Allium cepa (Aggregatum Group) 'Meloine'PBR

RHS Plant Profile
shallot 'Meloine'
shallot 'Meloine' Michael John Day
Award of Garden Merit
Herbs - Culinary Bulbs

A heavy cropping, annual vegetable with a subtle, sweet flavour compared to onions. It forms a rounded bulb shape with reddish-brown skin and crisp white flesh, on maturity it forms a clump of up to eight bulbs. Shows some resistance to downy mildew

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Sand, Loam, Clay

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Sand Loam Clay
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
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 fertile, moist but well drained soil in full sun in a sheltered site. Remove any flower stems as they start to form. Suitable for growing in deep containers. See Vegetable Cultivation

Propagation

No prunnig required

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Patio and container plants

Pruning

Propagate by seed or by planting out sets in Spring

Pests

Birds can be a problem when young, cover with fleece until bulbs have rooted in

Diseases

May be susceptible to onion white rot and leek rust. Shows some resistance to onion downy mildew