Society garlic
Tulbaghia violacea · Amaryllidaceae
Clumps of narrow, grey-green leaves that smell of garlic when bruised, with clusters of lilac, starry flowers on tall stems from spring to autumn.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around society garlic
The planner designed this bed around society garlic when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 977 that suit those conditions, and says below why society garlic stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Society garlic × 8, lavender
- 2 Winter heath × 8, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 3, white
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 6 Eastern prickly pear × 1, yellow
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Pineapple lily × 2, white
Why this plant
- The only flat plates. The others are bells, globes, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it stands ahead of false sunflower 'Summer Nights' (3½ ft) without hiding it.
- A step in the back row. Next to false sunflower 'Summer Nights' (3½ ft) and little bluestem 'The Blues' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 17 weeks. From late May to mid September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With false sunflower 'Summer Nights', little bluestem 'The Blues' and pineapple lily in early August: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Winter heath is the first into flower, in late January, and little bluestem 'The Blues' the last to finish, in early October. When the flowers are over, four kinds, among them winter heath and sea thrift, keep the bed from looking bare.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where society garlic goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
It flowers for months in heat and drought. The garlic smell is strong when the leaves are brushed, so keep it back from the edge of a path or a seat.
- Edging in warm climates
- Hot, dry borders
- Containers
What to plant with society garlic
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- African lily: in flower together for seven weeks, from late June; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
- Autumn sage: in flower together for 17 weeks, from late May.
- Daylily 'Stella de Oro': in flower together for 15 weeks, from mid June.
Questions about society garlic
Does society garlic need sun or shade?
Society garlic grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does society garlic grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does society garlic flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid September. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Mid May to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid September |
| Zone 9 | Early May to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should society garlic be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many society garlic plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is society garlic poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like society garlic?
Society garlic comes from South Africa. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Chives: the same job in a bed; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 6 in shorter.
- Alpine aster: the same job in a bed and the same colour; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 10 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat society garlic?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after society garlic?
Society garlic is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Pink muhly grass: from mid September to early November, 3 ft tall.
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does society garlic look like in winter?
Society garlic holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late May to mid September; flat plates; lavender
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; grey-green, variegated
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Comes from
- South Africa
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, humidity, salt
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.