Allium nigrum Pink Jewel

Ornamental Garlic or Allium nigrum 'Pink Jewel' is a rather unique bulb as it is the only ornamental allium whose flower is truly pink. It unfolds in rounded umbels of star-shaped flowers with a well-marked green heart and pale green midribs on the reverse, carried by dark stems. This tall allium, whose flowering lasts a long time, enlivens the garden in June and July. It is hardy and blooms in full sun and in well-drained soils, rather dry in winter and summer.

Allium nigrum is native to Mediterranean regions, Western Asia, and North Africa. Very resistant to cold, it requires a very sunny exposure and soil that does not retain water. These plants belong to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial plant with a bulb that can reach 5 cm 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 allium are particularly wide and resemble those of leeks. They reach 2 to 3 cm in width and 50 to 60 cm in length: they are flat, linear, slightly curled at the edges, tapered at their ends, and light green. Initially erect, they bend over later. Unlike those of many species, the leaves of Allium nigrum do not have the characteristic onion, leek, or garlic smell of the genus. The floral stem, 60-70 cm tall, is leafless, thick, and sturdy.

'Pink Jewel' has the same height. From June-July (earlier in warm climates), pretty, 8-10 cm wide umbels, composed of about twenty 9 mm star-shaped flowers open, with pink petals traversed by a green midline, revealing a green heart. Their sweet and sugary fragrance as well as their richness in nectar attract pollinating insects. The seeds, which are produced in large quantities, easily self-sow in light soil. This Allium produces bulblets attached to the mother bulb. Caution: it is sensitive to rot in soil that is too wet in summer and/or waterlogged in winter.

Allium nigrum 'Pink Jewel' is charming in sunny borders, especially in a wild garden or in a naturalistic bed. It is light and elegant and pairs beautifully with small ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuifolia or Stipa barbata, as well as with thistles, Eryngiums or Echinops, cornflowers, Eremurus, or even ornamental carrots. Plant it in small groups of 3 to 5 bulbs among other plants, it will quickly multiply and form dense clumps that can be divided after 3 or 4 years.