Buy Allium senescens ssp. glaucum

An ornamental onion plant with gray-blue spiral leaves and pink pom-pom flowers. Butterflies, bees, and other insects love them.

In the summer, dense round umbels of lavender flowers top clumps of blue-green, flattened leaves which are attractively twisted; a pretty color combination for this hardy, carefree perennial. S/M-D/GDr

Top 10 Perennial in our voting! Petite 10-14″ mound of evergreen blue-green strappy little leaves with a bit of a twist to them – Lavender pink flowers in tight clusters spring and summer – This is a good looking, bullet proof plant – deer hate it, gophers don’t like it, slugs ignore it – Long lived – Most soils – Sun to light shade – Drought tolerant.

What a family Alliaceae is!!! Not only has it provided us with delicious and healthful plants such as Allium cepa (Onions) and Allium sativum (Garlic), but it's also home to a plethora of ornamental species. One of my faves, and for a multitude of reasons, is Allium senescens subsp. Glaucum. This clump forming Asian/European native perennial bulb is lovely from head to toe. Known also by the common name of "German Garlic", this especially attractive form of the species sports very subtle, bluish, linear foliage all Spring, Summer & Autumn. It forms a very tight, compact plant that looks great at the front of a sunny or shady border, or anywhere in a rock garden. In mid to late Summer and early Autumn, a multitude of tight buds on rigid 6" stems explode like fireworks with lilac/lavender flowers that seem to last for weeks and weeks. These delightful blooms are especially welcome at a time of the year that there seems to be a dearth of color and excitement in the garden. As with other species and cultivars in the family, Allium senescens subsp. Glaucum is 100 percent varmint proof and hardy into USDA Zone 4, perhaps 3 as its native range takes it all the way from Central China to Korea and into Northern Siberia. Welcome companion plants are Hosta, Tricyrtis, sedges - well, just use your imagination. It looks great under taller plants, especially ones that lose their lower leaves as the summer progresses as it will hide their bare stems. This very drought tolerant plant will grow happily in just about any type of soil from average to dry. The only places it won't grow well are wet or soggy areas. Copious new bulbs are produced as the plant matures and it makes a wonderful pass along plant to share with your friends, even those who don't garden. Just tell them GSU (Green Side Up) or in this case BSU (Blue Side Up).

Curly blue-green leaves with round, pale lavender flowers bloom in summer. Great for dry sites with poor soil. 1 x 1 foot tall at the most. Minimum temperature: -40°F

A magnificent foliage onion, the short flat, gray leaves grow in a distinctive curly swirly pattern to maybe 6 inches tall. In late summer, it produces round pink chive-like flowers which are nice, but in no way as distinctive and interest as the leaves. Zone 3