Drying ornamental onions - what for and how is it made?

How to properly dry the ornamental onion

You dry the ornamental onion by first cutting off the inflorescences. Use simple secateurs to help. If you want a large dry bouquet, it is best to cut the flower stems right at the roots.

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If there are several inflorescences, these are then tied together with string or raffia. Now they are hung up in a suitable place, upside down. The place to dry should be airy and shady. The ornamental onion is usually dry after 2 weeks. It has lasted for many years now.

The star ball leek - ideal for drying

The so-called star ball leek is ideal for dry bouquets. He convinces with:

its large flower balls (up to 25 cm)
its purple flower color
its metallic sheen
its star-shaped single flowers
hardly changes its appearance when it dries

Cut at the right time

Be sure to cut off the flowers at the right time for dry bouquets! The cut should be made as soon as the individual flowers are all open. Do not wait too long! Most of the ornamental onion plants bloom from May.

Seed pods look nice too

The seed stand of the ornamental onion also looks nice when dried. Here you have to keep in mind that the seeds tend to fall out when ripe and spread around the house. But the seed pods not only look good indoors. You can also leave the seed stand on the plant. It provides decorative aspects in autumn and winter.

Dry the onions?

The onions from the onions should not be dried. If you dig up the bulbs in autumn and want to plant them again in spring, you should store them in a box - ideally in sand - for the winter. Dried or heavily shriveled onions are no longer suitable for planting.