This is one of the easiest plants to grow. Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon) has 1 to 1.5″ crimson-purple egg shaped bloom atop a single stems about 2-3 feet high. It is rabbit, rodent, and deer resistant. Bees and butterflies love the blooms. They grow from a small bulb and look best in clumps of 10-12. Plant about 3-4″ deep and 2″ apart. In our area they can begin blooming late May to June and into July and August. They like full sun but will tolerate a bit of shade. They prefer well drained soils and little to no water; although they have a fairly large range of tolerance. You can let them go completely dry after they are finished blooming. They naturalize well and make lovely cut flowers. They are good in the mid-border and will come up through other plants.
All alliums (onion family) can be toxic to cats, dogs and horses. These are a plant it and forget it bulb. They are native from North Africa through Europe, the Baltics and parts of Asia. The foliage is not much to speak of and dries out in summer. The bulbs are dirt cheap: 50 for under $10 and 100 for under $15 and they will multiply. (The other pants in these photos are New England Aster (green) and Barberry Crimson Pygmy (burgundy).
