Allium moly

The genus

Allium is an enourmous genus with about 800 species. They are widely used un gardens ( and as vegetable of course)There are several sections, but one well apart are "leek"type species such as A. tuberosum, senescens, schoenoprasum, cernum with a very long growing period extending often well into the summer. Those of mountainous or continental origin need a cold period and start growing in the winter (these species are naturally well resistant to heavy frosts); the " Mediterraneans " start growing en september and are best planted in the summer. Most species have rigid stems are well suited for cut flowers. An esthetic problem with Allium is that their leaves look rather tatty at the time of flowering, so make sure of a sufficient ground cover at that time. Be careful several allium species can become very invasive when grown in their natural ernvironment and that case to be grown "with moderation" inrestricted areas.