Allium suite

small pink allium...another variety of purple and the blue remain (plus a wild one).

Last of the purple balls

I tend to forget how much later the alliums bloom than the other "spring bulbs," and usually just about when I'm thinking they've died or just failed to bloom (leaves only) this year, bang! they put on a show. LOL

jmorth, those are stunning photos! thanks for sharing them!!

Thanks critter.
Last allium of the season: A. azureum (caeruleum)
note the allium shadow to the left

same

I put some of those A. caeruleum in a couple years ago, and they were the prettiest little things! Neat shot with the shadow. I need to start paying attention to more than just the flower... a lot of my garden photos seem to be bloom macros.

I often fall prey to the same influence (flower macros); been trying to limit that trend by taking 'vista shots' or composition shots, but, alas, before you know it old habits again take over and then I try to consciously realign my purpose, again with limited success...

Yep, the macros are great, but they don't get across the overall impression of a garden or a grouping of plants. Of course, the macros don't show the weeds so well, either... !

2 Lollipops w/ 2 purple balls

I like them too. Allium oreophyllum partially open.

And fully open. Four days later.

Allium ramosum, which is unusual in that it blooms in fall.

Allium christophii, a great mixer.

Although it can get away from you. I dig up some every year to give to friends.

And allium sphaerocephalon, which is really inexpensive. I find that it's a great mixer with plants in a similar color range. In this case, Silk Road not long after planting when it was shorter.

You've got quite a variety of alliums there DonnaMack.

So do you - more than I have. Love those guys.

Your alliums look great. I see your baptisia is finished blooming. Do you cut it down early?

DonnaMack,
Is that Allium ranosum like the wild leek/onion? I've some of the wilds that put on a more mid-summer display.

cathy, of whom do you inquire? I've a couple baptisia, the elder and greater one is allowed to set seed in blackened pod that on maturity can be used as a musical rattle by anyone so inclined.

Jmorth,

I went through my pics of it for the last five years or so, and it never blooms until early September, and then stays in bloom through the end of the month.

Thanks Donna, I'll refer through mine to verify my time or not.

It's Donna's baptisia. I have to cut mine down some afater they bloom because they bush so much they are sun hogs and put a lot of my lilies in the shade. In my garden it is very hardy and has popped up elsewhere. I've give it away a few times.

Sorry, Cathy, I missed it. I leave my baps up all winter and cut them down in spring, by which time they look pretty horrible.

alliums maintaining a sense of presence (after their bloom time)

I forgot to add that my pics are time/date stamped. I find that this makes it easy to determine bloom time. Better yet, my software enables me to view all the pictures of a given plant over several years. It helps my garden planning to know this, because I use the information to fill in plants during times of the year when there is little else.

This is why I know that from 2006 through 2010 my allium ramosum bloomed in early September and can persist though the early part of November.

DonnaMack,
Trackibility is good.
I've been tracking bloom times of my lilies on my garden map since '05. Every year I erase the location of annuals but leave perrenials and returning bulbs on map (if surviving). I copy the map into a dedicated folder to be able to reference when needed.
I can usually track other items by knowing appx bloom time and then going into a separate hard drive dedicated to pic preservation. Therein old pics are arranged chronilogically by day and months. System is somewhat cumbersome but usually will yield dates. That's what I'm intending to do to check my wild onion bloom times, but, alas, haven't searched there yet. Here's this year's map.

Oh wow! That's unbelievable!

I love tracking. I use it to determine how, when and what to germinate. It's also good to figure out where things came from. Once I realized from my records that certain plants I grew from seed did MUCH better than the ones I purchased, I was able to go wild with favored plants for a fraction of the cost.

A couple of years ago I went wild with red lilies and didn't mark the locations as well as I should have. So this year I will have to wait for a few of the new ones to come up, so I can remember where they are.

My greatest loss? Champagne from Buggy did not come back. I loved that lily, and now I can't give my business to Buggy. It was just gorgeous!

Coincidentially, my Champagne had it's first bloom open today. I agree, it's a stunning and a photogenic lily. Like you, Imiss being able to access Buggy's lilies; she, in my opinion, was the best lily vender, grower, breeder. I'd estimate she was the source of 70% of my lily acquistions. I'll post pic of Champagne later when I download.

Champagne

Really miss that guy. I'll keep my eyes open - maybe I can find a bulblet to nurture.

I lost my Champagne after the first year. :(
As usual, jm ~ wonderful allium pics!

thanks Moby

Mar - doesn't it break your heart? I put in 2, and now they are no more. The nepeta really showcased it.

*sniff*

Yes! Boo hoo!