Species of flowering plant
Allium caeruleum (blue globe onion, blue ornamental onion, blue-of-the-heavens, blue-flowered garlic; syn. Allium azureum Ledeb.) is an ornamental bulbous plant of the onion genus, native to Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang).[3][4][5] In these regions, it is found on dry slopes, plains, and steppes.[6]
This plant is cited in the Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe puis L'illustration horticole by Charles Antoine Lemaire. It grows to 80 cm (31"), producing strap-shaped leaves and small globes (umbels) of blue flowers in early summer. The one-inch wide globular flower heads attract butterflies.[7] The plant has been granted the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (1993).[8]
A. caeruleum thrives in well-drained soil in full to partial sun.[9] It is deer-resistant and suitable for USDA hardiness zones 4–8.[6]
Gallery
References