Allium 2010

[fermi de Sousa]

Allium chamaemoly is now in seed:

If you want to try again, Mark, let me know!
cheers
fermi

[TheOnionMan]

Allium chamaemoly is now in seed:
(Attachment Link)
If you want to try again, Mark, let me know!
cheers
fermi

Thanks Fermi, but I'll have to take a "raincheck" (follow up with you at a later date), because I've tried this species and it is definitely not hardy here, and I would need a greenhouse for it to be a winter flowering subject.  So, if I ever get my "pit greenhouse" built, and you are still growing this unique and tiny winter-flowering Allium, I'll be contacting you!

[TheOnionMan]

The mystery to me, seems to be the reverse of how you've stated it.  The Allium "saxatile album" in photos 1-2, I don't know what species it is, but I'd say it is not A. saxatile, whereas your mystery white Allium in photos 3-4 (and including 2) are Allium saxatile.  A key characteristic of Allium saxatile is the spathe that splits into two persistent "valves" or sections, one of which is much longer than the other and longer than the inflorescence... this can clearly be seen in your plants. Also, the ovary in Allium saxatile is rather prominent and globose, almost as long as the tepals.

Mark asked me to take a close-up picture of what I called Allium "saxatile album" above. As I mentioned both my Allium "saxatile album" and the mystery plant (now confirmed by Mark as Allium saxatile) are growing together and I've now found out that I actually planted two different plants received from different sources as A. saxatile beside one another here. The 4 pictures below show close-ups of the flowers, showing the spathes and the whole plant (all Allium "saxatile album").

For this response, reference: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5766.msg164490#msg164490

Stephen reminded me that he previously posted a photo of one of the two "white A. saxatile" plants, the identity unknown at the time, and I had suggested it was A. saxatile (see: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5766.msg134015#msg134015).  Then in his more recent posting (see link at top of this message), where I suggest it might not be A. saxatile, the change in my opinion is based on several things.  Stephen's more recent photo shows a plant with short spathes (spathes not visible in initial posting), suggesting that the plant is not actually Allium saxatile, because A. saxatile has 2 persistent spathe segments, one spathe segment being much longer than the inflorescence.  Therefore maybe it is one of the several species closely allied to A. saxatile.  It also seemed to me, in the more detailed closer-up photo, that the tepals looked narrower, and the ovary shape/size different and less pronounced than what I have seen in A. saxatile.  So, I changed my opinion, believing the plant to be an allied species, perhaps Allium korolkovii, akin to saxatile, but with a very short spathe and fasciculate umbel and lanceolate white petals, better matching the plants shown in the updated photos.

[TheOnionMan]

Some recent Alliums:

1.    Allium stellatum
2-4  Allium callimischon ssp. callimischon, from Antoine Hoog, 2001, one of the Brevispatha alliums that produce buds in an extremely narrow spathe barely differentiated from the stem, the dry looking stem popping open with fresh flowers in late summer or fall.
5-6  Allium hybrid that appeared a couple meters away from the probable parent, also a hybrid A. senescens type, shown growing in 100% crushed stone gravel in a "drip strip" under the roof eave overhang.  Short, nice full spherical flowers.
7-10  Allium 'Pink Pepper' - a dwarf type, like a miniature Allium senescens "glaucum" but with narrow swirling green leaves (not gray) and light pink hemispherical flowers on 4-6" (10-15 cm) stems in September, the flowers peppered with protruding stamens and yellow anthers.

[Maggi Young]

A most attractive clump of 'Pink Pepper'....made all the more so by all those happy bees.

[t00lie]

Mark
 
I'm intrigued by your crushed stone gravel "drip strip" under the roof eave overhang.

I presume your house has gutters ,so what is the purpose of the strip ?.

[Stephenb]

Mark

Thanks for the diagnosis on my saxatiles! Nice last selection from your garden too.

The season is waning here, but I have two more that have appeared recently that would like a name. The first I possibly planted as A. paniculatum "Dwarf Selection":

[TheOnionMan]

Mark
 
I'm intrigued by your crushed stone gravel "drip strip" under the roof eave overhang.

I presume your house has gutters ,so what is the purpose of the strip ?.

My tiny "contemporary" house has a 2' roof overhang all the way around, and no gutters (thank goodness).  Coming from an architectural background, I have never understood why prevalent building practices are oftentimes at complete odds with the prevailing climate.  Gutters in this climate make no sense, they hold back snow on the roof, the alternate melting on frigid but sunny days and refreezing at night creates impressive ice dams starting at the gutters and lower part of the roof, then with melting ice in the daytime water is able to creep backwards under the roof shingles and cause leak damage.  A drive around any neighborhood here mid winter makes for some incredible icicle spectacles along the eaves of homes, certainly with water damage happening in many of such instances.  Some people put up heating cables in zig-zag fashion along the roof edge, but this can actually just accelerate the ice dam phenomenon, plus they're paying significant electrical charge to run a heating cable day in and out.

Now travel a few miles to the north into Northern New England, and suddenly sensible building details govern... steeper roofs to promote snow sliding off, projecting roof overhangs, NO GUTTERS, and most importantly, the bottom meter or more of the roofing is sheet metal... ice and snow slide right off, not impeded by a frozen gutter.

