Turkestan onion

Turkestan onion: how do you recognise it?

Bulb

Round bulb a few centimetres across with a brown skin; plant it in autumn.

Leaves

Usually two, sometimes three broad, oval leaves, grey-green with a purple sheen, lying almost flat on the ground.

Flowers

A dense, round ball 10–15 cm across of small star-shaped flowers, pale pink to silvery lilac, in May.

Stem

Short and sturdy, 15–25 cm; the flower seems to rest between the leaves.

Seed head

After flowering, capsules with black seed form; the head stays decorative into summer.

Flowering: May · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Attractive leaves as well as flowers: the broad, grey-purple leaves look good from spring onwards.
• Flowers in May with a dense ball of stars, busy with bees.
• Stays low: perfect for the front of a border, a rock garden or a pot.
• Drought tolerant and hardy; needs almost no care.
• The seed heads stay attractive for a long time and can be used in dried arrangements.

Turkestan onion: where does it grow best?

• Full sun, preferably a warm spot.
• Sandy or loamy, well-drained soil, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; wet soil in winter makes the bulb rot.
• At the front of a border, in a rock garden, in gravel or in a pot; plant 15–20 cm apart.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.25 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: A low, scented ground cover for the same dry, sunny spot.
• Stonecrop: Fleshy leaves and late flowers in the rock or gravel garden.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that go well with the grey-purple leaves.
• Species tulips: They flower just before or at the same time, in the same sunny, dry spot.

Turkestan onion: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs in September–November.
2. Plant 8–10 cm deep, pointed end up.
3. On heavy soil, put coarse sand or grit under and around the bulb.
4. Space them 15–20 cm apart, ideally in groups of five or more.
5. Water once if the autumn is dry; after that rain is enough.
6. In a pot: potting compost with a third coarse sand or grit, in a pot with a drainage hole.

Care

Watering

Usually not needed after planting. In spring only during long droughts; keep dry after flowering.

Feeding

Not needed in the garden. In a pot, a little bulb fertiliser in spring.

Leaves

After flowering let the leaves turn yellow and die back naturally: they feed the bulb for next year.

Faded flowers

Leave the seed heads as decoration, or cut them off if you do not want seedlings.

Tip: Plant it at the front, where you can see the broad, grey-purple leaves: even before flowering they are an ornament. It also looks good in a pot on the patio.

Turkestan onion: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. After flowering you can cut off the stem or leave it.

How:

• Leave the seed head for decoration, or cut it off before the seed ripens.
• Let the leaves die back completely before removing them.
• Remove dried leaves when they come away easily.

Caution: Do not cut the leaves while they are green: it will flower less the following year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

Lift a dense clump once the leaves have died down, separate the small bulbs and replant them in autumn.

Seed

Sow ripe seed in autumn in a pot of gritty seed compost and leave it outdoors. Seedlings flower after a few years.

Turkestan onion: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The biggest danger is wet soil: make sure drainage is good.
• In winter stand pots in a sheltered spot against a wall, out of the worst rain.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: The bulb rots in wet, heavy soil. Plant in a dry spot or in a pot with coarse sand.
• Slugs: They eat the young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Yellow leaves after flowering: Normal: the leaves die back after flowering. Leave them until they are dry.
• Few flowers: Too much shade, too wet or a clump that is too dense. Move the bulbs or divide them in summer.

Through the year

• March: The leaves emerge. Watch for slugs.
• April: The broad leaves unfold; the flower bud appears.
• May: Flowering. Bees on the flowers.
• June: Leave or cut off the seed heads. Let the leaves die back.
• July: Remove dead leaves. Lift and divide dense clumps.
• September: Plant bulbs 8–10 cm deep.
• October: Plant bulbs. Sow seed in a pot.
• November: Plant the last bulbs.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Ornamental onions are true alliums, related to onion, garlic, leek and chives, and like them they are poisonous to dogs and cats: all parts, especially the bulbs, contain sulphur compounds that damage the red blood cells and can cause anaemia. Cats are more sensitive than dogs, and the signs (lethargy, pale gums, red or brown urine) sometimes appear only after a few days. Horses, sheep and other livestock can fall ill from them too. Even though the leaves and bulbs smell of onion, they are not grown as vegetables: do not eat them, and never store the bulbs with the kitchen onions, as they are not meant for eating and may have been treated with pesticides. Do not plant them where your dog digs, keep loose bulbs out of reach of pets and children, and do not put a vase of alliums where your cat chews the stems. If your dog or cat has eaten a bulb or leaves, call your vet, even if it shows no signs yet. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name karataviense refers to the Karatau mountains in Kazakhstan; Karatau means ‘black mountain’.
• It is one of the few ornamental onions grown as much for its leaves as for its flowers.
• As with onion and garlic, the leaves smell of onion when crushed.