Name:   Nectaroscordum siculum aka Sicilian honey garlic

Type of Plant:  Aka Mediterranean bells aka Allium siculum. A bulb with tall flowers in spring and early summer.

Why I Love This Plant: This is a stylish and somewhat subtle plant. Those who favor brilliant colors that can be seen from yards away may not appreciate it, but I love it for its height, sweet bell flowers, and the fact that it self-seeds in and around other perennial plants. Bees love this member of the Allium family because it’s nectar and pollen rich. It’s a great flower for cutting as well, useful for displaying a single stem in a bottle or including in a bouquet.

The bulbs tolerate drought and like many alliums, the foliage goes dormant after the plants flower. And be sure to watch as the flowers emerge in May…the flower cluster bursts out of its protective sheath as if they are taking off sheer lingerie and tossing it to the floor after a party.

A Word to the Wise:  Plant bulbs for Mediterranean bells in the fall. They look good in groups since they are tall and thin. And if you have a hill or terraces, plant some so that you can look up into the flowers as well down on them.

If you can plant this where you see up into the bell-shaped flowers, you’ll truly appreciate the coloring in this sophisticated member of the allium family.

The individual flowers form as a group, protected by a thin sheath that gives a glimpse of this lady’s finer qualities as the bloom matures.

When the time is right, in early summer, Nectaroscordum siculum tosses that flimsy lingerie aside.

This isn’t one of those in-your-face globe alliums…but a plant to be treasured and welcomed in the early summer every year.