Hello and happy New Year uk.rec.gardening.

We've planted some Allium bulbs in our community garden and they are
coming through now. They are from the Suttons Allium collection and
include the following varieties:

Allium roseum (rosy-flowered garlic),
Allium caeruleum (blue-flowered garlic),
Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed leek),
Allium hollandicum (Purple Sensation),
Allium stipitatum (Mount Everest),
Allium moly (yellow garlic).

We've been discussing what will happen after the first flowering. I'm
unclear if we should accept they'll just flower once, do we leave them and
see what happens, do we lift them after flowering and separate the
offsets, look for aerial bulbils, or collect seed (accepting that they may
not come true)?

We're in a mild coastal part of North Wales with a light sandy soil, which
is wet at the moment, but drains readily.

Thanks in advance.
--
David Entwistle

On 02/01/2024 12:35, David Entwistle wrote:
> Hello and happy New Year uk.rec.gardening.
>
> We've planted some Allium bulbs in our community garden and they are
> coming through now. They are from the Suttons Allium collection and
> include the following varieties:
>
> Allium roseum (rosy-flowered garlic),
> Allium caeruleum (blue-flowered garlic),
> Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed leek),
> Allium hollandicum (Purple Sensation),
> Allium stipitatum (Mount Everest),
> Allium moly (yellow garlic).

I've had Allium roseum for many years. I believe that the bulbs are
perennial, though as it propagates from bulbils I could have overlooked
any turnover in plants.

>
> We've been discussing what will happen after the first flowering. I'm
> unclear if we should accept they'll just flower once, do we leave them and
> see what happens, do we lift them after flowering and separate the
> offsets, look for aerial bulbils, or collect seed (accepting that they may
> not come true)?
>
> We're in a mild coastal part of North Wales with a light sandy soil, which
> is wet at the moment, but drains readily.
>
> Thanks in advance.

--
SRH

On 02/01/2024 12:35, David Entwistle wrote:
> Hello and happy New Year uk.rec.gardening.
>
> We've planted some Allium bulbs in our community garden and they are
> coming through now. They are from the Suttons Allium collection and
> include the following varieties:
>
> Allium roseum (rosy-flowered garlic),
> Allium caeruleum (blue-flowered garlic),
> Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed leek),
> Allium hollandicum (Purple Sensation),
> Allium stipitatum (Mount Everest),
> Allium moly (yellow garlic).
>
> We've been discussing what will happen after the first flowering. I'm
> unclear if we should accept they'll just flower once, do we leave them and
> see what happens, do we lift them after flowering and separate the
> offsets, look for aerial bulbils, or collect seed (accepting that they may
> not come true)?
>
> We're in a mild coastal part of North Wales with a light sandy soil, which
> is wet at the moment, but drains readily.
>
> Thanks in advance.

The first two are invasive! no worries about losing them, the third
survived for twenty years in the orchard grass and only went when we
repurposed the area.
I dont have first hand experience of the other three.
--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On 04/01/2024 08:24, Charlie Pridham wrote:
> On 02/01/2024 12:35, David Entwistle wrote:
>> Hello and happy New Year uk.rec.gardening.
>>
>> We've planted some Allium bulbs in our community garden and they are
>> coming through now. They are from the Suttons Allium collection and
>> include the following varieties:
>>
>> Allium roseum (rosy-flowered garlic),
>> Allium caeruleum (blue-flowered garlic),
>> Allium sphaerocephalon (round-headed leek),
>> Allium hollandicum (Purple Sensation),
>> Allium stipitatum (Mount Everest),
>> Allium moly (yellow garlic).
>>
>> We've been discussing what will happen after the first flowering. I'm
>> unclear if we should accept they'll just flower once, do we leave them and
>> see what happens, do we lift them after flowering and separate the
>> offsets, look for aerial bulbils, or collect seed (accepting that they may
>> not come true)?
>>
>> We're in a mild coastal part of North Wales with a light sandy soil, which
>> is wet at the moment, but drains readily.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>
> The first two are invasive! no worries about losing them, the third
> survived for twenty years in the orchard grass and only went when we
> repurposed the area.
> I dont have first hand experience of the other three.

I now avoid small or medium sized alliums. Years ago I got seeds of
Allium vineale, and it grew well and flowered. I'm *still* trying to
eradicate it (I've since renamed it allium verminale...). Like many
bulbs, such as Spanish bluebell, they are almost impossible to kill even
with repeated applications of glyphosate.

--

Jeff

In article <un5ql1$3jdbc$2@dont-email.me>,
Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>On 04/01/2024 08:24, Charlie Pridham wrote:
>>
>> The first two are invasive! no worries about losing them, the third
>> survived for twenty years in the orchard grass and only went when we
>> repurposed the area.
>> I dont have first hand experience of the other three.
>
>I now avoid small or medium sized alliums. Years ago I got seeds of
>Allium vineale, and it grew well and flowered. I'm *still* trying to
>eradicate it (I've since renamed it allium verminale...). Like many
>bulbs, such as Spanish bluebell, they are almost impossible to kill even
>with repeated applications of glyphosate.

A. cristophii is similar, but at least it is easy enough to identify
and stop flowering or dig up. A. ursinum (ramsoms) is mildly invasive,
but not a problem, and A. schoenoprasum (chives) has self-seeded a bit.
But that's in my garden, and others will differ.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Thu, 4 Jan 2024 11:03:21 -0000 (UTC), nmm@wheeler.UUCP (Nick
Maclaren) wrote:

>In article <un5ql1$3jdbc$2@dont-email.me>,
>Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>On 04/01/2024 08:24, Charlie Pridham wrote:
>>>
>>> The first two are invasive! no worries about losing them, the third
>>> survived for twenty years in the orchard grass and only went when we
>>> repurposed the area.
>>> I dont have first hand experience of the other three.
>>
>>I now avoid small or medium sized alliums. Years ago I got seeds of
>>Allium vineale, and it grew well and flowered. I'm *still* trying to
>>eradicate it (I've since renamed it allium verminale...). Like many
>>bulbs, such as Spanish bluebell, they are almost impossible to kill even
>>with repeated applications of glyphosate.
>
>A. cristophii is similar, but at least it is easy enough to identify
>and stop flowering or dig up. A. ursinum (ramsoms) is mildly invasive,
>but not a problem, and A. schoenoprasum (chives) has self-seeded a bit.
>But that's in my garden, and others will differ.
>
>
>Regards,
>Nick Maclaren.

In the SW, 'wild garlic' (Allium triquetrum) grows everywhere in
hedgerows, roadside verges etc. It is different to the 'garlic' grown
further up country, i.e. Ramsons (A. ursinum). It can be right pest to
eradicate (DAMHIKT).

This, about A. triquetrum, from http://tinyurl.com/27dp336f, 'It is a
native of Southern Europe and has naturalised in the UK. It is a
non-native invasive and listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act. It is therefore an offence to introduce this plant to
the wild in the UK.'

As to the OP's enquiry, I would have thought that simply 'plant them
and forget about them' would be a reasonable course of action! They
will survive, or not, as the case may be. If the latter, plant
something else.

--
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.

On Tue, 2 Jan 2024 12:35:47 -0000 (UTC), David Entwistle wrote:

Thanks for the comments and advice. We did plant the moly in a container,
as we thought it may be invasive. I think we'll be going with the flow and
see what happens. Enjoy them when they flower and don't get stressed about
what happens after that.

--
David Entwistle