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Common name nodding onion Family alliaceae Life cycle perennial (Z4-10) Flowers white-deep pink (summer) Size 1-2' Light sun Cultural notes well-drained soil Seed ripens early October As the botanical and common names suggest, the flowers on this bloomin' onion face downward, hanging from elegantly curved stems. For us these started blooming tentatively in their second year after sowing - in white. I was expecting pink, but since most of my ornamental alliums are pink, the white was a welcome change. They are charming as well before flowering, when the bunch of buds is enclosed in a delicate husk. Since introducing the white version to our garden, we have also grown the pink form, shown at right.

I enjoy the bag-like buds, also borne on sleekly pendulous stems.

We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston.

Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list

One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog

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PlantLinks to other web pages about Allium cernuum

Seed-starting details for this plant

2003. Seed from '02 trade. Baggy 70F (35%G, 13-20d)
2008. Seed from "OF" garden '07. Baggy 65F (44%G, 8-22d)
      Also seed for "Pink form" from '07 trade. Baggy 70F (18%G, 12-32d)
2011. Seed from 'patio' '08 garden. Baggy 70F (4%G, 15d)
2013. Seed for "pink" from '12 garden. Baggy 70F (58%G, 6-20d)
2014. Seed for 'dark purple' from '13 trade. Baggy 70F (9%G, 11-34d). An additional 9% germinated after I had given up hope and left the baggy to dry out.
2015. Seed for 'dark purple' from '13 trade. Baggy 70F (26%G, 10-45d)

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