March 15, 2021 – Millenium Allium
Surprise,
Surprise – when I hacked my wiregrass infested clump of Millenium Alliums out of
the ground recently - I was expecting to find the typical round allium bulbs at
the base of the two-inch tufts of shiny plump green leaves. What I found were stout, rhizome like roots –
much like miniature iris rots, but not rounded, more like dirt encrusted small
fingers. Pictured below:
Wiregrass
swoops into my garden often and having to lift and ‘save’ perennials is a
spring or fall pastime. My mistake was not
taking a picture of the beginning mess I was dealing with – I am sure it will
happen again, so in future I will share with you the wiregrass nightmare as a
reference point. If I can do it, so can
you as a diligent gardener.
I
bought this 2000 introduction a few years back, probably after it attained the
2018 plant of the year award. I do remember
I was honestly put off by the price tag at the time I bought it.
First,
I merely admired the photographic plant stake shoved in the pot. I pulled it out as I often do and read it
front and back and re-inserted the plant stake, ticking off my requirements
easily: perennial, full sun, and deer and rabbit resistant. I admired the shiny fat strapped
leaves, in the well filled one gallon pot. I continued to stroll around my
usual nursery haunt thinking about it and looking for something new to spice up
my garden. I was dealing with full sun
and red clay that refuses being amended into proper garden soil.
In
the back of my mind I knew that my culinary chives did well even in the red
clay mixed with humus – why wouldn’t these?
I circled back, as I often do, and snagged three pots casting aside the
pricey price as they say here in the South.
I
can report – it was a good decision.
I
was more than delighted several weeks later when they came into bloom in the
garden. They manage excessive heat, drought, and excess rains, well. They even managed my poorly amended hard
packed red clay.
Now
that I have lifted and divided my first clump, I will first bring some along in
gallon pots to sink into a new garden later this fall, but in the next few days
I will be digging in these tough little bulbs/roots here and there and giving
them extra soil amendments to make them happy. They have earned it.
I
will be adding these to my top ten plants; I am not sure which favored
perennial will drop in rank, but I will make that decision later this
fall. So, I suggest you circle back to
my blog in October when I re-number my best perennials and give you the reasons
why.
Research notes:
Drought tolerant that attracts bees, butterflies
and other pollinators. Perennial, rabbits and deer leave it alone.
Millenium Allium – yes registered with the
misspelling. Breeder, Mark McDonough of Pepperell, Massachusetts introduced it in
2000 and it became plant of the year in 2018.
It looks good in the heat.
Three to five bulbs per one gallon container.
https://aces.illinois.edu/news/perennial-plant-year-allium-millenium
https://www.gardensmart.tv/?p=articles&title=Allium_%27Millenium%27_is_the_2018_Perennial_Plant_of_the_Year
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