Why Plant Millenium Ornamental Onion?
If you think onions are only for eating, then you’ve got another thing coming! There are many fantastic ornamental onions for your garden that can deliver a splash of color along with quirky forms for a playful touch. Millennium Ornamental Onion is one of the best. It will charm you from mid to late summer with rosy purple blooms shaped like lollipops. The perky flower heads attract butterflies, bees, and other valuable pollinators, too. Plant this compact grower near the front of your mixed border or keep it in a container and have a fun, portable summer color spot on your deck or patio.
Onions belong to a genus (Allium) that includes familiar edibles like garlic, chives, shallots, and so much more. There are around 850 species of Alliums in the world, nearly all of them native to the Northern Hemisphere. Many have in common musky-smelling foliage and uniquely arranged flower heads that form globes or starburst patterns. Millennium was bred in 2000 (hence the name) by Mark “The Onion Man” McDonough of Pepperell, Massachusetts. McDonough is an architect by trade and an amateur gardener on the side with a passion for ornamental onions. Millennium is one of his finest introductions.
How to use Millenium Ornamental Onion in the landscape?
Ornamental onions have a bad rap because of a few thugs that seed around the garden and become a real nuisance. Millennium Ornamental Onion is a hybrid that sets no seed and behaves itself. The clump will slowly bulk up and may be divided in spring or fall to start a new patch, but it won’t venture out on its own. Most border situations suit it well, and it is at home in the rock garden, too. To use the flowers in arrangements, cut them as soon as they open, and they’ll last a long time in water.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-8
How To Plant Millenium Ornamental Onion
Plant Millenium Ornamental Onion in a site in all-day sun; afternoon shade may be a good idea in very hot climates. Millenium grows best in light (sandy), free-draining soils. It has average to low water needs, withstanding periods of drought once established. Diseases and insect pests are rarely a problem with this carefree Spirit; deer and rabbits avoid the aromatic foliage as well.
How To Water
At time of planting, be sure to water your Millennium Ornamental Onion well. Maintain a consistent watering schedule for the first growing season to ensure root system development. After that, they are able to handle dried conditions.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. After that, be sure to fertilize in spring each year as your Onion breaks dormancy!
How To Prune
Each fall, just before winter sets in, clean up the previous years foliage and compost it. Be sure your perennials are mulched well for winter protection. Two inches of an organic mulch will do the job. Consider leaving the plant debris in place through the winter and doing your clean up on the weather warms in the spring. While it doesn't make things neat and tidy, the debris provides overwintering protection for insects, their eggs and pupae including our native Viceroy butterfly.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
