Garden Onion: The Quirky Walking Onion That Travels Your Garden
Meet one of the most entertaining plants you can grow – the garden onion, scientifically known as Allium ×proliferum. This isn’t your typical grocery store onion! Also called the Egyptian walking onion or tree onion, this peculiar perennial has a party trick that’ll make your neighbors do a double-take: it literally walks across your garden.
What Makes This Onion So Special?
Unlike regular onions that stay put, Allium ×proliferum is a forb (a non-woody perennial plant) that produces small bulblets at the top of its flower stalks instead of just flowers. These little bulbs eventually get heavy enough to bend the stalk down to the ground, where they root and start new plants. It’s like watching your garden rearrange itself in slow motion!
This unique reproduction method has earned it several colorful nicknames, and you might find it sold under various synonyms including Allium cepa var. bulbiferum or Allium cepa var. viviparum.
Where Does It Come From?
Here’s where things get interesting – this onion is a non-native species that has naturalized in parts of the United States. You’ll find established populations growing wild in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Vermont, where it reproduces on its own without any human help.
Should You Grow It in Your Garden?
The garden onion brings some unique benefits to the table:
- It’s completely edible – use the green tops like scallions and the bulbs like regular onions
- Requires virtually no maintenance once established
- Provides year-round interest with its unusual growth habit
- Acts as a natural pest deterrent around other plants
- Produces small flowers that can attract beneficial insects
However, since it’s not native to North America, you might want to consider native alternatives like wild garlic (Allium canadense) or nodding onion (Allium cernuum) if you’re focused on supporting local ecosystems.
Perfect Garden Spots
This walking wonder works beautifully in:
- Kitchen gardens where you want fresh onion flavors year-round
- Cottage gardens that embrace a slightly wild, informal look
- Permaculture designs where self-seeding plants are welcome
- Rock gardens or areas where you want something unusual
Growing Your Walking Onions
The good news? These onions are ridiculously easy to grow. They thrive in full sun to partial shade and aren’t picky about soil types, as long as drainage is decent. They’re hardy perennials that can handle cold winters in USDA zones 3-9.
To get started, plant bulbs or divisions in spring or fall, spacing them about 6 inches apart. Water them in, then step back and let them do their thing. They’ll reach about 2-3 feet tall and slowly spread as the top bulblets walk to new spots.
Care Tips
- Water during dry spells, but don’t overdo it
- Harvest green tops regularly to encourage fresh growth
- Divide clumps every few years if they get too crowded
- Let some bulblets develop if you want the plant to spread
- Remove flower heads early if you want to prevent walking
The garden onion is one of those plants that proves gardening doesn’t have to be serious all the time. Whether you grow it for its edible qualities, its conversation-starting appearance, or just because you enjoy watching plants do unexpected things, this walking onion will keep your garden interesting year after year.
