PlantFiles: Society Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea

This plant smells bad ALL the time. The smell is similar to SKUNK with some raw SEWAGE tossed in. When the plant is wet with rain or irrigation, the smell is worse. We had them ripped out and discarded. For an alternative, check out tulbaghia fragrans.

We live in lovely home that we rent. There are three society garlic plants in the front yard along the driveway. We have now lived here for over a year and they just flat "STINK" year 'round! When guests come to visit they always ask "what is that awful smell?". The plants do seem to keep the deer away but we are thinking about removing them because the aroma is just too awful all the time.....it actually makes us nauseous!!!!

I've been wondering about how its flowers are pollinated, or if they ever are, a mine have never had seeds . . . Maybe they don't self-pollinate, & all of mine are from the same clump!

Anyway, I found this comment about the pollination of Tulbaghias:

". . . Most of the species of Tulbaghia are adapted for moth pollination and have dull flowers that become sweetly scented at night. T. violacea seems likely to be pollinated by butterflies and bees as they are scented during the day. . ." http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/tulbaghviol.htm

The flowers of my clumps of Tulbaghia are 'dull' during the day, & I've never seen either bees or butterflies on their flowers. Maybe if I go out at night, I'll find some visiting moths!

As a child I decided to pick a bouquet of lowers from my mother's garden for her, put them in a vase with water, & set it in her room as a surprise . . . When she later walked into her room (it was in the center of the house & had no ventilation) she immediately said, "WHAT is that SMELL?!"

. . . I presently have two clumps of it in my own garden, which need dividing soon. Especially the one growing next to my bird-baths, under my olive tree. They receive a lot of shade there --mid morning on to evening-- and their leaves & flower stems grow much longer than the other half of the original clump which is still in full sun. There are NO signs of any aphids on them, even those which have 3 years grown in the shade! When their flower production seems to be stopping, I pour some fresh-diluted 'liquid gold' on the ground under their leaves, and more flowers start coming in a few days!

It really does stink. I assumed it would just smell strongly of garlic, so I plucked some pods to collect the seeds, as it is a pretty little plant. I'd say the smell is more of a combination of garlic + skunk. I'm still not sure whether I really want to plant such a smelly plant, even at the back of my garden. I might - I hear it's a good companion plant as pests don't really want to go near it either...

Continuous blooms to frost here in zone 8a, humid coastal NC. Loves the drought in clay, very little fertilizer needed. Neat and tidy, can handle the wind. what could be this great without a problem?
The months of continuous, no bother blooming is WORTH IT for a day or two of stink when it freezes or you cut it.
No muss, no fuss, several years now in my front garden.

This is a really great plant! I take the flowers and sprinkle them on potato soup, chili or a fresh salad. They add a really nice little crunch and a mild garlic burst.

i am neutral because i haven't grown it yet. i am in zone 5, microclimate slightly warmer. so far this winter, we have had 29 degrees and my mini roses, geraniums and petunias are still going strong. matter of fact, so are my mandevillas and impatiens. my question: if i cut down in winter and mulch heavily with oak leaves (in middle of oak/hickory forest so hve lots of them) would they make it thru the winter or should i just put them in pots and bring them in for the winter?

I have it in my xeri yard, both in full sun and part shade; it does well in all locations. Tough, pretty, not bothered by pests or disease. I don't mind the odor at all & neither does my dog. In fact, I rather like the smell of it when I'm in that area.

I have two clumps of Society Garlic -- one growing in semi-shade and one in nearly full shade, and both doing quite well, so the Full Sun caveat might not be strictly true. Both clumps bloom reliably every year and neither seems to be bothered by our (admittedly relatively mild) winters in Zone 9B. That includes the major freeze three winters ago that did in many of my other plants.

I use rubber gloves when deadheading and removing dead leaves; otherwise my hands pick up the smell and it takes a couple of weeks to get rid of it completely. Other than the aroma, however, it's a nice plant that takes little maintenance and has nice blooms reliably for most of the late spring and summer here.

