Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Nodding Onion is a bulb for bulb layer, edging, suited to full sun and loam or sandy soil, flowering Jun, Jul, Aug.
| Type | Bulb |
|---|---|
| Mature height | 45 cm |
| Spread | 30 cm |
| Aspect | full sun |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Hardiness | USDA 3a-8a |
| Pollinator-friendly | Yes |
| Pet-safe | No |
Where to use it in a border
At around 45 cm, it sits best along the front edge, where a low, spreading habit reads best. Give it about 30 cm of room to spread, roughly 3 to the metre when planted in a drift. It is hardy across USDA zones 3a to 8a, so check it suits your area before planting.
It appears in our lists of full sun, sandy soil, pollinator-friendly plants.
Border Builder uses Nodding Onion's height, spread, soil, bloom months and companions to place it in a full border plan for your own conditions, on iPhone and iPad.
Flowering through the year
Worth knowing
- Not recorded as pet-safe; site it away from pets that graze if that matters to you.
- Its flowers are valued by bees and other pollinators.
Good companions
Plants that share its conditions and style, chosen to complement its place in the border:
- Aromatic Asterto edge in front
- Blanket Flower 'Arizona Sun'to edge in front
- Blue Sageto flower when it does not
- Lanceleaf Coreopsisto edge in front
- Mexican Hatto flower when it does not
- Narrowleaf Mountain Mintto flower when it does not
Garden styles
Meadow Native Wildlife garden Xeriscape (low-water)
Sources
Bloom timing and hardiness drawn from: