Turkestan onion
Allium karataviense · Amaryllidaceae
A pair of very broad, pleated, grey-purple leaves cradles a pale pink or white globe that sits almost on the ground, in late spring.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid May to early June
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around Turkestan onion
The planner designed this bed around Turkestan onion when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why Turkestan onion stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Common thyme × 5, lavender
- 2 Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun' × 8, red
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Oregano × 3, pink
- 7 Turkestan onion × 12, pink
- 8 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 10 in it stands ahead of oregano (20 in) without hiding it.
- 12 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid May to early June.
- Opens the season. In its first week nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. For contrast, the bold leaves of silver sage sit beside the fine leaves of common thyme. The longest in flower is blanket flower 'Arizona Sun': 17 weeks, from mid June to early October.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Turkestan onion goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
Grown as much for its leaves as its flowers: the broad, metallic foliage is handsome for weeks before the flower opens. Unlike other alliums, it belongs at the very front.
- Bold foliage and flowers at the front
- Rock and gravel gardens
- Containers
What to plant with Turkestan onion
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch': in flower together for four weeks, from mid May; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same dry soil.
- Creeping thyme: fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (3 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about Turkestan onion
Does Turkestan onion need sun or shade?
Turkestan onion grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Turkestan onion grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Turkestan onion flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Mid May to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 8 | Late April to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Turkestan onion be planted?
8 in (20 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Turkestan onion plants do I need?
At 8 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 27 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 16 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 86 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used 12 in two groups.
Is Turkestan onion poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Like all onions, it can damage red blood cells in dogs, cats and horses if eaten. Eating the bulbs in quantity can also upset a person's stomach.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat Turkestan onion?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What can I plant to hide Turkestan onion's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does Turkestan onion look like in winter?
Turkestan onion is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Allium
- Allium 'Ambassador' Allium 'Ambassador'
- Allium 'Gladiator' Allium 'Gladiator'
- Allium 'Globemaster' Allium 'Globemaster'
- Allium 'Mount Everest' Allium 'Mount Everest'
- Blue allium Allium caeruleum
- Chives Allium schoenoprasum
- Curly onion Allium senescens subsp. glaucum
- Drumstick allium Allium sphaerocephalon
- Garlic chives Allium tuberosum
- Giant allium Allium giganteum
- Golden garlic Allium moly
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa' Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa'
- Nodding onion Allium cernuum
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium' Allium 'Millenium'
- Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'
- Ornamental onion 'Summer Beauty' Allium 'Summer Beauty'
- Pink lily leek Allium oreophilum
- Schubert's allium Allium schubertii
- Sicilian honey garlic Allium siculum
- Star of Persia Allium christophii
In these guides
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 in (20 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to early June; globes; pink, white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, summer-dormant; blue-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Comes from
- Central Asia
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.