Star-Flowered Alliums

Allium cristophii (Star of Persia) brings a composed sense of theatre to the late spring garden. Each stem carries a broad, shimmering head of rosy‑violet, star-shaped flowers—architectural without being overbearing, and particularly handsome rising through fresh greens at the front of a border.

As the colour softens, the seedheads remain beautifully sculptural, lending quiet structure well into summer. A natural choice for gravel gardens and contemporary planting schemes, and a superb subject for cutting and drying.

• Large, starry flower heads in May–June
• Excellent for cut flowers and long-lasting dried arrangements
• Pollinator friendly and notably deer resistant
• Fully hardy perennial—returns with increasing presence over time

Allium 'Moly Jeannine' (Yellow garlic) is a standout plant for pots & containers, borders, gravel gardens, rock gardens, offering A vigorous, clump-forming allium with neat grey-green foliage and cheerful, starry umbels of bright yellow in early summer—excellent for pots, gravel gardens and sunny borders..

Best grown in full-sun with well-drained soil, it suits gardeners who want clear structure, dependable flowering, and easy planting plans.

Use it in pots & containers, borders, gravel gardens, rock gardens and pair with complementary varieties to build a fuller seasonal display.

Allium stipitatum 'White Giant' brings a poised, architectural note to late spring borders—tall, confident stems topped with dense, starry white spheres that float above fresh green foliage. It is a quietly glamorous choice for contemporary planting schemes and classic cottage-style gardens alike, and it cuts beautifully for arrangements.

Plant in autumn in a sunny, well-drained position and allow the bulbs to naturalise into handsome clumps. As the flower heads rise in May and June, they provide an elegant vertical accent among perennials and grasses, while also offering welcome interest to pollinators.

• Colour & form: star-shaped white flowers in rounded heads
• Height: 110–150cm; a refined, statuesque presence
• Where it shines: borders, pots, and as a cut flower

Allium schubertii is the sort of bulb that stops the eye mid‑stride. Each stem carries an open, starburst head of pinky‑purple, star-shaped florets, held on stalks of subtly varying length for an effortlessly sculptural effect. It is superb in sun-baked borders and equally compelling in a handsome container, where its architectural form can be admired up close.

Flowering in late spring into early summer, it brings a crisp, contemporary note to planting schemes and makes an exceptional cut flower. Left in place, the fading heads remain pleasingly structural, lending quiet drama long after the colour has softened.

• Colour: Purple (Pinks & Purples)
• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 60cm
• Spread: 30cm
• Position: Sheltered, sunny position
• Ideal for: Borders, Containers, Cut Flowers

Allium cowanii (Neapolitan garlic, Cowanii Group) is a quietly captivating allium, sending up loose, airy umbels of pure white, starry flowers on slender stems. Flowering in late spring and early summer, it brings a clean, lifted note to borders, gravel planting and pots—especially effective when threaded through grasses or soft, cottage-style perennials.

Compact and clump-forming, it settles in with ease and returns reliably year after year. Plant in autumn for an elegant drift of white that also proves popular with pollinators.

• Flower colour: White
• Flowering period: May–June
• Best for: Borders, containers, cottage gardens, city gardens
• Character: Airy, star-shaped flowers with a refined, natural look

Allium unifolium 'Eros' is a beautifully refined, compact allium, prized for its domed heads of pinkish-lilac, starry florets held neatly above grey-green foliage. At a modest height, it slips effortlessly into the front of a sunny border, and is equally at home in smart pots where its tidy habit can be properly admired.

Flowering in late spring, it brings a poised lift and gentle colour that partners elegantly with tulips, forget-me-nots and early grasses, while offering welcome interest for pollinators.

• Colour: pinkish-lilac
• Height: 35cm
• Flowering: May–June
• Best in: pots & containers; sunny borders

Allium schubertii ‘Arctic Snow’ is an allium of real theatre: airy, starry white florets arranged in an architectural, firework-like sphere. Rising on sturdy stems above bright green foliage, it brings a crisp, contemporary note to borders, gravel gardens and smart container displays — and it is equally poised in a vase, fresh or dried.

Plant in autumn and allow it to settle quietly through winter; come late spring it provides a sculptural highlight that looks particularly refined threaded through ornamental grasses and soft, billowing perennials.

• Colour & form: White, star-shaped umbels with a distinctive ‘firework’ silhouette
• Garden uses: Borders & beds, containers, gravel gardens; excellent cut and dried stems
• Wildlife value: Pollinator friendly
• Practical virtues: Fully hardy and deer resistant

Allium neapolitanum is a smaller, exquisitely poised allium, prized for its crisp white, star-shaped blooms gathered into neat umbels. Held on slender stems above fresh mid-green foliage, it brings a clean, luminous note to gravel planting, sun-baked edges and beautifully finished pots.

Particularly useful where winter wet makes heavier ground unreliable, this is a quietly confident choice for raised beds and containers—easy to place, and all the more elegant when planted in generous drifts.

• Flower colour: White
• Form: Star-shaped umbels on neat stems
• Ideal for: Containers, gravel gardens, courtyards and borders
• Wildlife: Pollinator friendly