Globemaster Allium

Allium 'Globemaster'

flower

Globemaster is the grandest of the ornamental onions, the giant allium that stops traffic in late spring. On stout stems about two and a half feet tall it lifts enormous, perfectly spherical flower heads eight to ten inches across, each a dense globe of hundreds of tiny, star-shaped, deep violet florets that together shimmer with a metallic sheen. The globes bloom for weeks, then dry to handsome tan seed heads that hold their shape into summer for continued structure. A sterile hybrid, it sets no seed and never becomes weedy, and like all alliums it is completely deer and rodent proof. Planted in groups among lower perennials, its floating purple spheres are one of the great spectacles of the spring garden.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Catmint: A low blue haze that hides the allium fading leaves and blooms at the same time around the purple globes
• Bearded Iris: Flowers in the same late-spring window and shares the full sun and well-drained soil
• Peony: A bushy companion whose foliage screens the allium ankles while the globes float above

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Onion fly →

  Its maggots can tunnel into bulbs - plant in well-drained soil, rotate where you add new bulbs, and remove any soft, infested bulbs; rarely a problem on established ornamental alliums

• Thrips →

  Can streak the foliage in hot weather - usually cosmetic on alliums and not worth treating

• Bulb rot →

  Strikes in wet, poorly drained soil - plant in sharply drained ground and never in standing water

• Downy mildew →

  A fungal disease in cool wet spells - give airflow and avoid waterlogged soil; seldom serious

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Allium is a spectacular cut and dried flower - cut the globes in the cool morning when most of the florets have opened for a dramatic fresh arrangement (stand them in water away from food, as cut allium stems can smell faintly oniony), or let the heads dry on the plant and cut them later as long-lasting dried globes. In the garden, leave the seed heads standing for summer structure. The bulbs are deer and rodent proof, so unlike tulips they can be planted without protection.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

An ornamental bulb of real pollinator value - the huge globes are densely packed with nectar-rich florets that are mobbed by bees and butterflies in late spring. Sterile, deer-proof, and long-lived; grown for ornament. Mildly toxic to pets (onion family) if eaten.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Like all members of the onion family, ornamental alliums are toxic to dogs and cats (and horses) if eaten, since the bulbs and foliage contain compounds that damage red blood cells and can cause anemia. They are not a hazard to handle or grow around - just keep pets from digging up and chewing the bulbs.