Prairie Onion
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Pickup currently unavailable
407 South Pipeline Road East
Euless TX 76040
United States
+12148140932
Allium stellatum, fondly known as prairie onion, is a charming Texas native plant. You can also find it flourishing on rocky prairies in the Midwest and Great Plains. This lovely bulbous perennial typically reaches 12 to 18 inches, showcasing delightful clumps of flat, narrow, grass-like leaves that can grow up to 12 inches tall. Its tiny, star-shaped, reddish-pink flowers grace the garden in rounded clusters—known as umbels—perched atop slender, leafless stems that rise gently above the foliage, blooming beautifully from mid to late summer. By the time the flowers arrive, the leaves often retreat. Both the leaves and flower scapes sprout directly from the bulbs.
If you happen to cut or bruise any part of this plant, you’ll notice a delightful onion-like aroma filling the air! While people once enjoyed cooking with the bulbs and leaves in stews or eating them fresh, this particular allium isn’t commonly seen as a culinary favorite these days. Interestingly, early Americans also found the bulbs useful as remedies for coughs and colds and even as insect repellents. You might also spot nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum), which bears a resemblance to prairie onion in size, culture, and overall appearance, except that, true to its name, its flower umbel nods instead of standing tall.
The genus name comes from the classical Latin term for garlic, adding a little history to this lovely plant! It thrives best in average dry to medium, well-drained soil and loves basking in full sun to light shade. Although it prefers full sun, it truly appreciates a touch of light afternoon shade during those hot summer days, and it flourishes in rocky or sandy soils. Under the right conditions, prairie onion can charm its way into your garden through self-seeding and bulb offsets. To keep things tidy, deadheading the flowers before they set seed can help manage their spread. The lush foliage stays vibrant until the time of flowering in summer or even a bit beyond before gently fading away. If you’re eager to grow these delightful plants, they can be easily started from seeds in the spring, or bulbs and bulb offsets in the autumn.
Height: 1’-1.5’
Spread: 6”-1’
Bloom: July-September
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Water: Low, Medium
Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Origin: Central North America
Spring Shipping:
Orders are shipped within 7-10 business days. We will email you if there are expected delays.
When you order plants from our nursery, you can expect them to arrive in the best possible condition. Our team carefully packs each order using sturdy, biodegradable packaging materials.
Your plants' appearance may vary depending on the season and their current growth stage. We may cut back the leafy growth of some plants to prepare them for shipment and transplanting.
5 Gallon and Up: Any plant purchased to ship over 5 Gallons will be shipped bare root. This means we will remove the plant from its original pot, remove the soil surrounding the roots, and wrap the roots with a biodegradable plastic bag. This reduces weight and the likelihood of damage during shipping.
Once your plants arrive, it is essential to plant them as soon as possible. This will help them rebound and thrive. If you cannot plant immediately, water regularly and keep the roots off heat-conducting surfaces.
Newly transplanted plants often require more water until their roots are well established. Plan to water them 1-3 times weekly for the first few months.
