Description
💧 Watering
Alliums require very little water and are highly drought-tolerant once established. During their active growth in spring, keep the soil lightly moist. Once they finish blooming and go dormant in the dry Maltese summer, stop watering completely. Their bulbs store all the moisture they need, and wet soil during their summer nap will quickly lead to bulb rot.
☀️ Light
They absolutely demand full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day). Intense light is required to keep their tall stems strong and rigid. If planted in the shade, the stems will weaken, become “floppy,” and lean over awkwardly as they reach for the light. They handle the peak of the Maltese summer heat exceptionally well.
🍃 Foliage / Growth
A fascinating quirk to note for your customers: the strap-like green foliage will often start to yellow and wither just as the flowers begin to bloom. This is completely normal! The plant is simply redirecting its energy from the leaves into the massive flower head. Advise your customers not to cut the leaves off until they are completely brown, as they are still recharging the bulb for next year’s bloom.
🪴 Potting Mix
Excellent drainage is a strict requirement. They will grow in sandy, gritty, or poor soil, but they absolutely hate heavy, waterlogged clay. For pots, use a high-quality potting soil heavily amended with sand, grit, or perlite. They prefer neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, making them perfectly suited for Malta’s naturally limestone-rich environment.
🌿 Fertilizer
They are very light feeders. Mixing a little bone meal or a slow-release bulb fertilizer into the soil when planting the bulbs in autumn is usually enough. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers during the spring, as this will produce weak, soft stems that easily snap in the strong Maltese winds.
❌🐕🐈 Pet Safety
Alliums are toxic to dogs and cats. Like edible onions and garlic, they contain compounds that can cause gastrointestinal irritation and, if consumed in large quantities, damage red blood cells (anemia). Fortunately, the slight onion scent of the crushed foliage usually deters pets from chewing them, but they are still best planted out of reach.
🌬️ Air Purifying
While they aren’t traditional indoor air-purifiers, they are an absolute superstar for outdoor biodiversity. They are magnetic to local pollinators; bees, butterflies, and hoverflies will constantly cover the globe-like flowers all through late spring and early summer.
*Pictures shown may vary from actual product due to the live nature of the items. Some items may be out of stock for various reasons, we will issue a refund or offer alternatives should that be the case.
The Price is per one individual plant.
