Floral 花火s! Alliums will light up the late spring garden with a majestic 陳列する，発揮する of glorious 爆発するing flowerheads, says Monty Don

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Alliums are a major part of our late spring 陳列する，発揮する. They are みごたえのある 工場／植物s, from the smallest chive flower to the crazy 爆発 of Allium schubertii, of which more later.?

The first to appear is A. hollandicum (also known as A. aflatunense). It is about 90cm (3ft) tall, with lilac flowers fringed with a silvery halo.?

There is a white form, too. As the flowers 現れる, the colour shows through the thin tissue of sheath and they look like flat-topped thistles, but then open out to a cylinder.?

The leaves, which 倍の halfway along and droop in an idiosyncratic manner, have a 傾向 to start to die 支援する at the tips before the 工場／植物 comes into flower. This is not 予定 to any illness or problem ? it’s 簡単に a ありふれた feature of 早期に alliums that the foliage dies 支援する before the flowers fully open.?

Monty Don says that A lliums are a major part of the late spring 陳列する，発揮する. UK-based garden 専門家 述べるs A. hollandicum as a purple sensation, which is followed by?A. cristophii (pictured)

A. hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ ? which is both purple and sensational ? has lollipop globes made up of 得点する／非難する／２０s of individual florets, and they create an open carapace of flowers that not only look 劇の and stylish, but are also excellent for 野性生物.?

The first ones appear here に向かって the end of April, and by 中央の-May they are in their pomp. ‘Purple Sensation’ has a richness of colour that makes an ideal 失敗させる／負かす for the 激しい greens and yellows of May and June.?

As 工場／植物s, they 要求する nothing of the gardener other than 工場／植物ing, and the best time to do that is autumn ? although I have 首尾よく 工場／植物d the bulbs as late as February.?

A. cristophii follows in 中央の-May, with its 抱擁する, 爆発するing balls of flower. They work 井戸／弁護士席 with softer companion colours than those used with ‘Purple Sensation’, which is why we grow them と一緒に old roses, 甘い peas, geraniums and other pale and pastel colours.?

MONTY'S JOB OF THE WEEK?

For those in the southern half of the country, now’s the time to move or divide deciduous grasses; those north of Manchester should wait a week or so. If you’re dividing a large clump, don’t divide it into many small pieces as they’ll be slow to regrow.?

Halve it before replanting at the same level as before and water in 井戸／弁護士席. Water 週刊誌 until growing 堅固に.

?Some grasses seed themselves 自由に and form （人が）群がるd clumps ? just 解除する and reposition them with more space around them.?

Monty says?now’s the time to move or divide deciduous grasses (pictured)

宣伝

As the flowers fade, the 劇の flowerheads become drier and 持つ／拘留する their 形態／調整 for months on end, albeit without colour. We often collect them in this mummified 明言する／公表する to put?in a vase, where they last for ages.?

Like ‘Purple Sensation’, A. cristophii seeds like mad and needs thinning さもなければ it can （人が）群がる a 国境.

And so 支援する to A. schubertii. This ornamental onion takes the 爆発するing flowerhead?to another level of artistic extreme.?

From a very short 茎・取り除く, the flower 飛行機で行くs apart into a ball the size of a melon that is made up of dozens of florets, each on a stalk of a different length.?

It can get lost at the 支援する of a 国境, so put it 近づく the 前線. It 乾燥した，日照りのs easily and will stay in 形態／調整 to be wondered at for months.

一方／合間, A. giganteum is a colossal drumstick of a flower, reaching 2m (6ft) tall in our rich clay loam. It is almost like those box or holly bushes that are clipped into topiary pompoms, and one year we had them marching all the way 負かす／撃墜する the Long Walk.?

However, the 抱擁する bulbs are expensive and need the best drainage possible, as I learnt to my cost.?

They will rot very quickly in a wet winter, and we lost the lot. As a 支配する, this 適用するs to all alliums, which prefer a sunny, 井戸／弁護士席-drained 場所／位置.?

Rather later ? and last of the alliums here ? is A. sphaerocephalon. It is much smaller than all of the previous ones, and its natural habitat is a meadow.?

In late July and August, it makes a wonderful tapestry of conical flowerheads of mauve and ruby pink. Its only 証拠不十分 is that on our 激しい 国／地域 it tends to flop, but bounded by a box hedge, it will 宙返り／暴落する の上に that rather than 落ちる 権利 over.

YOUR KITCHEN GARDEN: CHICORY

The first is radicchio and the two varieties Monty likes best are ‘Rossa di Treviso’ (pictured) and ‘Rossa di Verona’

Chicory will transform a salad by 追加するing a delectably bitter トン to an さもなければ bland mix of leaves. I’ve grown many types of chicory but there are two that I continue to return to.?

The first is radicchio and the two varieties I like best are ‘Rossa di Treviso’ and ‘Rossa di Verona’. （種を）蒔く in May or 早期に June, thinning to 23cm (9in) spacing ? they need plenty of room.?

Keep them weeded and let the loose green leaves grow. In autumn, these will start to droop and should be 除去するd from the outside.?

Also 除去する green leaves 落ちるing over the heart. I cover them with a cloche in wet winter 天候 as they hate damp 空気／公表する.?

削減（する） the hearts when they’re bigger than a tennis ball and they’ll regrow into spring.?

The second chicory I grow is endive, espec ially ‘Cornet de Bordeaux’ and ‘Fris?e de Ruffec’. If they’re too bitter for you, tie their leaves together gently with string for a couple of weeks before cutting ? this 制限するs sunlight to the inner leaves, resulting in a milder taste.?

Unlike radicchio they tend to bolt in hot 天候, so （種を）蒔く fresh 供給（する）s every few weeks.