Allium cernuum

The Nodding Onion is a perennial wildflower species that typically grows about 0.5 m tall. The leaves are flat, narrow, and grass like. The flowers are white or pink coloured, tiny, bell shaped, and appear in drooping clusters on erect stems above the foliage. These flowers bloom in mid to late summer. All parts of this plant may have a slight oniony smell. The flowers are attractive to pollinator species like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Deadhead spent flowers to promote new blooms.

Nodding Onion grows best in moist or normal conditions with full or partial sun exposure. It prefers sandy loamy soil but can grow in a variety of soil types with neutral to alkaline pH level. It is tolerant of deer grazing, drought, and dry soil but young plants should be watered occasionally during hot summers. This plant can be naturally found along river or lake shorelines, wet fields, open forests, and rocky slopes.

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Scientific Name: Allium cernuum
Type: Ground Cover
Height: 0.5 m
Spread: 0.5 m
Moisture Level: dry, moist
Light Conditions: full sun, part sun
Soil Conditions: sand, clay, loam, rocky
Zone (Hardiness of Canada):