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: Cerastium 'Silver Carpet' spreads white flowers at 15 cm in May and June, just before the nodding pink heads open. Aster 'Mönch' adds lavender daisies from July to September as the onion finishes. Eryngium yuccifolium gives height and a bold, spiky form with white flowers up to 150 cm. All three share full sun.

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.