[maloneranger]

I lived in mid-Wales for over 20 years and I never encountered Welsh onions there.

Then, at the end of last summer, I bought a small pot with five plants from the herbs section of a garden centre near Belfast. The pot was thoroughly neglected outside all winter, and not planted out until this spring.

The plants were the size of small spring onions and looked rather sad, but they gradually grew, and two or three of them started to produce flower heads about three weeks ago. However, these flower heads did not fully develop, and the plants have grown on strongly. From reading around, I had expected them to produce multiple shoots [like shallots] but they haven’t.

Are these plants Welsh onions?
If so [or if not!], what can I expect of them, in the garden and in the kitchen?

[Trillium]

Welsh onions are similar to green onions re growth - just one skinny bulb base and lots of top shoots to use as chopped greens. Yours resembles it and without tasting, it's hard to say exactly what you have.

Welsh onions tend to be more 'hot' or strong than regular green onions so they're usually cooked a bit in the dish being made, but if you can handle it, you can eat it fresh. They're very hardy and perennial, though my 2 year bunch suddenly disappeared this year. So I'll be reseeding.

[maloneranger]

Thanks, Trillium.

Can I expect them to "divide" like chives?
 

[Trillium]

Yes, you can, and you'll find the bulbs a bit larger, much like green onions.

[maloneranger]

Thanks again, Trillium!

[JohnB47]

I've got some growing this year too and I'm expecting them to bunch up over time. Btw, I've read that the word Welsh in this case is old english for 'foreign', so they're nothing to do with Wales actually.