YouGarden’s plant of the month for October is Allium ‘Violet Beauty’.
‘Violet Beauty’ is an eye-catching and award-winning variety of Allium which will flower year after year with terrific globes of tiny violet flowers.
Producing fascinating round heads of dazzling violet stars, they will mix effortlessly with other shades of blue and purple in your spring garden. Adding height and drama to your displays, the large, rich purple blooms stand tall on slender green stems and can reach around 10cm in diameter, and unlike many alliums, have a subtle, sweet fragrance.
Perfect for patio pots or planted in drifts in your mixed borders, they’ll provide real spring delight! The blooms are long-lasting and the seed heads that follow are equally lovely. Simply superb in floral arrangements and with so many bulbs included here, you will have a good supply for cut blooms and garden decoration!
Fully deserving of its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a proven garden performer. Guaranteed to be suitable for UK gardeners at every level of experience. You can therefore plant this in the garden with confidence, for stunning displays for many years to come. It’s also recommended by the RHS as a ‘Plant for Pollinators’, with flowers are loved by bees and butterflies.
Allium ‘Violet Beauty’ is supplied as a pack of 50 bulbs size 7+, ready to plant out in the autumn.
Top Tips for Alliums
Mix in with herbaceous perennials which will mask the foliage which dies down before the flowers appear.
Planting & Care Guide
Planting Advice for Alliums:
- Find a location where the soil drains well and where they will receive full sun.
- Plant allium bulbs in early to mid-autumn in a sheltered site to prevent the top-heavy flower spikes from getting blown over.
- Dig over the soil and remove any weeds before planting.
- Water well after planting, saturating the soil around the bulbs. Once established, alliums are drought tolerant.
- In borders, plant bulbs in early autumn at a depth of about four times the diameter of the bulbs.
- In containers, alliums will do well in deep pots with a good general-purpose potting compost with a handful of horticultural grit added.
Aftercare Advice for Alliums:
- After planting, feed with a general-purpose feed such as our Blooming Fast Superior Soluble Fertiliser.
- Divide alliums every three to four years or when the plants begin to look overcrowded and blooming decreases.
- Lift the bulbs with a garden fork or spade and pull the bulbs apart.
- Replant some in the original location and plant the remainder in a new location.
Pruning and trimming advice for Alliums:
- Avoid removing them while still green, as they provide the bulbs with energy for the following season
