Bobblehead is a large, robust ornamental onion with big, globe-shaped flower heads 3 to 3.5 inches across in pale lilac. Blooms appear in midsummer and last for many weeks, then leave behind perfectly round seed heads that keep the show going.
The glaucous blue-green leaves have a slight twist, adding texture all season. Reaching 30 inches in bloom, it holds its own in borders and pollinator gardens. It handles heat, drought and a wide range of soils, and its onion scent keeps deer and rabbits away.
What it looks like
Large, perfectly round flower heads 3 to 3.5 inches across made of many small starry florets in pale lilac-pink, held on tall, straight, sturdy stems well above the foliage. After bloom the heads become neat round seed heads in tan. Leaves are wide, flat, glaucous blue-green straps with a gentle twist, forming a full clump. The plant is 30 to 32 inches tall in bloom and 20 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom many pale lilac spheres bob above the blue foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Bobblehead thrives in the same full sun and well-drained soil as lavender, and its pale lilac globes and blue foliage echo lavender's colors while adding bold round shapes beside its spikes.
Care
Grow in full sun to part shade in lean to average, well-drained soil; it handles drought once established. Hardy in USDA zones 4-8. Trim off any tired foliage in fall or early spring; clumps can be divided in spring every few years.
At a glance
-
Botanical name: Allium
-
Flower color: Pale lilac
-
Foliage: Glaucous blue-green
-
Growth habit: Upright clump with twisting leaves
-
Mature size: 30–32 in tall × 20–24 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
-
Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
-
Bloom start: Mid-July
-
Peak bloom: Early-August
-
Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
-
Deer resistance: Resistant
-
Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.