Allium nevskianum

Allium nevskianum is a rare species in cultivation, but spectacular with its large inflorescence emerging at the base of a pair of broad bluish leaves. It is native to the high mountains of Central Asia. It is classified in the category of ornamental garlics. It is a unique bulbous plant for spring, perfect in rockeries, on banks, or in very well-drained beds. This collector's garlic retains its beautiful foliage throughout flowering, unlike most other cultivated species. It is very hardy and long-lasting in well-drained soils, where it will form beautiful clumps over time.

This garlic is native to rocky and dry mountainous areas in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Its species name, nevskianum, pays tribute to the Russian botanist Sergey Arsenyevich Nevsky (1908-1938). Close to Allium karataviense, it is even more ornamental and colourful. In spring, A. nevskianum develops a pair of widely lanceolate leaves, which resemble those of tulips, but with a bluish-green colour. A mature plant will reach 30cm (12in) in height when flowering and 20cm (8in) in width. Rarely cultivated, this species stands out with its large 12cm (5in) diameter hemispherical inflorescences, composed of numerous star-shaped flowers in a slightly aged pink colour, each petal showing a purple central vein. This flowering usually occurs in May-June, depending on the climate. The foliage turns yellow and disappears after flowering, in summer, when the plant goes into dormancy to escape heat and drought. The storage organ is a group of underground cylindrical and narrow bulbs (less than 5mm in diameter), covered with a thick tunic.

Unique, unusual, elegant, and very colourful, Allium nevskianum is a reliable and long-lasting plant in well-drained soil. It appreciates moist soil during its growing period, drier in summer, and a very sunny location. Used in rockeries or borders, it can be grown in a pot or in an alpine trough to enjoy its beautiful flowering on a balcony or patio. Plant it in groups of 5, which you can tuck between the stones in the rockery, among low ornamental grasses (stipa, carex), or mixed with Scilla peruviana and other pink, white, or mauve varieties of alliums.