Society Garlic
Society Garlic is a popular evergreen perennial widely used in California. I have this plant in several section in my garden, because I really like the light lavender colored flower stalks and because it attracts butterflies and bees as well.
The plant is a heavy bloomer, loves full sun and is fairly drought resistant. However the plant looks best with regular med to low watering. When the plant is cut is emits a strong onion scent, which makes it very deer resistant. Because of the strong smell it is best not to use Society Garlic around entries and walkways. Planting 3-4 plants at a time looks nice and makes the plant easy to trim. Mature plants measures 12-14 inches across and require hand trimming so they don't look shabby. If you plant more than that in one area be prepared for the plants to be cut almost down to the ground. It takes several weeks for the plant to recover and re-grow after such a radical trim and I prefer to keep the numbers of plantings down so I don't have bald spots in my flower bed.
You can eat the flowers and leaves of Society Garlic raw and it tastes great in salads or as a garnish. The leaves have a strong peppery taste and the flowers have a slightly sweeter onion-ish taste.
Here is a nice video about Society Garlic
Prints of my Garlic Society Painting are Available
