe would do best in Zone 6A with clay soil and my late afternoon limited sun? Also it rained for 3 days after I planted… is it possible the bulbs could have already rotted? We had sun for a few days since. I’ll be so disappointed if nothing comes up. Planted using the lasagna method. All of this for the first time. And lastly, which allium is most likely to return year after year & spread (I thought all of them would). I know I am lacking in preparation but I had one fairly nice day in Ohio and needed to get them in the ground. If you’re at all familiar with our weather, you know that it changes frequently and is very unpredictable. So looks like this next week will be our Indian summer and likely the last chance to plant what I have left so any and all information is greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!!
Alliums (and most spring-blooming bulbs) are very forgiving. They should perform well for you next spring. Don’t worry about the weather. Not all alliums are reliably perennial, so you will just have to see how they do. Most spring-blooming bulbs need at least half day sunlight in order to produce enough energy to bloom in future years. If you only have a low-light location, you may need to plant fresh bulbs each fall.