Allium multibulbosum Silver Spring

Allium 'Silver Spring' is an ornamental garlic with umbels of delicately bicolour flowers in ivory-white with a purple heart. From a distance, this ball of flowers gives the impression of a silver mist. It has a delightful sweet fragrance, which can be appreciated in bouquets. It will thrive in a very sunny bed, at the same time as late double tulips with which it forms beautiful combinations.

Allium nigrum ssp. multibulbosum is widespread in the Middle East: it can be found in Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Very resistant to cold, it requires a very sunny exposure and soil that does not retain water. It tolerates the presence of limestone and likes light, sandy soils. Like all ornamental garlic, it belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family.

'Silver Spring' is a very pretty selection of Allium multibulbosum, with delicately coloured flowers. It is a perennial bulbous plant that can reach 5cm (2in) in diameter. The foliage emerges in winter in warm climates, but appears later in cold and humid climates, usually in April. The 3 to 5 beautiful leaves of this ornamental garlic are particularly wide and resemble those of a leek. They reach 2 to 3cm (1in) in width and 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) in length. They are flat, linear, slightly curled at the edges, tapered at their tips, and light green in colour. Initially erect, they bend over later. Unlike the leaves of many species, the leaves of 'Silver Spring' do not have the characteristic smell of onion, leek, or garlic. The floral stem, 60cm (24in) tall, is leafless, thick, and sturdy. From late May to early June (earlier in warm climates), pretty umbels measuring 8 to 10cm (3 to 4in) in diameter composed of about twenty star-shaped flowers with 9mm petals bloom. The ivory-white petals surround a garnet-coloured heart. The sweet and sugary fragrance of these nectar-rich blooms attracts pollinating insects. The seeds, which are produced in large quantities, easily self-sow in light soil. This allium also produces bulblets attached to the mother bulb. It is sensitive to rot in soil that is too moist in summer and/or waterlogged in winter.

'Silver Spring' is charming in sunny borders, especially in a romantic garden or in a naturalistic-inspired bed. It is light, shiny, and elegant, and pairs beautifully with ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or S. barbata, thistles (Eryngium giganteum, Echinops), nigella, eremurus, or even ornamental carrot Daucus carota 'Dara', for example. Plant it in small groups of 3 to 5 bulbs among other plants, and it will quickly multiply and form dense clumps that can be divided after 3 or 4 years. Its association with tulips 'Angélique', 'Double Mascotte' (fringed), or 'Black Hero' (black) is very successful.