SEATTLE — Seattle gardening expert Ciscoe Morris' June ‘Plant of the Month’ is a stunner that grows about two-and-a-half feet tall and has an unforgettable name - Sicilian Honey Garlic, or Allium siculum.
"It's kind of rare, but if you have a friend who's got one, they'll be able to give you one. I’ll show you how. Now, why do I love this plant so much? Well, look at these little bell shaped flowers. The honeybees love them, the bumblebees love them, native bees love them and hummingbirds are on them all the time,” Ciscoe said. “When the sun shines through them, they're like little Tiffany lamps in the garden I just love them!”
The yellow and red lampshade-shaped flowers transform into pointy seed pods as the plant cycles through its bloom season which is mid-May through early June.
“This plant is not demanding at all. If it has half-well drained soil and a bit of sunshine, and I've got them growing in the shade too, then they just become a big clump in no time. As a matter of fact, the only problem I have with this plant, [is] it spreads a little fast,” Ciscoe said.
The plant is used as a culinary herb in Sicily and Bulgaria, and has a garlicky aroma when the foliage is disturbed. They are sometimes hard to find at nurseries, so if you know anyone who has a clump in their garden, talk your friend into thinning their patch, and giving you a bulb or two.
“This is sort of like a little garlic bulb, but it's going to make a Sicilian honey garlic. And before you know it, you'll have a clump the size of this, then you'll have another clump, then another, then another," Ciscoe said. "And the bees and the hummingbirds will thank you!”
And maybe you’ll even try some out in your kitchen.
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