Ornamental Onion Seed Harvesting

Did I plan on doing this?

No.

Do I regret doing it?

Not at all!

I was doing some cleanup outside when I noticed that our ornamental globe onions had dried up and keeled over. I have to admit, I got a bit excited when I saw the dark seeds!


You have to squint a little to see the onion.

I managed to find three seed heads and brought them indoors.



I was new to harvesting the seed so I had to find a process that worked for me. The fastest turned out to hold all the stems attaching the seed heads to the main stem between two fingers. My other hand would 'brush' the outside and knock out the black seed kernels.



I gathered enough seeds to play with for next year. I understand that the parents are probably some kind of hybrid so these will most likely not grow true. I think a bit of flair added to the front flower beds won't hurt one bit!

I winter sowed one of my favorite ornamental alliums last season. I made a fatal error. I left them in the container until the tap roots were too long and when I transplanted them, they all didn't make it. I had read that they are slow to germinate, so I thought winter sowing would be the ticket. Next year, I will winter sow them again (I did have exceptional germination last year) and I will not let them sit in the container too long. Getting them into individual pots to grow on will be the goal. What fun to start them from seed! Good luck with your adventure.

The ornamental onions with the globe flowers do look spectacular and brighten the beds in the late summer here. I believe all alliums are edible, although I think beautiful flowers are also a yield. One of mine has grown into a congested clump, although it still sends up some flowers. I think I could divide the clump this autumn to propagate it and encourage more flowers.