Allium ‘Millenium’

Last August I crammed several botanical garden visits into one weekend, and each property featured a lovely purple summer-blooming allium that was loaded with honeybees and other pollinators. I was smitten.

I learned that there are two popular varieties—‘Summer Beauty’ and ‘Millenium.’ With a few exceptions most perennials are winding down or looking ragged this time of year, so it was exciting to discover a plant that could bring some fresh color to my flowerbeds in late summer.

I hunted down ‘Millenium’ this spring and stuck it in two different flowerbeds in my north-facing front yard. They started blooming in mid-July and are still going strong.

Even the stems on this plant are fun. They shoot up straight but the tops remain curled until the buds are ready to open:

‘Millenium’ grows 15 to 20 inches tall with very strong stems that support 2-inch puffs of purple flowers. The plants are happy in sun or partial-shade.

One of my plants is growing near some orange marigolds. The other one was planted a little too closely to some rambunctious annuals and perennials and had to fight for real estate. The strong stems just poked right through the zinnias and rudbeckias:

The real test will be whether the plants can survive our winters. They are hardy to Zone 5 (I’m in Zone 5a). I haven’t had much luck with Zone 5 plants over the last couple of brutal winters, but I’m hoping ‘Millenium’ will be the exception (and I’m hoping we’re done with brutal winters for awhile).

If ‘Millenium’ survives and thrives I would love to add this plant to some of my other flowerbeds. ‘Millenium’ is easy to grow and free of pests and diseases. The fresh, bright-purple flowers add some flair to the late-summer garden, and the bees and beneficial insects (like soldier beetles) love them: