Plant Profile

Nodding Onion - (Allium cernuum) is a North American native perennial bulb in the Amaryllidaceae (Onion) family. The genus name comes from Latin meaning garlic and the species name means nodding.  It can often be found in open woodlands and short grass prairies throughout the Midwest. It grows 1 to 2 feet tall with long grass-like foliage. 

Nodding onion prefers well-drained, humus-rich, alkaline or neutral soil in full sun. It is drought-tolerant once established and easy to grow. Nodding clusters of bell-shaped, pink or white flowers bloom in July to August and are attractive to pollinators and songbirds. It will spread by both bulb offsets and seeds but is easiest to propagate by dividing the bulblets. 

All parts of the plant have an oniony smell that can be used in the kitchen similarly to garden chives. It is that smell which helps aid in deterring herbivores from browsing them. When closely planted with other deer or rabbit favorites, they have the ability to help create a natural zone of defense. 

Nodding Onion is great when used in rock, culinary, cottage, butterfly, native or pollinator gardens. It performs well in both mass plantings and in small groups around borders. Though on a larger scale, it is capable of naturalizing in a meadow or open woodland setting.