girlsaylor, a couple of years ago I tried growing some of those globe alliums, the ones Park Seed was promoting in their catalog (remember the little girl standing beside an allium bloom as big as her head).

I planted them as directed and they grew a rosette of leaves. The flower stalks were very short -- like about 5 inches high. What a disappointment.

Later I read somewhere that the short stems are due to a lack of winter chill.

Yeah, I saw one of those ads with the little girl and BIG bloom too. I got a couple of the bulbs. They did not do well. The bloom was scanty and misshapened on short stems. Pitiful looking. They didn't come back the second year. I don't recall that anything was said about digging them for the winter. It could have been due to my gardening skills or it could have been bad bulbs. But I didn't try again.

After I had ordered them, I read something about placing them away from any sweet smelling flowers such as roses because they had a terrible odor. they were right about that!! Even though the blooms were nothing to look at, the smell more that made up for it. I guess it's because alliums are in the same family as onions and garlic. I don't think I would waste space on them unless you have some to spare.

I have not seen any of the BIG alliums around. The nearest thing to them are the Lilies of the Nile, which do well in sun and don't have to be dug.

PB

Thanks for the responses, folks. I had the $20 coupon for Brecks, and ordered alliums. Have never seen them growing here. When I get them, I'll surprise my son in Ohio with them, as they are on his wishlist, and grow well in Ohio. I do miss them - if you've ever seen them growing in the right environment, they are a great addition to the flowerbed.

girlsaylor

Try planting them in a big clay pot that is left outside all winter. Should give them enough 'chill' to bloom properly. This technique works for many bulbs and plants that need a cold treatment each winter.

This past winter I planted some allium schubertii.
They've just finished blooming but I really liked them--
huge alien-looking things. It took a while for the blooms to open fully but they look good for weeks (of course, 'look good' subject to personal opinion) Still unsure if I will have to dig them up and chill.

If you dig them up and chill them, how is that done? In the refrigerator? In the freezer? Can you just drop them in a ziplock bag and throw them into the back of the freezer, or is there more to it than that? For how many weeks or months?

Thanks,
Carol
Jacksonville, Florida

I also tried alliums-no luck. I think it is just too hot.