For the third year in a row, ornamental onion Allium ‘Millenium’ (yes, it’s spelled that way) continues to be my favorite perennial to grow.
The flowers are a gorgeous purple and the plants grow 15 to 20 inches tall:
I used to think agastache (licorice mint – an herb) was the undisputed bee-attracting plant of the garden, but you’ve never seen anything like the number of bees and other pollinators that swarm to these plants when they are in bloom.
Because they are onions, the leaves are chive-like and have an onion scent. This summer I noticed little seedlets trying to emerge near the parent plant and I’ve left them alone to see if they’ll mature into new plants.
As more bare spots open up in my flowerbeds, I’m going to continue to add this wonderful plant in as many places as possible.
‘Millenium’ is listed as a Zone 5 plant, but I’ve got several of them growing in a retaining wall that gets full exposure to winter’s north winds (as well as salt spray from snowplows) and I haven’t lost a plant yet.
The plants grow upright and need no staking or special attention. They are also drought-tolerant and deer and rodent resistant.
‘Millenium’ is definitely a winner.