You shouldn't have any crossing problems, Sarah. Both types are propagated vegetatively (that is, not from seed). Nor will you have any trouble telling them apart.

The bunching onions will look like a clump of chives on steroids. That is, a bunch of scallions growing in a clump. They are perennials, for the most part, and don't really bunch until the second year. Some varieties of bunching onions do produce flower heads and seeds. If you let this happen, and don't harvest the seed, you'll have patches of bunching onions all over the garden.

The Egyption (more properly Egyption Walking) onion is a topsetting multiplier. At a certain point, the leaves will produce bulbils---small, bulb-like growths. If you harvest those, and cure them, you can then plant them where you want the patch to be.

If you don't harvest the bulbils, the leaves will eventually dip down to the ground, and the bulbils will self-root. Thus, the plant "walks," giving it it's name.

Another common top-setter is Catawassi. Superficially it looks the same as the Egyption, with the primary difference being that the Cats put out second (and sometimes third) tiers of bulbils.

Both the bunching onions and Egyptions are typically used as scallions, because they don't produce large bulbs, the way common onions do.

Mine have no problems with nearby chives, garlic grass, shallots, or any other allium.

GardenLad,
Have you tried planting the bubils without curing"? Just as soon as a top falls over, its trying to put out roots.

Thank you :) i love you guys!!! so very helpful!! this is my favourite forum yet, i think i'll stick around ;) I look forward to learning and growing with you all!!!

Sarah

Coho, I imagine it would work fine. As you know, as much as possible I fall plant, which is why I would cure the bulbils---presuming I was foolish enough to start another patch. It took me too long to eradicate the first one, though, to ever consider doing that.