Allium Ostara

Allium 'Ostara' is a hybrid ornamental garlic of medium stature, with perfectly round flowers of intense purple-pink, which faithfully blooms every year in late spring or early summer. Unlike many others, this variety keeps its beautiful foliage before, during, and after flowering. It boasts a colourful flowering, animated by a constant flight of pollinating insects. Reliable and easy to grow, it thrives in the sun, in ordinary but well-drained soil. Perfect for bordering an alley or a bed. It also works well in a rock garden or a planter on a patio. Its flowers are very long-lasting in bouquets, fresh or dried.

Allium 'Ostara' is a variety of hybrid ornamental garlic resulting from the cross-breeding of two botanical species: A. karataviense and A. atropurpureum. All these plants belong to the Amaryllidaceae family. They are cousins of garlic and leeks, with which they share a characteristic odour in their foliage, perceptible when crushed.

The 'Ostara' cultivar develops in spring from a slightly flattened bulb covered with a whitish epidermis. It forms a clump of wide, decorative, blue-green leaves. It reaches about 30cm (12in) in height and 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) in width. Flowering takes place from May-June to July, earlier or later depending on the climate. Flowering stems measuring 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in) in height emerge from the centre of the clumps. Each stem carries a solitary inflorescence in the shape of a perfect sphere measuring 7 to 10cm (3 to 4in) in diameter. The compact inflorescence is composed of a multitude of tiny star-shaped flowers in intense pink-purple. They are nectar-rich and honey-producing. The deciduous foliage dries up a few weeks after flowering. The plant then survives the winter in the form of bulbs. This variety easily naturalises by producing bulb offsets.

Planted en masse along an alley, in small groups in a rock garden, as a border for a bed, or even combined with flowers in shades of purple, pink, and blue, this 'Ostara' ornamental garlic proves to be a gem for romantic flower beds. It goes perfectly with catmints, bellflowers, and agastaches. Also consider pairing it with lavenders and small-sized grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', and many more. Its flowers can also structure a contemporary garden where various geometric shapes oppose each other. Furthermore, it can be planted with landscape roses and boxwoods trimmed into cones.

In short, the possibilities are endless! There is a corner in your garden, as well as on your balcony, where this garlic will work wonders.