I recently moved to Florida, and was unfamiliar with deer on my property. Society Garlic was recommended by a local landscaper to repel deer. I started using it as a companion plant (AWAY from the house!) for hibiscius, and other flowering plants that deer have a liking for, and have kept out of the neighborhood. This plant really works as a deer repellent. It also tolerates both standing water (for up to a few weeks), and drought, and it is easy to divide. I wouldn't recommend planting it for close up viewing of the flowers, as you want to keep a distance between you and the plant. I even hide it in the middle of outdoor containers to protect container plants located a distance from the house.

I eat the leaves like Garlic Chives, in my salad, it has not made me sick. -I wonder --Has any one here actually been sick from eating this? I would like to know others experience.

I bought this plant twice..first in a specialty plant store then this year as a water plant..now I am trying to get info on how to keep this as a water plant..any suggestions?

Low maintenance, drought tolerant, pretty purple flowers, clumping gradually spreading growth habit. I love having it in my front yard flower bed. But it >stinks

I made the mistake of using some Society Garlic in a flower arrangement once -- gosh, what a stinking floral creation that was! In my garden planting, I only notice the smell if I am working in close proximity of the plant and disturb its foliage. I am also growing the white flowered variety of Society Garlic. These plants are drought resistant and totally easy care, dependable performers in my climate. It is often used for commerical landscaping around businesses and office buildings.

Jeremy

I like this pretty plant, even though it's kinda stinky at times. When it froze last winter it smelled like something died in my backyard. But all was well when I figured it out and cut it back to the ground. Back again pretty as ever this spring!

I love this plant grows quick pretty does not take over. Its a must for a garden. I plant it around my roses and spots i want the dogs to stay away. I just sep a clump thats 2 years old.... i got 8 starts and ya can't tell i did any thing to the plant!!!.

I strongly suggest that you do not plant this along a walkway in your garden, even if you do like the smell of garlic.

I love the way they look, my neighbor has some variegated once mixed in with the regular ones, Personally, I have a love/ hate relationship, I have it in the back of my garden, bordering my Rose of Sharons, I only have to smell it at the end of the season when I trim the spent flowers, it is a very hardy plant here, no care! full sun. And don't get me wrong, I love GARLIC.

I remember that I brought home the bulb of this plant. Not knowing what it was, I kinda dissected the bulb. The smell was strong, and it persisted in my room for weeks. I still can recognize this smell right away.

I've been growing this for 13 years. I had it in full shade at first where it did well and bloomed well. The site was near the pool and the garlic smell was overpowering. So I moved it to the edge of the yard near the street. It's very hot by the asphalt and doggies visit, too. But it blooms very well. You can still smell garlic walking by. The stems of spent flowers turn tan and need to be trimmed off to keep the plant attractive. An all-season job. After winter I prune the old leaves to the ground. A good plant for the right site.

Sam Antonio, TX
This is a low maintenance plant that produces flowers (1.5 to 2.0 feet above the plant) continuously from March to November. It flowers more abundantly in full sun or morning sun and filtered afternoon shade. The blooms are among the longest lasting (from time of opening to time of fading)in my gardens. The foliage is a beautiful texture and serves as a filler among my other perennials. When the plants look a little shabby if planted in pots, repot into a larger container and/or divide and repot. Being one of my favorites, I am now dividing them and planting them in many areas of my yard. An excellent xeriscape plant!

Used as a low border, continous blooms during the warm season. Low-maintenance plant. I have grown it in sand, wet loam, and containers. Very drought tolerant, however will have reduced blooms until next heavy watering. Fertilize as needed to produce blooms. Produces thick "straws" when bloom dies, cut these out for a better looking plant.

The name "Society Garlic" comes from an ancient belief that this garlic can be eaten without causing bad breath. Some sources have reported that it may cause vomiting and should be grown only for ornamental purposes; other sources indicate the leaves can be eaten like chives.

Supposedly it helps repel bugs from the garden, so this is a likely candidate to be used as a companion plant for vegetables.