Allium × proliferum
Common names: Tree Onion, Topsetting Onion, Walking Onion, Winter Onion, Perennial Onion, Medusa Onion, Snake Onion
10 count - $25.00
10 Small Red Ground Bulb Divisions
🧅 Now Shipping!
You will receive 10 small, fresh-dug, red Egyptian Walking Onion ground bulb divisions. Each division is a live bulb divided from a large clump. The old stalk is still attached to the bulb for easy planting and easy visual identification. These divisions are likely to produce small topsets during their first growing season. Plant them this fall in well-drained soil, water them in well, and they will settle in over winter. Next summer, they should grow into productive plants, produce topsets, and begin dividing to form more plants.
Visit our topset guide for more information on topset size, color, development, and variation.
Shipping is capped at $10.50 for orders up to 40 ground bulbs and is sent via USPS Priority Small Flat Rate Box for reliable delivery.
See the shipping information page for full details.
Small Red Egyptian Walking Onion ground-bulb divisions are individual bulbs carefully separated from a large clump. Each bulb has its own basal plate and roots, making it a complete, living plant ready to settle into a new garden.
Our Red Egyptian Walking Onion divisions are organically grown, carefully dug by hand, and separated from established clumps at the time of harvest. They shoud be planted promptly after arrival. Small roots, dry outer layers, and natural variation in bulb size are normal for divisions.
Once planted, each division will grow into its own mature Egyptian Walking Onion plant. With fall planting and regular water as it settles in, it can establish roots before winter, then grow strongly the following spring and summer. Mature plants produce topsets and naturally form new clumps of bulbs at their base over time.
Divisions vary naturally in shape and size. Each one is a healthy individual bulb from our established Red Egyptian Walking Onion plants, selected for planting potential.
Established bulbs have survived winter temperatures below –26°F. Leaves die back in cold weather, but the bulbs remain protected underground, allowing the plant to return reliably each spring.
The red Egyptian Walking Onion strain is dormant in the winter and does not maintain active foliage during cold months. This dormancy allows the bulbs to withstand harsh conditions without damage, making it an ideal choice for gardeners in colder regions.
For more information on cold hardiness, see the zones and weather page.
After planting your bulbs, roots typically establish within 1–2 weeks, followed by the emergence of the first green starter leaves. As the season progresses into winter, the plant focuses on building underground bulbs while the above-ground foliage dies back. The following spring, new leaves emerge - the solar panels that feed the bulb throughout the growing season. A topset stalk will grow this first season for the ground bulb. After summer dormancy, autumn returns and the bulb will divide. New leaves emerge once more to feed the bulbs. After the second winter, spring returns and the bulbs grow vigorously, producing bigger stalks and topsets.
For more information on the growth cycle of Egyptian Walking Onions, see the life cycle page.
Red walking onions are known for their assertive, traditional onion character. The greens provide a strong scallion flavor, while the bulbils deliver concentrated onion intensity suitable for cooking, pickling, or fresh use for those who prefer a sharper profile.
Plant bulbs about 2" deep with the stalk up in full sun with well-drained soil. Walking onions tolerate a wide range of conditions but benefit from consistent moisture during active growth.
See our planting guide for detailed instructions.
Egyptian Walking Onions will walk slowly through the garden on their own. Their topsets can take root where they fall if conditions are favorable, and grow into new plants and eventually form dense clumps. To control their spread, you can manage the topsets by harvesting them before they root. Lifting and dividing established clumps every few years can also help maintain vigor and prevent overcrowding. Bulbs can be divided in early spring or late fall when the plant is dormant, allowing you to expand your patch or share with friends.
Visit our Taming Your Topsets page for more information on maintaining your Egyptian Walking Onion patch.
Walking onions have long been maintained as practical perennial food crops because they reproduce without seed and return reliably each season. Their persistence made them especially valuable in regions where annual onion crops were less dependable.
The Red Egyptian Walking Onion serves as both a dependable food plant and a distinctive structural element in the garden. Mature stalks rise above the foliage and form snake-like branches that develop tiered clusters of topsets. Some clusters produce twisting leaf growth reminiscent of “Medusa heads,” creating strong visual interest throughout the growing season.
In addition to bulbils, plants may produce flowers that attract pollinators and contribute to overall garden activity. The varied forms — upright leaves, arching and looping stalks, and colorful topsets — give this onion an ornamental presence that fits comfortably in both edible plantings and mixed perennial borders.
Once established, it functions as a permanent feature: productive, self-renewing, visually dynamic, and highly tolerant of cold climates. The incredible, edible, everlasting, cold-hardy, ornamental…ONION THAT WALKS!