Plant of the Month - May 2025
GENERAL INFORMATION: An early flowering, long lived, dwarf allium that grows well in dry deciduous shade with limited self seeding.
Synonym: Allium chionanthum.
Common Name: Lebanon onion, Syrian onion.
Allium zedbadense.
Life Cycle: Long lived, bulbous perennial. Dormant in mid summer.
Height: 30-50 cm.
Bloom Time: May in Toronto.
Flower Colour & Size: Umbels of 8-10 white, starry flowers with 6 tepals, 10cm long, on a leafless stalk.
Allium zedbadense - flowers.
Leaves: Dense, grassy clumps, with narrow leaves up to 30 cm high.
Fruit: 3 chambered capsule. Usually few fertile seeds.
Range: Native to the Middle East - Lebanon and Syria.
Habitat: Rubble slopes and rocky areas.
CULTIVATION:
Plant: bulbs in groups about 8 cm deep.
Light: Grows well in dry, deciduous shade once established. Will also grow in full sun.
Soil: Not fussy about pH but must be gritty - well drained.
Water: Average. Drought resistant when established. Less seed production if too dry.
Allium zedbadense with self seeded plants.
USDA Hardiness: Zones 4-8.
Propagation: by division when growth stars in the spring or when dormant. From seed - Sow @ 4°C for 3 weeks, then move to warmth - at 20°C.
Pest and Diseases: Many pests are repelled by its strong scent. Usually trouble free.
Pollinators: Bees, butterflies.
Native Eastern Canadian Alternatives: Allium cernuum - this needs sun.
Companion planting: Other rock garden plants suitable for shade - dwarf ferns, Hosta.
References:
Many references are somewhat contradictory.
https://greg.app/allium-zebdanense-overview/
https://onrockgarden.com/index.php/germination-guide
Manual of Bulbs - Bryan and Griffiths, Timber Press 1995 ISBN 0-88192-339-7.
Text and images supplied by Anna Leggatt (Toronto Master Gardener)