Plant of the month May: Allium afla­tunense ‚Purple Sensa­tion‘

Plant profile

Bota­nical name: Allium afla­tunense ‚Purple Sensa­tion‘
German name: Purple globe leek
Family: Alli­aceae (allium family)
Flowe­ring time: May to June
Blos­soms: Purple violet
Foliage: Deci­duous / retracts after flowe­ring
Growth habit: Geophyte / bulbous plant
Origin: Central Asia

Details of Allium afla­tunense ‚Purple Sensa­tion‘

Allium afla­tunense ‚Purple Sensa­tion‘ is a real eye-catcher in any garden. The plant blooms to its full sple­ndour between May and June. The flowers, arranged in umbels, are purple-violet in colour and seem to float above the slender stem. Thanks to its intense colou­ring and wonderfully fragrant nectar, it attracts many bees and butter­flies. The orna­mental leek grows to a height of around 60 to 80 cm and a width of up to 30 cm. After flowe­ring, the colour of the flowers changes to a warm golden yellow.

The purple globe leek requires well-drained, humus-rich and nutrient-rich soil. It also parti­cu­larly likes sunny loca­tions, as the more sun it receives, the more intense the flowe­ring. Nevert­heless, no winter protec­tion is required, as the sphe­rical plant can with­stand tempe­ra­tures down to ‑20°C. Allium afla­tunense ‚Purple Sensa­tion‘ should be watered regu­larly. However, wate­ring less frequently but thoroughly and pene­t­ra­tingly stimu­lates the plant roots. This allows them to pene­trate deeper layers of soil and survive dry periods better.

Use of the purple ball leek in the design

As an early summer plant, the purple globe leek fits perfectly into herbaceous borders. The other peren­nial plants conceal the prac­ti­cally incon­spi­cuous foliage and the impo­sing flower balls attract everyone’s atten­tion. Planted in large numbers, the orna­mental leek looks parti­cu­larly impres­sive. Gaps between the indi­vi­dual balls can be filled with catmint, steppe sage or lavender. The intense purple colou­ring provides a beau­tiful contrast to lawns or natural stone walls. It doesn’t matter what style of garden you have, because our plant of the month can be playfully inte­grated into any garden.

Current refe­rence gardens for more inspi­ra­tion

Here you will find the latest refe­rence gardens. Let yourself be inspired and discover the possi­bi­li­ties in terrace and garden design.