Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum)

Someone gave me some of these last year and they are now blooming. (well I think this is what I have per db info and pics)
they are really tall. really. Like 4 ft! It is starting to bloom a lavender color and the flower cluster is about 2 inches across. I'd like to know if these seeds spread all over the place and take over or if they are sterile? I really don't think I want this everywhere!

Also are the tops edible or only the bulb part?

TIA

OK, so an extension of my first question, do the ornamental alliums spread by seed? The ones that make the big round spheres on the top?

May I tack on a related question? I planted green onions and chives in the same spot last summer and left them over winter. They are growing and now some of the smaller ones (not the larger ones which re only 6" tall anyway) also have the little lavender flower thing on top. Right now they are about 1/4 of a pencil eraser size. Since they are the smaller growth I was wondering if perhaps they are the chives and the onions will set blooms later. Thanks.

well I have some chives but mine are not blooming at all or making any buds for that. But you being in a colder zone, I would think that would be even later in the year than me? do onions bloom? well I just don't know anything about these. If I do not find out soon though, I am digging mine up and throwing it out. I have wild onions growing in my yard and my flower beds, and in the cracks on the sidewalk and ... and ... well, I don't want anymore like that! I have never been able to get rid of those things. I don't know why I didn't think to find out about this before I planted them

@drdawg

I noticed you have some garlic for sale in the classifieds, would you be able to answer any of the questions here about the elephant garlic, chives or allium?

Italian chives will have pretty lavender flowers and garlic chives will have a white flower. All my chives bloomed in early spring. Onions do flower and often it will be the second year that they'll flower. As soon as I see my onions begin to form that flower stalk, I cut it off near the ground. I want the energy directed into the bulb rather than flower.

I have never grown Elephant garlic (which isn't even a garlic) but my guess would be that it flowers similar to the onion.

well my concern is that the pretty flower head (which is why I grow it) will have viable seeds and sprout up everywhere, like those old wild onions do in my lawn?!

Lily, those flowers/seed-heads of both chives will certainly sprout if you don't cut the flowers off before seeds are formed and drop to the ground.

Ok, thank you so much for letting me know. I suspected that. I am not sure if I want to keep these. I have limited space and do not want to deal with all the seedlings that will come up. I'm not sure if I want to cut the tops off, because that is what makes them nice to look at to begin with.

I don't know about the elephant garlic seeding itself, but I do have the Allium giganteum plants, which occasionally appear to make seeds but have never seeded themselves (they've only multiplied by bulb division).

As far as chives, they definitely will self-sow pretty exuberantly... but the flowers are very attractive to bees, and you can collect the seeds and use them to grow sprouts to put in salads!

thank you Sandy, that was very helpful

I planted Allium schubertii last fall and was very pleased with the blooms this spring. I REALLY hope that they seed about...a bit

Linda!

In2art said:I planted Allium schubertii last fall and was very pleased with the blooms this spring. I REALLY hope that they seed about...a bit

Welcome to ATP!

Welcome to All Things Plants, Linda ( @In2art)

I would love if the giganteums would spread by seed, too!