Allium cepa ‘Perutile’ EVERLASTING ONION - Red-stemmed form

Everlasting Onion Amaryllidaceae

Quite possibly the most useful onion you can grow — and one that has clearly never heard the phrase annual crop. ‘Perutile’ is a hardy, clump-forming perennial onion producing masses of slender, hollow, blue-green leaves and small, clustered, shallot-like bulbs. The leaves have a mild, fresh onion flavour and can be harvested repeatedly throughout the year, while the small bulbs are also edible, either raw or cooked. It is generally non-flowering, putting its considerable energy into making more onions rather than wasting time showing off.

The name Perutile comes from the Latin perutilis, meaning ‘very useful’ or ‘exceedingly useful’ — an unusually honest piece of botanical nomenclature. It was formerly treated as Allium cepa var. perutile and has also appeared in the literature as Allium perutile. Modern horticultural treatment generally places it within A. cepa, often associated with the Aggregatum Group. 

Sometimes called Everlasting Onion, Ever-ready Onion or perennial onion, it should not be confused with the true Welsh onion, Allium fistulosum. ‘Perutile’ forms small bulbs and is particularly good at multiplying into generous, permanent clumps.

An exceptionally useful plant for the edible garden, where established clumps can be divided and replanted indefinitely. Harvest the young leaves as required, leaving enough foliage to keep the clump growing. The small bulbs can likewise be harvested selectively, although anyone with a sensible approach will probably plant more rather than fewer — because once you have a permanent supply of onions, there seems little reason to stop.

Height: 30–40 cm
Spread: 30–40 cm
Flowers: Rarely flowers
Hardiness: H5; fully hardy throughout most of Britain

Best grown in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Tough, reliable and remarkably productive, with excellent tolerance of ordinary garden conditions. Propagate by division of the clumps, as it rarely produces viable seed. 

A genuine permanent larder in plant form — plant it once and it just keeps making onions. Basically, an onion with a pension plan.