Allium × proliferum
Common names: Tree Onion, Topsetting Onion, Walking Onion, Winter Onion, Perennial Onion, Medusa Onion, Snake Onion, Heirloom White, Heritage Sweet White
Quantity Pricing
Red & White Mix Egyptian Walking Onion Topsets
🧅 Sold out - check back in late September for availability!
The Red & White Mix of Egyptian Walking Onion topsets are available in hand-counted quantities. Bulbs typically range from approximately ¼ inch to ¾ inch in diameter, reflecting the natural variation produced within a mature plant. Each order is packed in a breathable paper sack to protect the bulbs during transit while preventing excess moisture.
Extra topsets are routinely included. Visit our topset guide for more information on topset size, color, development, and variation.
Shipping is capped at $10.50 for orders up to 200 topsets and is sent via USPS Priority Small Flat Rate Box for reliable delivery. Larger quantities ship in appropriately sized boxes as needed.
See the shipping information page for full details.
Both teh Red and White varieties of Egyptian Walking Onion topsets form at the tips of mature stalks as the plant’s natural means of propagation. The red strain produces topsets with a range of colors from green to reddish-purple, while the white strain’s topsets are typically pale green to creamy white. Both varieties share the same growth habits, cold hardiness, and culinary uses, making them equally valuable additions to your garden.
Our topsets are organically grown and harvested by hand at maturity, then cured and counted individually before packaging. Dry outer layers are normal and indicate proper curing, helping protect the topsets from moisture loss while guarding against mold and bacteria during storage and transit.
Red and white topsets vary naturally in shape — some round, others elongated or even flat — with colors ranging from green to reddish-purple, or shades of bronze. Many arrive with small sprouts or emerging roots, all signs of healthy, viable planting material.
Each topset contains the stored energy required to establish a vigorous new plant. Once planted, roots can develop quickly, followed by green starter leaves.
For more information about the topsets you will receive, see our topset guide.
Established bulbs of both varietieshave survived winter temperatures below –26°F. The leaves of the red variety die back in cold weather, but the bulbs remain protected underground, allowing the plant to return reliably each spring. The leaves of the white will remain green throughout the winter, providing temperatures stay above approximately 10°F. In colder climates, the white variety may die back to the ground but will regrow from the bulb in spring, similar to the red variety.
For more information on cold hardiness, see the zones and weather page.
After planting your topsets, 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 is unlikely to grow this first season for the young topset bulb. After summer dormancy, autumn returns and the bulb will most likely divide. New leaves emerge once more to feed the bulbs. After the second winter, spring returns and the bulbs grow vigorously, producing the first stalks and topsets, marking the beginning of your perennial onion patch.
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.
Heritage White is distinctly milder than most red walking onions. The greens are tender, aromatic, and well suited for raw use, while the topsets develop clean onion flavor without excessive sharpness.
Both varieties can be used interchangeably in recipes, with the red providing a more robust flavor and the white offering a milder, sweeter option. The mix allows you to experience the full range of flavors that Egyptian Walking Onions have to offer.
Plant topsets about 2" deep with the pointed end 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.
White Egyptian Walking Onions represent a recognized strain of the perennial walking onion (Allium × proliferum), distinguished by its pale green-to-white topsets and milder flavor compared with many of the more common red-skinned forms.
Among white forms, “McCullar’s White” is a well-known strain recognized by growers for producing consistently white topsets and maintaining reliable perennial vigor. Because walking onions are propagated vegetatively and shared widely through garden networks, it is possible that many white Egyptian Walking Onions in circulation today descend from this original strain.
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!