Allium

As one of the tallest and latest-blooming alliums, 'Summer Drummer' provides a spectacular grand finale to the season. Its sturdy, towering stems can reach impressive heights, each topped with a large, dense globe composed of countless tiny, star-shaped florets. The flowers are a beautiful mix of deep purple and crisp white, creating a frosted, shimmering effect from a distance that catches the late summer light. Their sheer size and architectural stature make them an unmissable focal point in the back of the border, standing tall and proud like sentinels in the garden. The substantial globes retain their shape long after the colour fades, providing striking structural interest that carries the garden's form well into autumn, looking magnificent when touched by frost.

Living up to its name in every way, 'Graceful Beauty' offers a soft, romantic touch. The delicate 3-inch flower heads are a gentle combination of pure white florets with subtle lavender-pink centres, creating a soft, shimmering effect. Unlike the bold giants, this variety has a more refined and understated elegance, making it perfect for cottage gardens and romantic planting schemes. It blooms generously, often producing several stems per bulb, and its sweet scent is an added delight. Plant it where you can appreciate its subtle charm up close, perhaps alongside pale pink roses or silvery foliage plants.

Also known as Rosy Garlic, Allium roseum is a charming and carefree wildflower that brings a touch of the Mediterranean countryside to any garden. It produces loose, delicate clusters of pretty, bell-shaped, soft pink flowers on slender stems. Unlike the formal globes, these have a relaxed, informal habit that is perfect for naturalising in gravel gardens, sunny banks, or wilder parts of the garden. It multiplies readily, creating larger and more impressive drifts each year. It's a low-maintenance and subtle beauty that provides a gentle wash of colour and attracts pollinators in droves.

A vision of pure, bridal white, this allium brings delicate elegance and a fresh sparkle to the late spring garden. Often known as the Naples Garlic, 'Cowanii' is a select, more robust form that produces loose, airy umbels of pristine white, star-shaped flowers. Each floret features a subtle green eye, adding to its charm. Unlike the dense globes of other alliums, these blooms create a light, see-through effect, perfect for illuminating shady corners or weaving through bolder colours in a border. They are fantastic cut flowers, prized by florists for their long vase life and graceful appearance in bouquets. Plant them in generous sweeps to create a cloud of white that brightens the landscape and bridges the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials.

A late-summer marvel, the Drumstick Allium is a master of transformation. It begins as a slender green bud, slowly developing its signature oval head that transitions from green to a rich burgundy-claret, starting from the top down. Planted in generous drifts, these tightly packed, egg-shaped blooms sway on wiry stems, creating a mesmerizing, rhythmic dance in the breeze. They are perfect for weaving through perennial borders, adding a pop of deep, jewel-toned colour and dynamic texture long after other flowers have faded. Their slender profile allows them to mingle effortlessly without overcrowding neighbors, making them an exceptional choice for naturalistic and prairie-style plantings, bringing your garden composition to a beautiful crescendo.