Allium Summer Beauty

Hello again,

Rarely do I start with the intention of talking about just one plant. My intention today is to show the merit of one Allium 'Summer Beauty'. Of course if I talk about Allium 'Summer Beauty' I have to talk about all the plants it looks stunning with. So, I can't talk about just one plant. There is no community there.

The first picture here is of Allium 'Summer Beauty', Calamintha nepeta ssp nepeta, Amsonia hubrichtii and Sporobolus 'Tara'. Any one of these plants represent great combinations with Allium 'Summer Beauty'. The nicest thing about this plant is that it looks great all year. The pink blooms with the yellow foliage of Amsonia contrast very well.

The flowers alone are quite nice. There are reports on the Internet about them being pale and not quite as nice as other Allium on the market. I say, those reports are crazy!!! The light lavender blooms of ASB work well with so many other plants. It's not the color of the Allium Purple Sensation or Allium christophii for that matter, but brilliant nonetheless.

Here it is again with Calamintha nepeta ssp nepeta. Two of my favorite plants look great together. In this picture it illustrates how the blooms of Allium 'Summer Beauty' float above other plants. It's a whimsical addition to the landscape. Some of the other great combos in the Midwest landscape include; Sesleria autumnalis, Geranium 'Max Frei', Origanum 'Herrenhausen' and Salvia 'East Friesland'.

In this picture, the most redeeming feature of the plant; it's foliage. Lush green foliage with these very pretty flowers. What more could you ask for. If you've come on a tour to Midwest Groundcovers, I've probably given you the foliage test. That test being, which would your customer rather have in their landscape. Allium or Hemerocallis in July. Typically the foliage of the Hemerocallis is yellow or brown and the Allium is beautiful green. It's that way all year! And to top it off, the seed heads are rather attractive and stay on all winter. Unlike the sticks that come from a daylily. I'm not saying to stop buying our daylilies. I'm definitely not saying that! But use less of them and more Allium. What's more? Deer will not eat Allium. In fact, interplanting Allium with other perennials can reduce the amount of browsing on your other plants! Great deal!

So if you are not using Allium 'Summer Beauty', you now know what you are missing. Try it out. If you are using Allium 'Summer Beauty' and have comments, please post them. I'd like to see what people in the industry other than Midwest have to say about it. Until next time, have a great day!