Re: Society Garlic

--- John MacGregor <jonivy@earthlink.net> wrote:

  I
> think that too often we
> tend to disdain very good plants that are easily
> grown and hence widely used
> (and too often misused), when, if featured
> creatively, they are gems.
> Sorry, Tim and Joe, but people I know all call it
> "society garlic."  We must
> move in different circles. ;-)

I agree with John that this plant does have its uses,
but I did wonder why they used so much of it around
the bottom garden at the new Getty Garden, the smell
on a warm day was overwhelming.  I find it much less
volatile here in the cooler northern California.  The
leaves do make a good substitute for green onions.

Related to Joe's comment on why use smelly plants,
this brings to mind a very smelly one in my own
garden, even more pungent and floriferous-Plectranthus
neochilus.  This is a great herbaceous ground cover
for full sun or dry shade, and blooms nearly all year
here.  The smell is peculiar, either smelling like
skunk or marijuana, depending on your frame of
reference.  The smell is triggered by either brushing
it or watering it, and I am sure more than one
passerby must have thought I was gardening in an
altered state while passing my garden!  I love the
deep purple flowers in mass, especially when combined
with mass plantings of the powdery blue foliage of
Senecio mandraliscae.  It will cover an area 3 feet
across from one plant, and is so easy to propagate
that I don't even bother rooting it, just cut and
plant.

> I also like to use both the lavender- and
> white-flowered forms of Tulbaghia
> simmleri (formerly T. fragrans), which (if not
> frosted) bloom all winter
> long as well as through spring and part of the
> summer.  Its foliage is
> grayer and broader, the whole plant is a little
> larger in scale than T.
> violacea, and it lacks the garlic odor.  The
> blossoms are have a mild, sweet
> fragrance, and the clusters last for a week or more
> as cut flowers.  This
> species thrives with less frequent division, and
> even when we get a light
> frost it comes back into bloom within a couple of
> weeks.
> 
> All in all, I consider these Tulbaghias to be easily
> grown garden mainstays.
> 
> Does anyone on the list grow any of the other South
> African species in this
> genus?  I have seen T. cominsii, T. leucantha. T.
> natalensis (reputedly
> hardy), and T. pallida on seed lists, and there
> several other species
> pictured at at:

T. fragran/simleri is a touch more sensitive about
growing conditions, it will rot with constantly wet
feet, while T. violacea can even be grown as a pond
edge plant.  T. simerli wants it sunny and dry in
winter in northern California, or you will lose it. 
The flowers and foliage are less grass like, more
similar to a glaucus Nerine sarniensis.

I haven't seen any of the other species around
locally,  so don't know if they are equally easy. 
Thanks for the web site with the photos!  
> 
> http://theafricangarden.netfirms.com/page13.html
> 
> and at:
> 
> http://www.crocosmia.8m.com/page2.html
> 
> (Be patient; the pictures take some time to
> download).
> 
> Most look like small collectors items, but there are
> many selected forms and
> hybrids of T. violacea. It looks like some of these
> might be valuable
> landscape items.
> 
> John MacGregor
> South Pasadena, CA 91030
> USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23
>  
> 


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