Hello, today I would like to introduce you to a unique flower. The flower blooms in a round shape, with a single stem extending downwards, almost resembling a dandelion seed, but this is the beautiful Allium flower.

Allium spp, the scientific name of Allium, is a member of the lily family, with 325 species worldwide, most of which are distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. There are 21 species in Korea. It is known to be distributed in dry plains and mountainous areas of the Northern Hemisphere, and is used not only for medicinal, edible and ornamental purposes, but also has many weed varieties. The leaves and stems all come out of the roots and have an odor similar to garlic chives. Don't you want to smell it once?

Its origin is said to be the Mediterranean coast, including Central Asia, Syria, and Greece. And the flower language! It's important, isn't it? The flower language of Allium is "infinite sadness." I don't know why it was given this name, but it seems to fit well with the calm and sad feeling of the flower language.

The flowering period also varies greatly, with some blooming in spring, some in summer, and some in autumn. The flower color is also varied, with purple being the most representative, but also pink, deep pink, light blue, yellow, and deep purple. The maximum growth length is 50 cm. It seems like a pretty big size.

Flowers are classified into large types with long flower stalks and large flowers, and small types with short flower stalks, but there are also medium-sized types. Medium and large types are mainly used for cut flowers, and small types are mainly used for flower beds and potted plants.

Almost all of them are grown in the Netherlands worldwide and mainly exported to the United States, with only a few species produced in Japan and Israel. The Netherlands seems to be a flower country as it grows many flowers.

Here is some simple information you need to grow Allium. It takes a lot of effort when planting and cutting flowers, but it takes relatively little effort otherwise. It prefers cool climates and is unsuitable for cultivation in high temperatures.

It usually enters dormancy after flowering, and the dormancy is broken as it spends the summer in a dry state, and growth begins in autumn when the temperature becomes cool. Since it is a plant suitable for cool climates, it may be difficult to grow in Korea's climate, which is very cold in winter and hot and humid in summer. Most Allium species have bulb roots, but some also have rhizomes (stem roots). Allium species that are cultivated for horticulture are called "garlic" in Latin, are autumn-planted bulbs, and most bloom in spring and harvest the bulbs in June or July.

I would like to introduce you to two types of Allium. One is Allium giganteum, which originates in Central Asia, has large scales, and is a plant that reaches a height of 1.5 m. The leaves are 50-60 cm long, and the flowers bloom pink in May, with about 200 flowers clustered in an umbel on the flower stalk.

Personally, I felt that the large flower Allium had a more bright and abundant feel. Next, there is Lilyric (A. moly), which has yellow flowers, and Ricky (A. porrum), which has pink flowers. It is planted for ornamental purposes, but can also be eaten as a vegetable. The flowers are not showy, but the flower stalks can be bent freely, so they are often used for flower arrangements.

The photo above is Allium moly, Lilyric. It is known as yellow garlic.

That concludes our look at the beautiful Allium flower. If you see Allium in your garden or at a flower shop, how about recalling its name and flower language? That concludes this article! Thank you!