allium 2015

[WimB]

Wim, I can't find much at all, on an Allium named 'Valerie Finnis', of course we all know the famous Muscari cultivar by that name, and apparently there's an Artemisia cultivar by that name too. What can you tell us about that Allium. Looks like one of a number of pale red & white forms of Allium paniculatum.

Actually McMark, I have no idea, I received it as a gift from a friendly nursery-woman 5 years ago, she lost hers in the same year and 2 years ago I gave her back a big clump, now she's selling it at her nursery. I'll ask her, the only thing I remember is that she bought it on one of her travels in England.

[Maggi Young]

In a 2002 bulletin of the AGS, issue 290/No70, page 416, Allium 'Valerie Finnis' is described just with that name (no species mentioned)  as  being "about 10cm  or a little more" and  having "pendant flowers with a very difficult-to-describe colour combination. The petals are partly a muted pale reddish-brown and partly cream. This sounds dull, but is, in fact quietly attractive."

[olegKon]

I am wondering if your unknown allium could be a seedling from the A. amplectens you already have. It is hard to see the detail as the first photo shows an allium in decline.

thank you a lot. It could be a probability but for the petals which are not that acuminate. Anyway I am going to cultivate this unknown thing now full of fleshy seed pods

[Matt T]

Actually McMark, I have no idea, I received it as a gift from a friendly nursery-woman 5 years ago, she lost hers in the same year and 2 years ago I gave her back a big clump, now she's selling it at her nursery. I'll ask her, the only thing I remember is that she bought it on one of her travels in England.

To my eye, A. 'Valerie Finnis' is superficially similar to this plant shown at the AGS Pershore show: https://lawrencepeetalpines.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/image67.jpg

[Maggi Young]

Indeed it is, Matt - well spotted!
 That plant has a label saying Allium serra - though none of the pix I've seen of that have the pendant flowers of that plant or of the 'Valerie Finnis' - the plot thickens!

 Roland has shown a similar plant, which he obtained as A. Serra, pix here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6685.msg209552#msg209552   but which Mark McDonough identified as a low-growing form of Allium paniculatum. In subsequent posts to the one shown above, McMark gives various links to show the photos of true A. serra

Seems there may be more than one supplier calling this plant, in  error, A. serra!

[TheOnionMan]

Thanks Maggi for providing the reference trail.  I had grown Allium serra for a couple years, not a strong grower here, but with a tight cluster of upright flowers, not at all like the red and cream paniculatum being shown.

Forms of Allium paniculatum are among the top Allium imposters; I have tried many Allium "species", some from well known botanic gardens, that turned out to be other species, such as paniculatum. And if not paniculatum, high probability resulting plants are cyathophorum var. farreri, senescens, angulosum, or cernuum.

In the link that Matt posted from the AGS Perth show, I'm reminded of a pet peeve; notice that the show plant has been ever so meticulously denuded, leaving only the flower stems; ack !  That plant looks just like one that I received from a friend John Jerry Flintoff many years ago, which for wanting of a name to distinguish it from other paniculatum forms, I dubbed it Allium paniculatum 'Jerry'.

[Maggi Young]

In the link that Matt posted from the AGS Perth show, I'm reminded of a pet peeve; notice that the show plant has been ever so meticulously denuded, leaving only the flower stems; ack !  That plant looks just like one that I received from a friend John Jerry Flintoff many years ago, which for wanting of a name to distinguish it from other paniculatum forms, I dubbed it Allium paniculatum 'Jerry'.

It is one of the nonsenses of show judging , Mark, that if the onion had been shown with the tatty leaves so many alliums have at  flowering time, it would have stood no chance of a prize. There are other plants/bulbs which similarly have fading foliage at flowering time and they are usually denuded for  showing. I've first hand experience of other judges saying they think that this  stripping of the leaves is what should be done.  A small but irritating factor about the lack of reality in much showing, I'm afraid.

[TheOnionMan]

Very little Allium business going on in this topic, even when at peak Allium season (at least so, in my garden). Here's an allium garden scene from a few days ago, mid July 2015, with various forms and colors of Allium cernuum and flavum var. tauricum.

[TheOnionMan]

Last year I found this unique white-flowered Allium cernuum plant, one of innumerable self-sown plants. I moved it to a new garden location last summer, pleased to see it displays well with thick, glossy green arched pedicels, and just a kiss of pink on the flowers. It grows rather tall, about 70 cm.

[Maggi Young]

Allium cernuum  - longflower white -   is an elegant one, McMark. 

[tonyg]

I just had to try the photo resize feature 

So here is Allium flavum - doing no harm planted out.

[tonyg]

I just had to try the photo resize feature 

So here is Allium flavum - doing no harm planted out.

And it works brilliantly - well done team SRGC Forum!

[TheOnionMan]

Here's a few rather good color forms of Allium flavum var. tauricum (orange, pink, and red), love regular flavum and all of the tauricum colors.

[tonyg]

Super colour forms Mark.

[Mark Griffiths]

hi, can someone confirm that these ex AGS seed exchange plants are as I've ID'd them please?

I think I have caesium and then two different examples of sikkimense

thanks!