Summer Beauty Allium

Light Needs

Full Sun

(6+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

1-2 Feet

Mature Spread

1-2 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 10

Summer Beauty Allium is an improved ornamental variety of garlic chive and makes a wonderful addition to a kitchen garden, herb garden, or even a container as part of a mixed seasonal display. Allium lusitanicum is also called German Garlic or Mountain Garlic and is edible, but not as tasty as other varieties of garlic chives. Its main attraction is the large, 2-inch, pom pom flowers, which are a favorite food for many native pollinators. 

Use Summer Beauty as a low-growing border for garden beds or as a companion plant for edibles such as tomatoes, strawberries, and salad greens. Summer Beauty is resistant to most pests and diseases. Deer are not interested in the highly pungent leaves and flowers. Grow Summer Beauty in a container arrangement as a spiller or filler. You can also use it to naturalize large areas and encourage wildlife to frequent the seed-filled flower heads during the late fall. 

Summer Beauty Allium Care

Ornamental alliums are easy to grow. They do not require supplemental fertilizing or extra watering once established. Summer Beauty tolerates most garden soils, as long as they drain well and are not susceptible to seasonal flooding. Full to partial sun exposure will help support strong growth and good flowering throughout the season. Water plants well during the first growing season to establish a healthy root system. Alliums develop drought tolerance at maturity and will only require supplemental watering during periods of extreme heat or drought. 

The seeds of Summer Beauty are sterile and will not reseed like other edible and ornamental alliums. The entire plant can be cut back at mid-summer to encourage denser growth and a second flush of flowers late in the summer. The flowers can be left to dry on the plant in the fall, providing seeds for nonmigrating birds and other wildlife. Summer Beauty forms a dense root system that benefits from division every 2-3 years to keep the plants growing vigorously.

Summer Beauty Allium Spacing

Summer Beauty Allium quickly forms a 1-2 foot clump that makes a great filler in the front of a garden bed. Space plants 18 inches apart from the plant center for a full and dense planting. For container planting, select a pot with at least a 12-inch diameter.

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