Allium White Giant

Allium 'White Giant' is glorious. The strong stems bear white 15-20cm globes made up of hundreds of star shaped florets. The tall stems grow over a metre and so add a lovely dimension of height to the garden.

The flower is handsome from the get go and lasts for weeks. The attractive heads begin green then, as the buds open, the white shines through. The show doesn't stop there though, even as the bloom turns golden brown they remain handsome in the garden. The blooms also make excellent cut flowers and dry well.

The foliage should be given space and sun. The glossy green, sword shaped leaves will stand upright until the flowers emerge, then they will begin to yellow. It does stay green a lot longer than the purple Allium giganteum which is good. You can plant amongst summer perennials that emerge around this time such as Salvias to keep the foliage hidden. It is a common trait of Alliums, but one easily forgiven as the flowers are so wonderful.

Alliums are tough, hardy, and beautiful too! They are members of the onion family and when the foliage is bruised, or crushed it smells just like onions.

Plant Allium 'White Giant' into well drained soil in a sunny position. The soil drainage is important as the bulbs rot easily if left in bog. Adding some lime and compost to the soil will give them a good start in the garden.

They will need at least six hours of sun and a warm spot in the garden to thrive. As the stems of Allium 'White Giant' are tall, you should shelter them from strong winds because while they are strong there is only so much you can do and let's face it they are expensive so it is best to get the most out of them. They are expensive because they are slow to multiply. You could get lucky and they will self seed so it is worth leaving the seed heads on (or allowing them to ripen before collecting it for March planting). Seeds take five or six years to grow into flowering size bulbs.

Plant to a depth of around 10-15cm or twice the diameter of the bulb. Once planted, the bulbs are best left to naturalise. This means you can relax and leave them in the ground year after year and just enjoy flowers as they rise. To help them on the way, add a well balanced fertiliser in autumn. Don't forget to mark their position (we use wooden kebab sticks just out of the ground) as you don't want to put a spade through one!

You want to keep them relatively dry during summer dormancy or ensure sharp drainage.

Supplied as: Bulbs