Summer Beauty Allium (Allium tanguticum ‘Summer Beauty’)
Bursts of Color that Won’t Get Eaten!
- Hardiness Range: 4 to 9
- Height: 10” – 20”
- Spread: 10” – 18”
- Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Flower Color: Lavender-Pink
Why We Love It:
Summer Beauty Allium adds an interesting splash of color to any midwestern garden. This ornamental perennial in the onion family produces unique 2-inch lavender-pink globe flowers that are held atop a low mound of narrow, dark-green foliage by tall, slender stalks. This perennial adds a relatively fine texture to your landscape and the flowers are relatively long lasting, blooming from early summer to late summer. They also make for unusual cut flowers.
Summer Beauty Allium is a great choice if you are looking to attract pollinators to your yard – butterflies, honeybees and bumblebees love this plant (as shown in photos)! It is also a great choice if you are looking for a deer resistant plant as this is one of the few perennials that our Wisconsin deer are not interested in. Rabbits also tend to leave this plant alone.
Know Before You Plant:
Allium is a relatively low maintenance plant. If you choose to prune, wait until after it’s done flowering to avoid accidentally removing any of the current season’s growth.
We prefer using allium in the middle of a mixed perennial bed. This allows you to plant spring-flowering varieties in front of the allium, and perennials or dense shrubs behind to offer rich fall color after allium has finished for the season.
When using allium in a cut flower arrangement, keep in mind that it has a distinct chive-onion aroma: love it or hate it!
Where It Thrives:
Summer Beauty Allium prefers full sun, but tolerates partial shade well. It is a versatile perennial that can add a pop of color to your herb garden, border edging, or rock garden.
