Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)

$10.00

This beautiful and highly adaptable native perennial delivers lasting beauty to naturalized spaces and garden beds alike. Its soft pink to lavender, drooping or “nodding” flower clusters provide a reliable nectar source for native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects during early to midsummer.

Growing 12–24 inches tall, slender grass-like leaves and arching stems create movement and texture in shorter meadows and naturalized plantings. The flowers catch light beautifully and pair easily with grasses and wildflowers.

Sow seed in fall or cold-stratify before spring planting. Adaptable, drought-tolerant, and long-lived, Nodding Onion returns year after year, strengthening ecological landscapes with minimal maintenance.

Seed packet size: .5 grams (~100 seeds)

Things to know

Sunlight requirements: Full sun to partial shade

Characteristics: Umbels of pink to light purple star-shaped flowers that "nod" or droop on curved stems with narrow, grass-like, onion-scented leaves.

Bloom time: Mid to late summer

Height: 12-18 inches tall

Soil conditions: Well-drained, sandy to loamy, moderate watering

When to sow: Fall to early spring

Planting instructions: Direct sow seeds into loose weed-free, well-draining soil. Seeds can be lightly raked into the soil.

Stratification requirements: 6-8 weeks

Life cycle: Perennial

Wild Spaces Land Care is a Vancouver-based company focused on highlighting the importance of gardening with native species. We want to bring more attention to our native flora and make the plants more accessible to local gardeners. We source our seeds from high-quality suppliers around the PNW and ensure high quality seeds and high industry standards for germination rates.