Allium Crispum

Allium crispum is a jewel-like Californian onion with compact umbels of vivid magenta-purple flowers, each triangular petal edged with a distinctive crisped white margin. The frilled outline gives the small blooms remarkable definition and makes this one of the most decorative dwarf species when viewed closely. Native to the coast ranges south of San Francisco, it grows on clay and serpentine soils that dry hard in summer. Long flowering, compact and pollinator friendly, it is ideal for a trough, alpine house or sunny rock garden where sharp drainage and a dry dormant period can be provided.