Is it too late to plant Allium bulbs?

swingaloo2

Only this last week one of my friends has just bought and planted a load of Allium bulbs. Being completely honest I have to say that until she told me about them I had never heard of Allium.. 
So I googled and thought they look lovely so was about to order some bulbs online. Then I noticed that they all say they should be planted in late autumn/early winter.   Is it to late to risk planting some now?

twopenny

Judging by my tulips which have barely put their noses above the soil when I'd normall expect them half way up by now, I'd say it would be ok to plant them now.

The soil has been sodden for so long they wouldn't have liked it much anyway and it's till cold.

I bought some for the first time this year. A good price and sold in a supermarket and they didn't get planted till December.

swingaloo2

Thank you twopenny. I will go ahead and plant some.

Davesnave

Alliums are onion relatives. Some breed like rabbits and may be best avoided, but there are some choice ones too. Seed of those ought to be planted in the autumn and left outside to get cold/warm alternately, but bulbs are probably fine to plant now.

elsien

I have some allium seeds that I gathered in the autumn and forgot about. Can I sow them now to plant out later and flower another year? 

Davesnave

elsien said:

I have some allium seeds that I gathered in the autumn and forgot about. Can I sow them now to plant out later and flower another year? 

Yes, we still have most of February and all of March as 'winter,' so they may break dormancy just fine. If you cover the surface of the soil in the pot with grit or vermiculite it will help keep it weed-free if you do need to wait longer for germination. Depends on the species.