Tiny bulbs
Antennaria@aol.com (Mon, 16 Feb 2004 09:26:44 PST)

There are lots of dwarf Allium that are suitable for trough culture. In
fact, there are a number of photos of Alliums in one of my troughs posted to the
PBS wiki. Here are some links:

Allium albidum ssp. caucasicum is a species from Turkey that keeps is green
strap leaves throughout the growing season, and little clusters of white
flowers in July-August.
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

The Japanese Allium togasii, and the Mongolian Allium tuvinicum are small
enough to consider in a trough... both species shown on the aforementioned wiki
page.

Allium flavum ssp. tauricum and many allied species, present an assortment of
floriferous dwarf onions that look good in a trough. Besides nearly
prostrate forms of flavum ssp. tauricum, there is kurtzianum, sibthorpianum, and
smaller forms of paniculatum, to name but a few. To see some of these, go to:
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

By far one of the most delightful small onions in a trough, is the Turkish
Allium sibthorpianum. Go to the page listed in the previous URL to see some
good photos of this species growing in a trough. I added a couple new photos,
including the "Alliums_in_trough" photo in the link below. It shows a trough
with Allium sibthorpianum, and a couple of miniature forms of Allium flavum ssp.
tauricum in pastel white tones.
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/…

Another species that I grow in a trough, because it is too easily swamped by
other plants in the open garden, is Allium moschatum, with short, firm,
thread-thin leaves and small white or pinkish flowers on wiry 4-5" stems, flowering
in July-August. It is growing in the same trough as some of my other alliums.
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

There are many American species of Allium that are really tiny and are best
grown in containers or troughs, but I'll only mention one here. Allium
perdulce, from the central and southwestern plains states, is so slow growing that it
is best maintained in pots or containers. The rich pink flowers on 4-5"
stems are powerfully perfumed like sweet carnations, so planting them in a trough
will make it easier to enjoy the enticing fragrance.
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States
antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5
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alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western
american alpines, iris, plants of all types!