Description: Clusters of pink star-shaped flowers on tall stems.
Growth Habit: Upright, clump-forming perennial. 14in height
Sun/Shade: Full sun.
Water Needs: Low; drought-tolerant.
Soil Preferences: Well-drained, sandy or rocky soil.
Benefits: Attracts pollinators and adds color to prairies and meadows. Deer-resistant. Great for rock gardens and dry landscapes.
 
From Prairie Moon Nursery:
Prairie Onion has narrow, strappy leaves with dangling, paper-covered flower pods.  This behavior is similar to its cousin, Nodding Onion, but by the height of summer, the flowering stem of Allium stellatum pulls itself upright to proudly wave its small flower buds.  These shoot out from the stem in light pink, white, or lavender blooms, bursting open like little stars.  The radiant blossoms persist through the heat of July and August.  As their color fizzles out, the dried structure looks like a faded sparkler in the fall landscape. 
 
Well-suited to rock gardens and dry-mesic areas like rock outcroppings, Prairie Onion prefers full sun and dry conditions.  The root system consists of a single bulb with deep secondary roots, allowing this plant to easily survive droughts.  It will also thrive in average-to-rich soil conditions, but may need some help mitigating the competition: Prairie Onion does not compete well with tall, aggressive plants.  It is easy to grow from seed but requires patience; it can take several years for a plant to flower.  Once it is established, this plant benefits from regular divisions.
 
Allium stellatum is edible, although the flavor is considerably wilder and more pungent than its commercialized onion cousins.  This plant has a strong onion-like scent when crushed; this makes it an undesirable food source to most mammals, including deer and rabbits.  Small bees are the main pollinator.