garden adventurer WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY L.A. JACKSON
‘Millenium’ Allium
‘Millenium’ Allium: More Than a Spellcheck MILLENIUM — if I had spelled this word that way on any of my eighth-grade English papers, a grade far south of “A” (a.k.a., 4.0) would have surely followed. But I’m a big boy now, and I can spell it any way I wanna. Actually, ‘Millenium’ is not a spellcheck error waiting to happen but rather the name given by plant breeder Mark McDonough to an outstanding ornamental onion he introduced in 2000. Even though it has been around since the beginning of this millennium, 98 JUNE/JULY 2021
‘Millenium’ has only recently caught the attention of the general gardening public. What really shined a light on ‘Millenium’ was it being named the Perennial Plant Association’s 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year. After that honor, this herbaceous charmer became an easier springtime find in many garden shops. I’ve even seen it in full flowering flaunt at big box home improvement stores with nursery centers.
