Allium ampeloprasum

RHS Plant Profile

Levant garlic

RHS

Other common names

blue leek, great-headed garlic, kurrat, pearl onion, vine leek, wild leek, cenhinen wllt

Synonyms

Allium porrum subsp. euampeloprasum
Allium halleri

Bulbs

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Blooms in summer with flower buds held in papery capsules opening to spherical umbels of small, tightly-packed, pale purple flowers on stems to a height of around 1m. Wide blade-like grey-green leaves

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, 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

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: North–facing or West–facing or South–facing or East–facing
Exposure: 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): H6

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Foliage

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: Yes
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: S. Europe, Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, N. Africa

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow wild leek in fertile well-drained soil in full sun. Add grit when grown in clay soils to improve drainage. See allium cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sowing in containers in a cold frame when just ripe or in the spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to onion white rot and downy mildews