I like alliums, chopped in a corned beef sandwich, baked whole, used to flavour stews, etc. and I tend to grow quite a few each year.  Since getting the New Territories I’ve been thinking about having a perennial bed or two and have been looking at perennial alliums

I’m a member of a gardening forum at  The Grapevine. Part of the community spirit that exists on the forum is a number of different challenges – one of which is All year Alliums Challenge 2016/17

The idea is to be able to harvest an allium a week.  This doesn’t have to be a different variety or species – you could harvest chives most of the time if you want.  This has spurred me into action regarding the perennial alliums.

Some members up for the challenge have added their own twists and it seems that my twist is going to be to grow as many different species as possible.

I’ve been going through my seeds and bulbs and so far I have acquired

1. Three-Cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum)
2. Few-Flowered Garlic/Leek (Allium paradoxum)
3. Hookers Onion (Allium hookeri ‘Zorami’)
4. Hookers Onion (Allium acuminatum)
5. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
6. Chives Black Isle Blush (Allium schoenoprasum ‘Black Isle Blush’)
7. Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)
8. Blue/Siberian chives (Allium nutans)
9. Everlasting Onions (Allium cepa ‘Perutile’)
10. Egyptian Onions “McCullar”  (Allium Cepa Proliferum)
11. Welsh Onions (Allium fistulosum)
12. Welsh Onions (Red) (Allium fistulosum)
13. German garlic or broadleaf chives (Allium senescens)
14. Allium Acutiflorum(sent to me in error)
15. Nodding Onion/Chives (Allium Cernuum)
16. Ramsons (Allium ursinum)
17. Babington Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii)
18. Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum)
19. Daffodil Garlic (Allium Neapolitanum)
20. Overwintering leeks (Allium Porrum)

Ordered and waiting for

1. Golden Garlic (Allium Moly)
2. round-headed leek bulbs (Allium sphaerocephalon )
   
3. Giant Russian Welsh Onions (Allium fistulosum)
4. Russian Perennial leeks (???)
5. Many-flowered Garlic (Allium polyanthum)
6. Mouse Garlic (Allium angulosum)
7. Rakkyo (Allium chinense)

Add to these the seeds I have for “regular” alliums

1. White Lisbon spring onion
2. Ailsa Craig Onions
3. Red Baron Onions
4. onion bedfordshire champion
5. Mussleburgh leeks
6. Giant Bulgarian Leeks
7. Elefant Leeks

and the overwintering onions and garlic

1. Senshyu Yellow Japanese Onions
2. Troy Onions
3. Electric Onions
4. Garlic Bulbs – Marco
5. Garlic Bulbs – Lautrec Wight
6. Garlic Bulbs – Carcassonne
7. Early Purple Wight Garlic

That gives me over 40 different alliums – so definitely going to have a couple of onions and that’s not including my wants list.