Allium lusitanicum Summer Beauty
Allium 'Summer Beauty' photo courtesy of Chicago Botanical Garden
Ornamental Onion

Allium ‘Summer Beauty’ is a dependable, long-blooming ornamental onion prized for its tidy clumping habit and soft lavender-pink globe-shaped flowers held above glossy green foliage. Blooming in midsummer, it provides valuable colour and structure at a time when many perennials slow down. Its airy flower heads weave beautifully among grasses and companion perennials, making it an excellent choice for naturalistic and Piet Oudolf–inspired plantings, where long-lasting structure, movement, and pollinator activity are key design elements.

  • Height: 45-60 cm (18-24 in)
  • Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 in)
  • Cold Hardiness: Zone 4-8
  • Sun or Shade: minimum 5 hours of direct sun
  • Bloom Time: mid to late summer
  • Leaf Colour: glossy green
  • Bloom Colour: lavender
  • Critter Resistance: deer and rabbit resistance
  • Nature Attraction: bees, butterflies and pollinators

Growing and Maintenance Tips

Grow in full sun in well-drained soil. ‘Summer Beauty’ adapts well to average garden conditions, including clay soils with reasonable drainage. Once established, it is drought tolerant and extremely low maintenance. Avoid wet winter soils. Remove spent flower stems if desired, though seed heads provide late-season interest. Cut foliage back in late fall or early spring, and divide clumps every few years to maintain vigour.

Specials

New for 2026
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