Selected in 2007, the Allium shown below has
been dubbed 'Full Orbit'. It stood out among many
hundreds of open-pollinated seedlings by virtue of the spherical heads of
bloom crammed with intense
rose florets, on short 12" stems above wavy gray foliage. The florets
are triangular in frontal profile, the
three inner tepals arranged to suggest an inner circle, whereas the three
outer tepals maintain the
triangular shape, making the florets appear double. Yellow anthers
add nicely to the effect. This
selection may grow taller next year as the plant matures, but even so, it
is a standout selection.
Flowering occurs in August, with some good color left even after the first
week of September.
When
growing many seedlings from selected superior forms of the
nutans-senescens
alliance, lots of
great looking seedlings ensue, although it certainly isn't practical, nor advisable,
to name all of them. In the
following three images below, we see some handsome anonymous hybrid
seedling plants. When I find
such desirable offspring, I generally dig them up and move then to beds
containing just the best selections, to
act as bee fodder in the open-pollination scheme of encouraging worthwhile
hybridization.
In the first image below, I like the near true pink color of the florets,
and the light yellow anthers,
adding a nice touch to the ample flower heads.
In
the selection below, one gets a good idea just how important subtle
differences in floral detail can be,
effecting the overall impression of the flower. In this case, the
anthers are a dark purple color instead of
yellow, nicely peppering the bloom heads with contrasting color. The
flower heads are also well formed. 
And
last, we see a hybrid that exemplifies several "lines" or traits
among the nutans-senescens
hybrid progeny. The flowers are most appealing in bud, their intense
color lasting for many weeks, the
anticipation often more rewarding than the reality of fully opened
blooms. Often the buds are triangular in
outline, more strongly pronounced in some specimens than in others.
And in this particular plant, it
has a tendency to produce little proliferations of florets, visible in the
upper left portion of the flower head,
where a pedicel sprouts a whole new flower cluster instead of a single
floret. This trait is
is often passed along in subsequent generations of seedlings.
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