When & Where To Plant Allium Bulbs? [By Zone]

With its long unripened stems top by round over-embellished or clean bloom , allium , or flowering onion plant , is a outstanding add-on to any garden . Interestingly enough , it ’s also part of the plant genus that includes garlic , onion , leek , shallot , Allium schoenoprasum , and others .

If you ’re interested in growing this beautiful industrial plant , you may wonder , " When and where should I plant allium lightbulb ? " Well , you ’re in the right place !

When and where to embed allium bulbs depends on the zone in which you live . You should plant them in autumn when the grunge has cooled off after the summer .

Here ’s when to plant for each zona :

In the remainder of this clause , we ’ll share more detailed information about when and where to plant Allium . That includes soil pH stage , sunlight motive , and more . You probably have more allium question , too , and we ’ll do our best to reply those as well .

So , let ’s get started !

When & Where To Plant Allium Bulbs? [By Zone]

Because they take time to develop their roots over the wintertime before blooming in late spring , you should embed allium incandescent lamp in autumn . And , since they require cool temperature to help them develop correctly , you should plant them after the land has cooled .

Of of course , this timing alter depending on where you are located . In oecumenical , though , you’re able to follow this schedule :

What Kind of Soil Do Allium Bulbs Like?

The most crucial thing to weigh when choosing soil for your genus Allium is give indisputable that it ’s well - drain . Since alliums are bulbs , they are at in high spirits risk of rotting in damp priming coat .

Try working Baroness Dudevant or grit into the planting area if your grunge is dense and filled with Lucius Clay . You ’ll also want to opt an uphill blot that does n’t collect rainwater .

Aside from drainage considerations , alliums are very broad of almost any type of soil . However , when yield an option , they prefer soil with a electroneutral to slimly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 .


If you ’re timid of your soil ’s pH degree , you may easy crack with an at - nursing home test outfit . Luster Leaf take a shit a kit that includes 10 mental test strips .

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How Much Sun Do Alliums Like?

Alliums will maturate happily in partial shade to full Sunday . However , plant them in a fleck with full sunlight maximizes their moderately short uprise time of year .

incur more sunshine also helps them grow strong stems . If you want to avert finish up with drooping flowers , choose a cheery spot for your alliums .

How To Plant Allium Bulbs

Planting genus Allium bulbs is reasonably gentle , but we ’ll take the air you through the outgrowth since there are a few particular you ’ll need to be cognisant of for the good resultant .

What You’ll Need

Pick A Spot

First , choose a spot to plant your alliums using the light and ground necessary mentioned above . Additionally , Allium come in various heights , ranging from 5 " to 4 ' tall , with most time in around 2 ' .

Because of this , you ’ll need to consider the plant life growing near your Allium and see that the magniloquent plant life are originate behind , the shortsighted ones .

Prepare The Hole

Next , employ your excavator to dig a fix . The sizing of the hole depends on the sizing of the allium bulb . A adept normal is to institute the medulla oblongata about 2 to 3 times abstruse than its elevation .

For example , if your medulla oblongata is 3 " long , you ’ll need to dig a 6 " to 9 " deep hole . you may expend a tape measuring or yard measure to measure the bulb and the depth of the jam , or you may plainly eye it .

After count on out the hole ’s profoundness , dig it wide enough for the bulb to fit snugly . The breadth of the golf hole does n’t weigh as much as the profundity .


If you ’re constitute more than one genus Allium bulb , space the holes 4 " to 8 " apart . Again , this depends on the size of it of your chosen allium kind . you’re able to figure out the spacing by discover out how full-grown the flower foreland will be , then bring 1 " or 2 " .

Since alliums maturate straight up alternatively of propagate , they typically look better when engraft as close-fitting together as potential .

Plant The Bulbs

implant the allium bulb by placing it in the hole with the pointy end front up . Then , refill the cakehole with dirt and pack it gently around the bulb .

After you ’ve planted all the bulbs , give them a generous soaking with pee from the watering can or hose . This help the soil settle around them and gives your bulbs a great start as they begin growing !

How To Care For Alliums

genus Allium are an easy - to - care - for plant , but you may do a few thing to ensure they stay healthy and have a generative grow time of year .

Here are some supplying you might require to care for your Allium throughout their growing season :

Water Sufficiently

As they grow , you should aim to give your alliums about 1 " of water weekly . This means that you ’ll need to water whenever the top inch of soil dry out .

However , be mindful of over - tearing . Since Allium are bulbs , it ’s easy for them to start moulder if they get too damp .

Use Stakes If Necessary

If you have one of the very tall allium change that touch superlative of 3 ' or 4 ' , you may take to stake them . Keep an eye on the Allium as they grow , and if they initiate drooping or flow over , you could give them some support with a stake .

To stake an allium , find a stake that is just slightly shortsighted than your flora . you’re able to purchase wooden or metal wager or simply use a thin but strong joystick from a tree diagram in your yard .

bear on the stake about 4 " into the soil next to the allium , or however deep it needs to go to be secure .

Now , take a art object of string between 12 " and 24 " long and wrap it gently around the allium and post .

It should be snug enough to defy the plant ’s stem close to the stake but not so tight that it cuts into the stem . Tie the end of the string together to bind everything in place .

Add Fertilizer

There are two time during your genus Allium ’s develop season that you should use fertilizer . One is immediately after the shoot appear , and the other is when the plants start to flower . employ 5 - 10 - 10 fertilizer on the shoots and 0 - 0 - 10 or 0 - 0 - 50 fertiliser as they flower .

In accession to these two times during the growing season , add 5 - 10 - 10 or all - purpose blossom fertiliser in the spring of every year . If you ’d rather not expend fertilizer , you could get similar termination from adding aged manure or compost to the ground .

To learn more about fertilizer , you may check out our clause " How Long Does Fertilizer Last In Soil ? "

Watch Out For Diseases

Allium are pretty resistive to disease , but like other bulb , they ’re at jeopardy formildewandrust . scrutinise your allium ’s leave every week to end problem before they get serious .

Mildew usually shows up as powdery lily-white on the tops of the leave of absence or sometimes on the stems . rust fungus , on the other hand , is cerise - brown smirch that eventually wrench into pustule .

Remove Faded Blooms and Foliage

Keep an eye on your allium as other summertime approaches , and the blooms start to slicing . When this happen , cut the flower heads off and use them in fresh bloom arrangements .

They also dry out highly well , which can put up you with colourful flower all year around !

After cutting off the blossom , allow the folio to grow for a few more weeks . This give the genus Allium time to continuephotosynthesizingand hold open muscularity in the medulla oblongata for the farseeing wintertime months .

Around the middle of summertime , you ’ll discover your genus Allium ’s leaf and stems start to turn yellow and shrivel . you could remove all of the foliage by gently pulling it out of the ground .

It should well detach from the light bulb with a gentle towboat . If there ’s any resistivity , leave alone it alone and taste again in a few more 24-hour interval .

After the foliage has all been remove , your allium is in a dormant state and will remain that mode until next fountain .

In Closing

Allium bulb should be planted in the fall . you could grow them in zone 3 - 5 from tardy September to October . In zones 6 - 8 , on the other hand , you should wait until October to mid - November .

Plant the bulbs in well - drained , achromatic to slightly acid soil , and prefer a spot that gets partial tad to full sunlight for the best upshot .

If you ’re concerned in mature other types of bulbs , you might also like our article " How To Grow Tulip Bulbs . "