Allium 'Guardsman'

RHS Plant Profile

onion (salad) 'Guardsman'

Bulbs Herbs - Culinary

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Vigorous, clump-forming bulbous perennial that is both edible and decorative, producing high-yields of spring-onion-like shoots from late spring to autumn, and conical to rounded heads of small, white flowers in mid-summer

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1–2 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Foliage

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous, Semi evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with a strong onion or garlic scent, linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in rich well-drained soil, planting six inches apart in rows or in between crops to fill in gaps.

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

Deadhead to avoid the plant going to seed if grown as an edible crop.

Pests

May be susceptible to leek moth, onion fly, eelworm.

Diseases

May be susceptible to bolting, bull neck, downy mildew, neckrot, rust, white rot.