But, drip strips are never installed for houses without gutters (duh) and the base of exterior walls gets terribly splashed with mud, so the northern NewEnglanders almost got it right, but not quite .  I have only seen drip strips on commercials buildings, office building, and such.  So, I installed my drip strip completely around the house; in the front portion it is actually under-drained and piped out to the back where there is lower grade.  Water can drip and pour off the roof, no problem, no splashing, and in winter, zero ice build-up... yay! There is no soil whatsoever in the drip strip, yet things still manage to seed into it... that tells you something

[TheOnionMan]

A most attractive clump of 'Pink Pepper'....made all the more so by all those happy bees.

Thanks, I named 'Pink Pepper' about fifteen or more years ago, it remains one of the better late flowering dwarf selections.  From this one, I grew a taller pink selection that flowers in August, named 'Sugar Melt', available from Plant Delight's Nursery.  Unfortunately, the photo they use does not do it justice... I'll be showing a series of photos showing 'Sugar Melt' and a few others.  

Today it is very cool outside, and the bees are zombified, just clinging to the flowers.  Here are a couple photos on a warmer day a few days ago, with late flowering Allium nutans/senescens type hybrids.

[TheOnionMan]

Mark

Thanks for the diagnosis on my saxatiles! Nice last selection from your garden too.

The season is waning here, but I have two more that have appeared recently that would like a name. The first I possibly planted as A. paniculatum "Dwarf Selection":

Stephen, the first two do look like a pale flowered form of Allium paniculatum, although with that said, there are dozens upon dozens of very similar species in Allium section Codonoprasum, that there is a possibility it one one of the closely allied species.  Looking at the taxonomy and synonymy of A. paniculatum reveals much, with so many "species" once considered subspecies of paniculatum.  Upon first impression, flowering seems too late to be A. paniculatum, but checking the floras, September is listed as a flowering time possibility for a couple of subspecies of A. paniculatum. But for A. paniculatum ssp. paniculatum (the one subspecies that often includes white-flowered forms) records flowering between June-August, in Flora of Turkey. 

There is also the synonym, Allium paniculatum var. rupestre (= A. rupestre) that is typically off-white color with a purplish or green midvein, upright umbels 5-20 flowered, and flowers in months 7-10 (so flowering now, is within the description), and leaves sheathing lower 1/2 of the stem (another match), so possibly it is A. rupestre.  Spent an hour looking for a photo of A. rupestre, found one in a pink form, although the site I'm looking at does have some misnomers.
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/26289.html

The second two photos look like Allium togashii, which would be blooming anywhere between August and October.

[t00lie]

Thanks for your gravel strip explanation Mark ,all of which seems very sensible to me.

We generally have little snow ,maybe a very light covering once every 3 or 4 years--gone in a couple of hours.

Gutters are a requirement here as we rely on tank water collected (as well as bird and possum droppings ,leaf litter etc     ), from the roof for domestic use.

We are of very hardy stock here ........  

[TheOnionMan]

This year was the hottest and driest in the last two decades, a brutal drought that provided for challenging conditions in the garden.  For the most part, the numerous rhizomatous Allium hybrids I grow still managed to put on a good show as they are quite drought tolerant, although the flowers went over quicker and looked lighter in color than in cooler years, and with more leaves senescing than normal.  I've put together some photos from previous years, in seasons more favorable to good growth and flowering.

1-2  Allium 'Sugar Melt' - one of my hybrids resulting from 'Pink Pepper', a dwarf autumn blooming plant, like a small green-leaved A. senescens glaucum, but with good pink flowers peppered with yellow anthers, the flowers on short stems.  In 'Sugar Melt', the plants grow taller, but still on the low side, at 14-16", with clear pink flowers in August.  I include a link to Plant Delights Nursery where this cultivar is available, although I must say, the image they used is rather poor; my photos give a better impression of what this one looks like.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Plants/Genus/Allium

3-4  These photos represent a type of Allium nutans/senescens hybrids that I've been getting, what I call the pincushion types, with flowers so densely packed, and stamens well exserted, the flower balls quite literally look like pin cushions.  Thus far, the flower color is too pale.

5   Allium garden view, with a pincushion type hybrid, Allium 'Stellar Dust' in the top center of the view.  August blooming.

6   Close-up view of Allium 'Stellar Dust'

7-9 Allium 'Meteor Shower' - one of my newer selections, has a distinctive look, with low broad hemispheres of bloom, the individual florets spaced apart from each other, each floret with a lighter tip.  August blooming.

10  Allium 'Asteroids', another recent selection, with 2' tall (or taller) stems, and largish balls of tightly packed lavender pink flowers, each floret like a small crater.  August blooming.

[olegKon]

Back home from a long holiday I found these three alliums blooming
1. Allium globosum ssp.psebaicum
2. Allium rupestre
3. Allium ericetorum

[Maggi Young]

That was a good oniony welcome home for you, Oleg! 

Ian and I are so sad that you did not make it to Aberdeen this time.....Lily was looking forward to introducing you to Poppy...... but the gift which arrived unexpectedly  from you and dear Sasha was delicious and we thought fondly of you both with each chocolate we ate!! 

[olegKon]

Glad you enjoyed it. You didn't treat Lily to it, did you?