[PHOTO] "The Alliums of Toronto"

[rfmcdonald]

Allium flowers, my mother the gardener told me, filled this Toronto front yard last summer. Various sources, here and here, lead to a more specific identification of these as being a specific type of allium, the Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’.

Native to Iran. Dense spherical umbels of starry lilac-purple flowers in May on stems two to three feet tall. For maximum effect, plant in clusters of 10 bulbs or more.

Two favorite cultivars are the stunning dark lilac 'Lucy Ball' long (named for the late entertainer Lucille Ball), and the violet-purple 'Purple Sensation'[.] Both grow about three feet tall, and make good cut flowers.