Illustration
Turkestan Onion
Allium karataviense
Turkestan Onion blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Turkestan Onion
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Turkestan Onion. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Turkestan Onion
Turkestan Onion is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9. It pays you back the following April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Turkestan Onion get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Turkestan Onion in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Turkestan Onion's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- American Meadowsheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- ballyrobertgardens.comBallyrobert Gardensheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- Longfield Gardensheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- BBC Gardeners' WorldMagazineheight, spread and trait tags
- Brent and Becky's Bulbsheight, hardiness zones and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society (RHS) Plant Profileheight, spread and sun
- Van Engelenheight, hardiness zones and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.