Neon Flash Spiraea vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Neon Flash Spiraea vs Nodding Onion

Spiraea japonica Neon Flash

Allium cernuum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Neon Flash Spiraea
Nodding Onion

Neon Flash Spiraea is a colorful, low maintenance, and multi-purpose shrub.

Late spring to fall you'll be drawn to its vibrant neon red blooms that rest on a neat mound of green foliage. If deer and rabbit are an issue on your property, consider planting Neon Flash Spiraea for its deer/rabbit resistance. Its tolerance of a variety of well-drained soils makes it an ideal foundation, landscaping, or border plant.

Nodding Onion is a native perennial wildflower known for its nodding clusters of flowers that range in color from white to pink to purple. The lightly scented blooms provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, especially bees, which can collect while hanging upside down, a capability most other insects lack.

The narrow, grass-like leaves of the Nodding Onion can be used as a seasoning in cooked dishes, though bulbs and raw leaves should not be eaten in large quantities. All parts of the plant have an onion-like aroma when bruised, which helps deter deer and rabbits. They can self-seed readily, so removing spent blooms helps manage their spread. Tolerant of a range of soils, including alkaline, it is well-suited for a variety of plantings, including pollinator gardens and naturalization projects.

Neon Flash Spiraea Quick Facts

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic
Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Fall colour: burgundy bronze
Flowers: pale to bright pink
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion