Rodent-resistant bulbs

Flower & Garden Magazine, Sept-Oct, 1997 by Patricia A. Taylor

Nodding onion (Allium cernuum) is a native found in both sunny and shaded situations throughout the country. It is a personal favorite of mine and many plant breeders as well; the latter have introduced cultivars that bloom as early as June and as late as August and that range in height from 6 to 24 inches. Flower color varies, too, from white to deep lavender. I have a white form, with buds that resemble large white drops, then cascade open into lacy sprays in early August. Zones 4 to 8)

Blue onion (Allium caeruleum) is named for its rich, blue flower heads. I intersperse these bulbs among sun-loving, gray-foliaged plants such as lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) and artemisias. In late June, the ball-shaped flower heads appear on top of thin, 12- to 18-inch stems and look like elegant Christmas decorations in the border. The gray foliage plants then mask the blue onion leaves as they turn brown and go dormant. (Zones 3 to 8)

Star of Persia (Allium christophii) opens its exotic flowers in early July. This 18- to 24-inch-tall plant is so gorgeous that it can stand on its own as a specimen or be grouped as an eye-catching display. Each large, silvery purple, ball-shaped umbel contains up to 100 tiny, starlike flowers. Plant these bulbs in full sun and you will have handsome flowers for both fresh and dried arrangements. (Zones 3 to 7)

Drumstick onion (Allium sphaerocephalum) is another sun lover. Its reddish purple flowers open in July and do indeed resemble the fat portion of a drumstick. This allium forms clumps over time, with the number of flower heads increasing every year. As they increase, however, the crowded conditions lead to reduced stature. An uncrowded bulb will send its flower head to 3 feet, but those in dense clumps may rise only 2 feet. (Zones 3 to 8)

LATE SUMMER STARS

The following three bulbs will add cheer to gardens blighted by heat during the dog days of August and September.

`Lucifer' crocosmia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) is an exceptionally hardy hybrid -- especially when you consider that its parents usually cannot survive 20-degree temperatures. If you like its unabashed shade of scarlet you will definitely want this carefree, elegant bulb in your garden. A neighbor of mine has grown it for years and likes both its handsome, swordlike foliage and its bright red flowers on 2-foot stems. (Zones 5 to 8)

Magic lily (Lycoris squamigera) is an August delight as it sends up exotic rose-lilac flowers on long slender stems that reach 18 to 24 inches. The flowers are fragrant and the petal shapes are so unusual -- slim and twisting -- that they are sometimes known as spider lilies. The foliage on this bulb appears in spring and then goes dormant before the "magic" flowers suddenly appear in late summer on naked stems. Plant magic lilies in sunny to lightly shaded garden beds. (Zones 4 to 9)

Ivy-leafed cyclamens (Cyclamen hederifolium) offer a double bonus for late season gardens: gorgeous white to pink flowers after Labor Day and then handsome, exquisitely marbled leaves in different shapes that decorate garden beds until blanketed by snow. This is a bulb for shade gardeners; it is particularly decorative under conifers because falling leaves do not blanket its presence. (Zones 5 to 9)