This is the information I've been able to gather on this plant. Please add any corrections, additions, hints or tips that you have.

Scientific Name of Plant: Allium, 'Sparkler' allium flavum, A. carinatum, A. carinatum 'album'

Common Name of Plant: Ornamental Onion

Indoor/Outdoor Plant: Outdoor Plant

USDA Growing Zone: 3 through 9

Conditions for Planting Bulbs: Plant in September or October 3 x deeper than the size of the bulb in compost amended soil. Add three inches of mulch over the top of the bulb to protect from freezing come winter.

Conditions for Germinating Seeds:

Soil Type: 50% compost 50% garden soil

Soil Temperature: 70F for 2 to 4 weeks then move to freezer for 4 to 6 weeks, then move to refrigerator for germination. As soon as they sprout move to a sunny window until time to transplant

Indoor Planting Time: October

Outdoor Planting Time: September or October

Water: Keep moist until germinated

Planting Depth: 1/2 inch

Plant Spacing: 8 inches apart

pH: 7

Time to germination: 180 days

Mulch: after flowering with 3 inches of leaf mulch

Light: Dark for germination

Time to maturity: 210 days

Mature Plant Care:

Lighting requirements: Full Sun to Light Shade

Fertilizer requirements: Amend soil with compost at planting

Watering requirements: Moderately drought tolerant

Soil requirements: Well drained soil pH:

Dead Heading: No

Pinching flower spikes: No

Plant spacing: 8 inches apart

Pruning times and amounts: No

Conditions for Blooming: May through June

Plant Life Cycle: Perennial

Propogation: Bulbs or seed

Height of Plant: 16 inches

Color of Leaves: blue-green and silvery-green foliage

Color of Flowers: golden-yellow, violet and pure white flowers,

Special requirements (i.e. dormancy): Heat Tolerant

Notes: Does very well in a mixed flower bed.

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Yep, I wanted to say the same thing.
My alliums, go to seed and just drop over or down on top of the soil and grow...
I don't do a darn thing to them...

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Here's a picture of the Sparkler's...
I have this variety too, but no home pictures to show.. I don't do anything with these either,
and they're very abused, but they come back every year too...

Do not over fertilize alliums, they aren't too crazy about it... just plain ole dirt for them...

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Very pretty!

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Sibyl,
If you did not dead head the flowers,
you'll end up with dark little seeds in the
flower parts.. *but the season for them should be gone as far as collecting them now, I would think, but take a peak at them and see if there's any... they'll be tiny, shiney and black.

It is always good, to preserve the size of the allium's bulbs by dead heading.. if you don't..
then every year after that, they bulb may shrink in size and just give you medium flowers in stead of bigger flowers..

Your choice.. if you let the flower go to seed to make a bunch more tiny alliums, then you've got a bunch of tiny alliums, *that do grow*
or you can dead head and keep the big flower....

I let mine go to seed, cause I sometimes can't get to my back garden and I also like self~seeding flowers.. so I let mine go..

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Yep...
But you can always buy some new one's..
And keep those snipped...*to protect the bulbs' size* but the ones' that already went to seed this year, keep letting them and you'll have a nice mass of flowers..

Did you see the picture I posted a couple of posts' back of the one's I let go to seed??

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/