Welsh Onion Allium fistulosum Evergreen

LATIN NAME: Allium fistulosum

COMMON NAME: Welsh Onion

The Welsh onion pencils the slim, green tubes along the fine rows, the small, white pompons rising above them, and the whole clump carries the neat, upright look of the kitchen garden. The hardy, perennial herb carries the hollow, cylindrical, dark-green leaves from the clustered, slender, white-based stems, and the small, white or greenish-white flowers in the dense, globular umbels, on the tall, hollow stalks, through the late summer, one of the neat, quiet sights of the kitchen garden, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, black, angled seeds. The black seeds have a very long record as the fine, cut greens of the old gardens, and the plant is a historic presence of the kitchen garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Welsh onion is a historic subject of the plant science, and the globular umbels keep showing up in the work on the perennial onions. The way the small, white or greenish-white flowers form in the dense, globular umbels has been examined closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the perennial onions, the hollow leaves and the members of the onion family. The black seeds and the tidy habit have also made it a fine study herb, and the Welsh onion is a regular subject of the work on the globular umbels of the temperate world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Welsh onion is a neat, useful plant of the kitchen garden and the study collection. The hollow, cylindrical, dark-green leaves from the clustered, slender, white-based stems carry the neat look of the kitchen garden, one of the neat, quiet sights of the kitchen garden, drawing the bees, and the black seeds have a very long record as the fine, cut greens of the old gardens, the white bases coming to the woks, the soups and the steady practice of the old kitchens, while the small, white or greenish-white flowers in the dense, globular umbels, on the tall, hollow stalks, open through the late summer, to be followed by the small, black, angled seeds. It is one of the fine choices for the kitchen garden, the herb row and the study collection, and it has been written about in the horticultural and the culinary papers for the black seeds and the very long history. It is a neat, useful plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

The Welsh onion seeds grow readily in a fine, gritty compost kept moist. The young seedlings are quick and neat, and they enjoy the deep, rich ground of the kitchen garden.

To grow the Welsh onion from seed, sow the small, black seeds directly into the seed tray of fine, gritty compost, then cover them lightly, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings thread up within a couple of weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, rich, moist ground, the green tubes will pencil the rows over the year.

Uses: Culinary
(Onion green; Bunching onion) A bulbless, hardy perennial onion green. Like chives, but has larger leaves and a stronger, zesty flavour, yet milder than onion. Ideal for cooked vegetables, soups, stews, casseroles and quiches. Try them in homemade potato soup for a real treat. Easy to grow; can be picked anytime ground is not frozen.