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BulbsHerbs - Culinary

Allium fistulosum 'Matrix'^PBR

spring onion 'Matrix'

A bulbous perennial usually grown as an annual for its edible shoots, with dark green leaves and green to creamy-white flowers appearing in mid-summer. A winter-hardy and full-flavoured variety of spring onion, with good disease resistance. Sow February to September to harvest from June to November

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1 year

Ultimate spread

0–0.1 metre

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or 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)

Botanical details

Family: Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: 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

Easy to grow in fertile, well-drained soil. See how to grow: salad onions for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

To harvest as a vegetable, lift the whole plant before flowering stems form. For ornamentals, remove faded flower heads to prevent self-seeding

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to onion white rot and downy mildews

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