Ornamental Onion (Allium caeruleum)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun
Water Preferences:	Mesic
Soil pH Preferences:	Moderately acid (5.6 – 6.0) Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5) Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone:	Zone 8b
Plant Height:	2 feet
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Blue Other: florets form densely packed 1.5" spheres
Flower Time:	Late spring or early summer
Underground structures:	Bulb
Uses:	Cut Flower Dried Flower Will Naturalize
Dynamic Accumulator:	K (Potassium) Ca (Calcium) Na (Sodium)
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Butterflies
Resistances:	Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant
Propagation: Seeds:	Sow in situ
Propagation: Other methods:	Bulbs
Pollinators:	Bees Various insects

Common names

Ornamental Onion
Blue Allium
Blue Globe Onion
Blue Flowered Garlic
Azure Flowered Garlic
Blue of the Heavens

Botanical names

Accepted: Allium caeruleum
Synonym: Allium azureum

Photo Gallery

Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2014-06-21

Uploaded by dirtdorphins

Location: my garden, UT
Date: 2016-06-19
#Pollination

Uploaded by dirtdorphins

Location: RHS Harlow Carr alpine house, Yorkshire
Date: 2018-06-11

Uploaded by kniphofia

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: JI garden (zone 7)
Date: 2015-0626
Another attempt to capture the true colors of this beauty.

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2014-06-23
Blooms mixed in with poppies and Japanese irises.

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2014-06-22
On the left, mixed in with astilbe, poppies and clematis (at the

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by MaryDurtschi

Location: Oxfordshire, England
Date: 2018-06-27

Uploaded by cliftoncat

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2013-0626
Nice with the blue Japanese iris and white astilbe.

Uploaded by pirl

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-07

Uploaded by chelle

Location: Washington 8b
Date: 2017-06-17

Uploaded by Patty

Location: my garden in Frederick, MD
Date: 2012-05-23
just an inch or two across, but powerfully blue!

Uploaded by critterologist

Location: central Illinois
Date: summer 2006
Allium skies

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Chicago, IL
Date: 2012-06-14
Exquisite, long-lasting azure blue blooms. Against a background

Uploaded by Ispahan

Location: Old pine stump JI garden
Date: 2015-0630
Stem is from lower left toward center.

Uploaded by pirl

Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 10th June 2009

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: Iron gate garden
Date: 2014-06-21
Love the azureum with the white Japanese iris, Innocence.

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Clinton, Michigan 49236
Date: 2017-10-29
Allium caeruleum, 2017, Azure [Allium], AL-ee-um, 18 in. #Bulb #M

Uploaded by frankrichards16

Location: Iron gate
Date: 2014-0622
Very nice sky blue color.

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by pirl

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-07
Shown with Canterbury Bell.

Uploaded by chelle

Location: DISCLAIMER: This is an old photo from an old phone. I don't know why, but the photos look "deep fried". sorry about that.

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2014-06-13

Uploaded by Marilyn

Uploaded by Marilyn

Location: central Illinois
Date: summer 2006

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by daylily970

Location: My garden in Kalama, Wa. Zone 8
Date: 2014-09-23

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by frankrichards16

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-06-10

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2008-06-11

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-06-01

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Maryland
Date: 2015-06-02
Bloom just opening

Uploaded by Catmint20906

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-05-29

Uploaded by chelle

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by critterologist (Frederick, MD - Zone 6b) on Jun 4, 2012 6:56 PM concerning plant:

This is one of the true-bluest flowers I've ever come across! The first ones I planted were smaller blooms, maybe an inch across, but the ones I put in last fall are perhaps two inches in diameter. I noticed this morning that small bulbils seemed to be forming toward the center of some of the blooms, so maybe it reproduces similarly to the "wild onion" that pops up around here... I'd be happy to have it naturalize and spread around my perennial border! (Hopefully I won't regret saying that, LOL)

Reply to this comment
Posted by jmorth (central Illinois) on Nov 8, 2011 10:38 PM concerning plant:

Introduced in 1830.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Marilyn (Kentucky - Zone 6a) on Apr 28, 2013 11:10 PM concerning plant:

Gorgeous blue flowers! Love to see them in bloom!

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...

"Allium caeruleum (blue globe onion, blue ornamental onion, blue-of-the-heavens, blue-flowered garlic; syn. Allium azureum Ledeb.) is an ornamental bulbous plant of the onion genus, native to Asia. It grows to 31 inches, producing strap-shaped leaves and small globes (umbels) of blue flowers in early Summer. The plant has been granted the British Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (1993)[1]"

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Plant Events from our members
chelle	On October 16, 2014	Transplanted (10) Planted in Ash tree bed with Double Dutch narcissus.
Catmint20906	On June 2, 2015	Bloomed
Catmint20906	On November 11, 2014	Miscellaneous Event bulbs planted
Yorkshirelass	On March 1, 2010	Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc) Did not survive the harsh winter - a tender variety if Allium
KelliW	On March 8, 2019	Plant emerged
MrsBinWY	On August 22, 2020	Transplanted bulbs, bulbils and seeds in back scallop bed near Trollius 'Golden Queen'

» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
allium picture by 4susiesjoy	Oct 25, 2014 9:31 PM	2

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Allium Ornamental Onion (Allium caeruleum)

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Ornamental Onion (Allium caeruleum)