PlantFiles: Wild Onion
Allium vineale

invasive
over $1000 invested in removal
All for nothing
Chokes out everything but trees
crosses streets and every barrier you put up.
hoeing propagates it
composting propagates it
(only heat kills)

Just dug it out again, a mountainous pick-up load of infection. The millions of microscopic bulblets in the soil will come back as a carpet with the first drop of rain. Protect from rain perfectly for 5 yr before bulblets in soil no longer viable. A drop of rain in less than 5 yr, you only cultivated it on that parcel--comes back double every year.

It has been 16 yr of this that I know of, removing every year to no avail. A sink hole for your time. Death to your garden and your neighbors' gardens.

I wish I had something easy and delicate like Kudzu to battle instead.

Anybody who wants to start this one will leave this legacy to anyone who lives there forever.

I have never hated anyone enough to give them a start of this plant. Nobody around here is stupid enough to take it, they've got plenty of their own!

This is not slander. USDA invasive pest Florida and California.

Although it looks interesting in photo, in reality it’s not impresive. I won’t grow it again.

A definite weed, and very invasive; listed as a noxious weed as close as Arkansas, as well as California and Hawaii. I'm surprised it isn't listed as problematic for other states.

Hand-digging the clumps is difficult because you inevitably leave behind some bulbs, which will come back and multiply with a vengeance. Chemical control requires precise timing and perseverance (and a willingness to use chemicals, which works for some gardeners, not for others.)

I've allowed it to grow in my garden since supposedly it does well as a companion plant to reduce unwanted pests. I'm also a fan of garlic so I like having its wild cousin around. If there's a spot where I don't want it, it's really easy to yank out of the ground (ie, easier than your usual weed pulling efforts).

Not the same species as Northwestern onions, Prairie onions, or Ramps. This is a very invasive weed. It grows rapidly twice a year, once in October / November and again in February/March. Long thin tufts and tiny bulbs are cooked with eggs and are good in tacos as well.. The tufts can also be rubbed on one's neck to deter blackflies, or stuffed in corners to deter house pests. lf the bulbs are planted somewhere and not mown, they will have flowers in June like those of domestic onions.

A ritual in Oklahoma often celebrated with "Wild Onion and Egg" dinners.

Easy to grow and easy to dig, very plentiful and a frequent visitor at farmer's markets.

While not for the uptight gardener, the Wild Onion is a treat for those such as myself who live in the country and have fond memories which include the Wild Onion. What fun to see the onions pop up to remind us that planting time is closer than we think.

They will grow in sunny or shady conditions, too. They aren't very picky about soil conditions. When they flower, the color can range from white to pink.

Invasive and nearly impossible to get rid of. Wild onions or wild garlic, as it's sometimes called are perinnials.

They can ruin grain fields and are hated by dairy farmers, as the milk and butter can take on the flavor if livestock eats very many of them.

One of the first green things to sprout in early Spring, the only thing I can say positive about them is that when you smell them after mowing your lawn for the first time, you know that warmer weather is quickly approaching.