Allium schubertii

* Common name: Ornamental onion

Ornamental onion — Allium schubertii — winding down bloom in late spring.

* Botanical name: Allium schubertii

* What it is: A late-spring-flowering bulb that produces nearly softball-sized purple flowers that look like a star exploding. Foot-tall tubular stalks arise from the bladed leaves, and flowers grow at the top of those stalks. Bulbs are winter-hardy (returns year after year). Deer and rabbits have no interest in this onion plant grown for its ornamental value.

* Size: 12 to 15 inches tall. Plant bulbs 10 to 12 inches apart.

* Where to use: Plant in clusters of at least 3 to 5 in border beds, perennial gardens and along sunny walks or patios. Makes an excellent oddball plant in a children’s garden. Full sun is best.

* Care: Plant in October. Scatter an organic, granular bulb fertilizer over the bed in early spring and early fall. Snip off flower stalks when blooms fade but wait until foliage browns or at least yellows before cutting it. Leaves die back by mid-summer. Water not needed. These are very drought-tough.

* Great partners: Pink shrub roses, spirea ‘Neon Flash’ and abelia ‘Pinky Bells’ are good shrub partners. Interplant with dahlia tubers, which will take over the space in late season after the allium leaves go dormant.