Allium blooms

Name: Allium spp. and cvs.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 11
Size: 4 to 60 inches tall
Conditions: Full sun; fertile, well-drained soil

Among dozens of showy cousins, densely flowering chive ( A. schoenoprasum , Zones 5–11, right) and our jaunty native nodding onion ( A. cernuum , Zones 4–8) are superb subjects to grow from seed. Their fibrous roots do not like to dry out; therefore, you will not find them in bulb bins anywhere. This giant genus has enormous variability, and because the finest varie­ties are not widely available in nurseries, I always have lots of allium seed pots in my frames. Almost all alliums benefit from being sown late fall to midwinter. If you sow them in the spring, they may not emerge for a whole year.