New Allium hybrids - gallery 3

Some rhizomatous allium hybrids have flowers that "go over" very quickly, in a week or less, whereas others 
have much better staying power, with orbs of bloom that persevere in top form for a full month or more. This
selection, which I named Allium 'Asteroids', makes a good display the entire month of August.  The
disposition of the individual florets also plays a role in its unique appearance, having all six tepals of each
floret equally arranged into an open cup shape (I like to think of them as little craters in a small moon).
Often with nutans/senescens hybrids, the pairs of  three inner and outer tepals are arranged differently from
each other, yielding a different visual effect.  The largish heads of densely packed lilac-pink florets are 
carried on top of 20" stems. 

In the view below, taken in morning light, the bloom heads appear a silvery lilac color.

Photos by Mark McDonough

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