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Allium schubertii
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

Schubert's allium

Bulbous perennial about 60cm tall, producing bright-green, strap-shaped basal leaves in spring, which die back before the flowers appear. Umbels of 50 or more star-shaped, pinky-purple flowers on stems of differing lengths produce a starburst effect up to 30cm across in early summer

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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Purple Green
Autumn
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

West–facing or South–facing or East–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H4
Botanical details
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to the UK
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

Correct

Plant range
Turkey to Jordan,Libya

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in full sun and fertile well-drained soil. It is best to grow in containers where garden soil is heavy clay and prone to saturation over winter. See allium cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring. Alternatively, remove offsets in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

No pruning required. The seedheads are attractive

Pests

May be susceptible to allium leaf miner and onion fly

Diseases

May be susceptible to onion white rot, and onion downy mildew

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