(AL-ee-um  kar-uh-taw-vee-EN-see)

General Information:

Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’ is a very unusual onion. The leaves are very wide, grow close to the ground and cup a large head of white flowers. Even in flower, the plant is only about 8 inches tall. Common names include kara tau garlic and Turkistan onion.

Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’ :photo by Robert Pavlis

The species has pink flowers while the cultivar ‘Ivory Queen’ is white.  This plant has been in horticulture for a very long time, and I suspect any white flowering form is now called Ivory Queen. After flowering, the leaves slowly wilt and by midsummer the plant goes under ground, to appear again in spring.

Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’ :photo by Robert Pavlis

Pollinators love the flowers and seed is easily produced. These will fall underneath the parent plant and produce grass-like seedlings. If you weed what you think is grass you’ll never have baby plants. Seedlings of Ivory Queen seem to come true and do not revert to the pink wild variety. It should flower from seed  in three years.

Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’ :photo by Robert Pavlis

Life Cycle: perennial bulb

Height: 20 cm (8 in)

Bloom Time: late spring

Natural Range: Central Asia, Karatau Mountians in Kazakhstan

Habitat: loose limestone scree

Synonyms:  none

Cultivation:

Light: full sun

Soil: well drained, sandy

Water: moist while flowering and dry once underground

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 - 8

Propagation: seed, bulb offsets

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): frequently

 (AL-lee-um fist-yoo-LOW-sum)

General Information:

Allium fistulosum is a perennial onion that is good to eat and makes a great garden plant. It has many common names but the most common are welsh onion or Japanese bunching onion. "Welsh" is a corruption of the German "Walsch," meaning "foreign," and has no reference to Wales.

Allium fistulosum; photo by Robert Pavlis

This plant makes very thick round stems that are hollow ("fistulosum" means "hollow") and a bluish-green color. The flowers develop very slowly, giving you a show for a good part of the summer. The buds are very unique looking for a perennial plant and stand out nicely in your garden. As they slowly open over several days the greenish white flowers emerge from their paper thin covering. Even the seed heads are attractive.

Allium fistulosum bud; photo by Robert Pavlis

Allium fistulosum flower; photo by Robert Pavlis

As a vegetable they can be harvested all summer long. Pull up what you need and replant the rest.

          Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 45 cm (1.5 ft)

Bloom Time: mid summer

Natural Range: not known in the wild; probably from Asia (Siberia or China)

           Habitat: Unknown

Synonyms: none

Cultivation:

Light:f ull sun or part shade                              

Soil: normal, well draining soil, pH 7-9

Water: drought tolerant, but prefers regular watering                     

 USDA Hardiness Zone: 5– 9

Propagation: division in spring, comes true from seed.  

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): available regularly 

 (a-kon-EYE-tum  KAM-mar-um)

General Information:

Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’ is a special summer blooming monkshood. In zone 5, it blooms mid to late August at a time when other plants are slowing down. It can grow in full sun or heavy shade making it ideal for almost any garden.

Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’; photo by Robert Pavlis

In full sun the plant is stockier and the spacing between flowers is smaller. In shade, the stems are weaker, taller, and the spaces between flowers enlarge. It is best staked in both locations, but definitely in shade. Its bright blue/white coloration is great in a shady spot.

It is a long lived perennial, but there are some reports of it mysterily dying out. One of my plants had grown well for several years and this year is almost non-existent.

Aconitum x cammarum ‘Bicolor’; photo by Robert Pavlis

The plant is reported to be extremely poisonous with some people even warning that you should use gloves when handling it. Most of this is highly exaggerated. Aconitums do contain the alkaloids aconite and aconitine, which are poisonous. However, there have been very few reports of death from these plants, and all of them seem to be the result of eating the plant or its extracts. Touching the plant will not kill you. The poison is found in higher concentrations in the roots and the seeds. 

Other common names include, devil’s helmet, monkshood, and wolf’s bane. The latter name refers to the historical use of plant extracts to kill wolves by poisoned arrows. Aconitum x cammarum is a primary hybrid between A. napellus and A. variegatum.

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 120 cm (4 ft)

Bloom Time: mid to late summer

Natural Range: garden origin

Habitat: n/a

Synonyms:  Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Bicolor’, Aconitum napellus ‘Bicolor’

Cultivation:

Light: full sun to full shade

Soil: moist, well drained

Water: regular moisture

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3– 7

Propagation: division

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): occasionally

Aconitum napellus (Monk's Hood) is a reliable hardy perennial, standing about a metre tall with lovely blue flowers.  It's just one of over 250 species in the genus. They do well in sun as well as part shade, but require sufficient moisture and reasonably cool soil. Feeding with a little extra phosphorus and compost will help this slow-growing plant to do its best.

A. napellus blooms throughout October in Ontario, which means that seed set is late in the fall. From time to time, it is listed in our Seedex and will germinate well provided that the seed is sown immediately. Like most of its ranunculaceae relatives, the seeds are viable for only a brief time and germinate best when sown outdoors over the winter. A few will grudgingly germinate at room temperature.  

Caution should be taken in handling all parts of the plant including the seeds. They contain chemicals which are toxic to the heart.