Allium ampeloprasum var . babingtonii 🧅 Allium x cepa var viviparum bulbiferum or proliferum 🧅

 

             Allium ampeloprasum -the ancient wild leek -

    More commonly known here , as the Cornish Leek .

 Found growing around ancient settlements , Cornish Hedges and meadows . Pops up where ever it pleases  . Here it is in my garden !

 It propagates itself by the whole stalk collapsing down under the weight of the bulbils / tiny baby onions which form at the top of a very long stalk . About four foot tall / 1m or thereabouts . This one is taller than me , I'm 5ft 2" .

   So down they fall to the ground , some distance from the mother plant  , where they all then take root  .  🧅🧅🧅

Today I'm busy propagating Cornish Leeks and Egyptian Onions .

Cornish Leeks - Allium ampeloprasum var . babingtonii  - so much easier to call them Cornish or Wild Leeks .....and they do grow in other parts of the U.K too .

Not rare , but sometimes hard to find .

Today I have harvested mine ....also my Egyptian Walking Onions , which are a similar thing . A perennial onion , a useful thing to have in a spare corner of the vegetable garden .  It is good to have some perennial vegetables , just in case . 

 Not as good as modern varieties , but edible and we really shouldn't let them die out .

        

 So off to the shed we go !

I grow them because they fascinate me  .

At this time of the year the bulbils are just about ready and easy to simply pop away from the tops .

           I make up a few labels . Pencil is the best thing to use . It lasts .

       Cornish Leeks- Wild Leeks - Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii

    Look at this ! Some of the bulbils have tiny shoots already !

 I pop in one or two per cell ......

          ......and cover very lightly with a mixture of compost and perlite .

    I'm not going to water these for a couple of days , just incase I have damaged them as I pulled them apart . Very important not to damage the base plate , where the new roots come from . I just need to be sure they have calloused over so they don't rot .

     Right I have to get back to it ! Cheerio for now !

                               The Sun is shining !   ☀️

                           Peace and Love 💐Debbie x