Allium giganteum: What is its flower, when to plant it and how to care for it

Allium giganteum is also known as ornamental garlic

Many people probably know that there are different types of garlic, but did you know that some are ornamental? In fact, it is not the garlic itself that is used to decorate the home, but the flower that sprouts from the plant. Among the most popular ornamental garlic, the giant garlic, which we will talk about in this article.

It may be that you are reading this because you are interested in the giant garlic. If so, you are in the right place. We will talk about what this plant is like, when to plant it and its care and uses. I hope you find it interesting and useful.

What is the Allium flower?

The flowers of the Allium giganteum are usually violet

First of all we are going to explain what the Garlic. This beautiful ornamental flower is part of the alliaceae-liliaceae family and its genus includes more than 700 different species composed of perennials, biannuals and bulbous ones. These are distributed by the temperate regions belonging to the northern hemisphere. They are also known as garlic or ornamental onions. Although there are many varieties of Garliconly a few are commonly used as decoration.

Specifically, the giant garlic It is native to the area that ranges from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Russia. It is an angiosperm, as it has flowers and fruits with seeds. As its root is a bulb, it is also considered a bulbous herbaceous plant, as well as robust. Its name “giganteum” is due to the fact that it is one of the Alliums with flowers higher than there are, being able to measure up to 1,5 meters.

Description

This bulbous plant, GarlicIt is perfect to beautify the home, because its flowers are really precious. These appear during the spring and, when it starts to get cold, they disappear until it is time for their next flowering. The flower of giant garlic it is basically a bulb of considerable size. At the beginning of summer, some leaves appear in the center of it, which are made up of many tiny, starry violet flowers. There can be up to fifty flowers that form the spherical and compact umbels of twelve centimeters wide, thus creating the inflorescence of this plant.

Regarding the leaves, they are very fleshy, wide, long and semi-erect. They can be up to 45 centimeters long and their color is grayish green. It is in them where the giant garlic stores water. This plant produces a long, robust and bare stem whose height ranges between 1,20 meters and 1,80 meters.

When to plant Allium giganteum?

The best time to plant Allium giganteum is in autumn

If what we want is to plant giant garlicor ornamental garlic, it is of utmost importance to know when is the best time to perform this task. As well, the growing season for this plant is in autumn, specifically the months of October to November in the northern hemisphere. When planting the bulbs, it is essential that they are at a depth of fifteen to twenty centimeters and that the distance between them is between eight and thirty centimeters.

In order to multiply this curious vegetable, the best way is to do it by dividing the bulbs if it is at the end of summer or by means of the seeds if it is after or even in spring. When collecting the seeds we must remove the entire peduncle belonging to the flower and sow them fresh. If we cannot sow them soon after, it is best to keep the seeds at a temperature of five degrees until spring.

The bulbs can be planted in pots or directly in the ground

Related article:

How to plant bulbs

Generally, germination takes place after twelve weeks, but they can take up to a year in some cases. Many of them are capable of self-sowing very easily, as long as they are in places with full sun and well-drained soils.

Care and uses of Allium giganteum

Ornamental garlic bulbs are used in alternative medicine

Once we have planted the giant garlicwe cannot forget to take care of it later. Ideally, it should always be in full sun and in an open place. As for the climate, it is a plant quite resistant to frost, being able to tolerate a temperature of up to five degrees below zero. In order for this vegetable to grow and develop properly, the most advisable thing is that the soil is well drained and that it is rich in organic matter.

But what are the uses that can be given to giant garlic? As we have already mentioned above, This plant is mainly used as decoration due to its pretty and showy flowers. Therefore, it is grown in gardens and also in containers. However, in some places the bulb of this vegetable is used in alternative medicine.

With this we have already learned the most important and remarkable aspects of giant garlicor ornamental garlic. Without a doubt, it is an ideal plant to beautify our surroundings a bit and it will not go unnoticed. Do you dare to plant it yourself? It is sure to be spectacular in your home!

Allium giganteum: What is its flower, when to plant it and how to care for it

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