'Bubble Bath' allium, new in 2023, grows as a clump of twisted, blue-green foliage and blooms with multiple stalks of light purple flowers in midsummer to autumn. Rabbits and deer are likely to avoid its slightly onion-scented leaves, while its flowers invite pollinators to the garden. The pale flower color, slightly twisted leaves and relatively early bloom time of 'Bubble Bath' allium make it different than other clumping alliums on the market.
Common name: 'Bubble Bath' clumping allium, ornamental onion
Botanical name: Allium 'Bubble Bath'
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Flowers: Sturdy, upright stems support three-inch-round heads of small, pale purple flowers from midsummer to autumn. Each plant produces many flowering stems.
Foliage: Blue-green in color, with a slight twist to each strap-like leaf. The foliage begins to grow in spring and remains appealing well into fall (as opposed to bulbous alliums, such as 'Globemaster', whose leaves wither in summer).
Habit: This allium generates a mounded clump of foliage about two feet tall and wide. It's a type that grows from rhizomes, or underground stems, but 'Bubble Bath' is not known to spread.
Related: Read about the tiny clumping Allium 'Blue Eddy', with swirling foliage to just eight inches tall.
Origin: Introduced in 2023 by Walters Gardens.
How to grow it: Clumping alliums like 'Bubble Bath' are easy to grow. Provide it with full sun or part shade in any type of soil. Give supplemental water in times of drought while it is getting established. Later, it needs moderate to low water and can tolerate drought. Remove old foliage and flower stalks in late winter to early spring to make way for new growth. Hardy in USDA Zones 4–8.
Image courtesy of Walters Gardens
