Allium senescens In Orbit

Allium 'In Orbit' is a very pretty bulbous plant for the garden. This ornamental garlic is cold-resistant, floriferous, and delicately coloured. Unlike most other varieties, its slightly bluish foliage does not disappear either before or at the same time as flowering but remains beautiful until autumn. Throughout summer, a large number of lavender-mauve ball shaped flowers with pink and silvery reflections emerge from the foliage, which are popular with pollinating insects. No more difficult to grow than a perennial, it thrives in the sun, in any well-drained soil. Plant it in a rockery, in a sunny border, or in a container. Its flowers are very long-lasting in fresh or dried bouquets.

Allium 'In Orbit' is a hybrid variety of ornamental garlic derived from A. senescens. This cultivar develops from a bulbous rhizome that forms a beautiful clump of upright, fairly thin, linear, slightly undulate, shiny, bluish-green leaves. It reaches a height of about 30cm (12in) and spreads laterally through its slightly suckering rhizome, at least 40cm (16in) wide. The flowering takes place from June to September, in average climates. Thin stems, 40 to 45cm (16 to 18in) tall, emerge from the centre of the clumps. Each stem carries a solitary spherical inflorescence, 7 to 8cm (3in) in diameter. The inflorescences are composed of a multitude of tiny star-shaped flowers, which are nectar-rich and honey-bearing. After pollination by insects, small green fruits form. This flowering is renewed for about 4 months, as long as the soil remains moist.

'In Orbit' proves remarkable in a romantic setting. Plant it en masse along a path or as a border for a flower bed, or even combined with perennials in pink and blue tones. It accompanies landscape roses, lavenders, catmints, bellflowers, and agastaches. In an unusual flower and vegetable bed, it can be accompanied by chives, over-ripe chard with coloured petioles, bulbous millet, purple basil, and many others. For a more dynamic effect, its flowers can structure a contemporary garden where several geometric shapes oppose each other. It can be planted with Stipa tenuifolia, lavenders, and cone-shaped trimmed boxwoods. This garlic finds its place in gardens of all styles: rustic, slightly wild, contemporary, or urban.

In short, the possibilities are endless. There is bound to be a corner of your garden where this garlic will work wonders.