The large purple flower balls are the most striking feature of all ornamental garlic varieties. But when they slowly fade, the question arises: When is the best time to cut off the flowers?
When is the right time to cut off ornamental onion flowers?
Ornamental onion flowers can remain on the plant after they have faded; for fresh bouquets they should be almost completely open. To obtain seeds, do not cut the flowers until autumn, when capsule fruits and seeds are present.
Do you have to cut off the flowers of the ornamental onion?
After the flowers have faded and dried, you do not need tocut them off They can simply remain on the plant and look decorative even during the winter. Before the allium sprouts again in spring, you should remove the old flowers at the latest.
When do you cut the ornamental onion flowers for a bouquet?
For a fresh bouquet, cut the flowers as soon as all the individual flowers arealmost completely open. This usually happens at the beginning of June. You can of course cut off the flowers at a later date, but they may not stay fresh in the vase for as long. Use a sharp knife or secateurs to cut the flowers (€13.00 on Amazon). If you leave part of the stem standing, insects will be happy about the natural insect hotel.
When do I cut the flowers of the ornamental onion if I want to get their seeds?
If you want to collect the seeds and propagate the ornamental onion, you should not cut off the flowersbefore autumn. To collect seeds, you must wait until the flowers have developed capsules in which the seeds are formed. As soon as you can shake the small black seeds out of the capsules, you can carefully cut off the flowers and remove the seeds.
Tip
Use the flowers of the ornamental onion in dried bouquets
For a dried flower bouquet, wait until the flowers on the plant have dried. In autumn you can then cut them to the desired length and arrange them in a vase with other dry grasses.
