Allium 'Hidcote'

Allium 'Hidcote': Nodding Pink Heads, a Little Shy

Rosy pink bells nodding on short stems, like a little crowd agreeing with everything you say. 'Hidcote' is the most agreeable plant in the bed. YES, YES, ABSOLUTELY YES.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Allium cernuum 'Hidcote'
• Common Name: Nodding Onion
• Height: 30–45 cm (1–1.5 ft)
• Spread: 20–30 cm (8–12 in)
• Flowers: Nodding clusters of small, bell-shaped flowers in rosy pink to magenta-rose, followed by decorative seed heads
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Narrow, flat, deep green grass-like leaves in a low tuft
• Features: RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: Its size suits the front of a border, a rock garden, a gravel bed or a sunny slope. Plant it in drifts so the nodding flowers read as a soft wave of pink, and spread some through pollinator gardens.

Companion Plants: Tuck 'Hidcote' between sun-loving perennials in a dry bed with a low carpet in front. Thymus 'Magic Carpet' creeps at 2 to 5 cm with magenta-pink flowers in June and July. Papaver 'Princess Victoria Louise' opens salmon-pink poppies at 75 to 90 cm in May and June. Achillea New Vintage™ Violet adds violet-red heads at 66 to 71 cm from June to August. Panicum 'Heavy Metal' stands behind at 120 cm in flower with stiff, metallic blue-grey blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to lean, well-drained soil. It tolerates clay and gravelly soil but not standing water. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. It can self-seed. Cut off the flower heads before they ripen if you want to limit seedlings, or leave them for winter interest. Divide clumps every few years, in spring or fall, when the centre gets crowded.

History: Nodding onion, Allium cernuum, is a wildflower native across much of North America, including parts of Ontario, where it grows on rocky slopes, bluffs and dry meadows. 'Hidcote' is an English selection named after Hidcote Manor Garden, chosen for larger heads and richer colour, and it received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Final Thoughts: Tuck it into a sunny edge and let the bees and butterflies nod along. Deer disagree, politely. FINALLY, SOMEBODY ON YOUR SIDE.