i saw one just like that today.. $25 US ... like the song.. i walked on by ...

would have done the same at half off also.. lol..

ken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO073fekFfA&ab_channel=TubeSnatcher

(The one pictured above was on sale for $6 CDN (about $4.75 USD))

You lucky dog. i was considering splurging on a few Ambassador bulbs but waited just a little bit too long and they were all gone. You showed admirable restraint by only picking up one bulb, I would have probably grabbed as may as I could!

So @katob Z6ish, NE Pa is it your experience that Ambassador will give the largest flower on the tallest stalk of any allium?

(I did pick up two but I have decided to go back to the nursery tomorrow to get a few more....fingers crossed)

I haven't grown them yet, but I think they are one of the tallest with good sized flowers.

I'd like to see if they are as 'purple' as advertised, most of the 'purples' I've tried have more of a silvery tone to them and I would really like a dark purple one such as this one is advertised.

rouge, did you post a pic? I'm not seeing anything... $4.75 sounds like a great deal!

:)

Dee

Hey @diggerdee zone 6 CT can you see a picture now?

but I have decided to go back to the nursery tomorrow to get a few more....fingers crossed

So as could be easily predicted I over bought this morning i.e. got 8 Giganteum and 8 Ambassador (all at half price).

(I really should get them all in the ground today as the weather is reasonable right now and looking worse for tomorrow and next week.)

OMG, lol! YES! Now I see the photo haha! Wow, that is indeed one big bulb!

Glad you found more this morning. Can't wait to see them in bloom next season!

:)

Dee

I saw some today, and yes, Ambassador bulbs were very large to huge. Not sure why they much different than other tall ball types. Got one Giganteum which has a large but teardropped shape bulb. Find it a good spot, I'll see how tall I can get it.

These large "ornamental onions" don't really seem to grow rings like the species we eat, or do they? Nor like garlic with separate cloves. They seem solid.

Am I the only one who can't get large flowered alliums to return? They bloom nicely the first year then dwindle to nothing. (Full sun, heavy clay soil, hot & dry summers, moderate & wet winters).

Neat!

UPDATE June 2022):

Here is this same bulb as of today

I planted two 'Ambassador', already bloomed and now interesting seed head pin cushion balls. Both almost exactly 4 feet tall. The purple was more intense than the giganteum which is still in bloom.

Also planted a hybrid called 'Magic', a hybrid of atropurpureum. Almost as tall and big as 'Ambassidor', it has upward pointed dark wine colored flowers, now they have cool green seeds pods.

With large Allium bulbs like these, how well do they do the second year? Assuming they get good sun during Spring and are kept dry during Summer. Grow weaker? Divide into smaller plants?

In northern Virginia large flowered alliums dwindle and peter out in a couple of years. I have a few christophii in an especially dry bed which have bloomed for five years. Otherwise, two years has been it.

cecily - Thank you for that information.

In northern Virginia large flowered alliums dwindle and peter out in a couple of years.

@cecily 7A, that is disappointing. The 6 or more Ambassador/Giganteum that came up in this their first spring was a highlight of our garden!

Rouge I trust that your soil isn't nearly as heavy as my red clay and your outcome will be quite different.

All good cecily.

We had a few larger alliums from previous years and as I recall they did become less large. less vigorous over the years.

We happened to be visiting the Norfolk Botanical Garden last year (beach trip!) when the groundskeepers were pulling the alliums. Yes, they grow them as annuals like tulips.

Indeed, all alliums respond differently and culture really can impact their performance. Here's a clump of 'Globemaster' after what would have been three or four years. The soil is peaty, deep and free draining ... yes, they've since been lifted and replanted. This spring and early summer was especially cool and moist and 'Globemaster' had strutted it's stuff for an extended period of time. Some others are aggressive with seedling out or MASS blub reproduction, those types have been dug and composted!

Wow, that's nice!

Yes, it has stopped a few folks in their tracks. I could have hundreds of these planted about, though I don't always get around to the early autumn chore of digging and replanting them.

Rouge, do you not also have 'Beau Regard', how has it performed?

I wish other gardeners would chime in and say "Globemaster is wicked good in Maine!" or "Globemaster was disappointing in _________". Then we would have a better idea of which regions favor large flowered alliums. Rouge was lucky to find them on sale - alliums are pricey, especially if they don't last long.

Yes, unreasonably high prices, I could make a small fortune on the excess 'Globemaster' I haven't bothered to replant.

Cecily, this forum being a very good resource and my go to regarding the performance of plants both new and old, always good having others chime in, can be fun as well !!

Rouge, do you not also have 'Beau Regard', how has it performed?

Hey @FrozeBudd_z3/4. I had to check details ie I planted three in the Fall of 2016. I actually know exactly where they are located. I saw them this past spring, yes not as large as 5 years back but I think still big enough.

Wow, that's an amazing photo!!

Cecily, mine didn't even all come up the first time. It could be I did something wrong though - rogue's photo is making me want to try again.

I don't recall if mine were giganteum or globemaster. Maybe they didn't get enough sun. Maybe something ate them? At any rate, out of several, like maybe 5? - I think I got one or two blooms, and then no repeats the next year.

I planted two very large 'Ambassador' bulbs late last fall, and I dug them up now. Both have clearly divided into large halves with a third large clove baby. So I think digging up and replanting them is necessary to keep them huge.

So I think digging up and replanting them is necessary to keep them huge.

That's one garden chore that I cant bring myself to do.

I just dig them without trying when I'm planting something else.

Of course I'd have to mark where each is, dig up, store and replant. I guess with my laziness I am willing to have them slowly but surely lose their size over time.

I did remember where I planted them, and they are quite large to find. Completely dormant, I replanted them without storage.