Ornamental garlic: name, what it looks like, description, types, how to plant, use, when to dig out, can you eat leaves, eat

Ornamental garlic is a dual-use plant. It can be used in landscape design to decorate flower beds, or in a salad or some other dish. But the real confusion arises with the names. And it's all about language traditions.

What is the name and looks of decorative garlic

Table garlic belongs to the genus Allium, which has more than 900 species growing on all continents. The word "Allium" in Latin means "bow". Therefore, you can often observe confusion in the names when describing ornamental garlic. In the caption under the photo, it is often called an onion. From a biological point of view, the latter is true. But the tradition of the Russian language divides the representatives of the genus into garlic and onions. The latter should have a multi-layered onion and tube feathers. The first is distinguished by a dense, almost monolithic tuber and flat sword-like or belt-like leaves.

The color of the corolla in the representatives of the genus is very diverse. It happens:

yellow;
white;
lilac;
pink;
burgundy;
dark purple;
blue.

Also, not all onion inflorescences look like balls. In some species, they look more like disheveled umbrellas, in others they look like a brush of bells.

When choosing ornamental onion plants, you will have to focus on the first word in the name of the species - "Allium". And then it is already necessary to decide which look of decorative garlic in a flower bed is preferable. The genus of bows provides a wide choice for the designer.

How decorative garlic blooms

Flowering lasts about 30 days. A mandatory feature of all bows is a peduncle arrow. It is on it that an inflorescence of any kind develops.

All bulbous plants are suitable for forcing, and garlic is no exception. Thanks to this, flowers can be obtained almost at any time of the year. If only the plant was warm enough. Accordingly, by planting garlic heads at different times, you can get flowers during the entire growing season. And in a greenhouse or room - even in winter. But normally, onions bloom in the summer: from June to August.

In the table, the flowering dates of the most popular ornamental species from the genus Onions, immediately planted in the ground.

Types of decorative garlic

Ornamental garlic can be a biennial or perennial plant. The only rule: there are no annuals. At the same time, for some reason, table types are ranked as "decoration". At the same time, among the garden ones, you can find rather nondescript specimens, differing only in the size of the heads. So it should be borne in mind that the division into "edible" and "decorative" species in the case of the genus Onion is very arbitrary. Theoretically, decorative include:

Aflatunian (Allium aflatunense);
Dutch (Allium hollandicum);
gigantic (Allium giganteum);
bowed (Allium cernuum);
Christophe (Allium cristophii);
karatavian (Allium karataviense);
daffodil (Allium narcissiflorum).

Another very interesting species is not officially decorative, but it is often grown in a flower bed due to its different property. This is a Chinese Allium ramosum garlic.

Aflatunsky

Perennial. It got its name from the Aflatunsky pass in Kyrgyzstan. The tuber is ovate, 2-6 cm in diameter. The leaves are rosette, belt-shaped, up to 60 cm long and 2-10 cm wide. The color is gray. The peduncle is hollow, powerful. Height 80-150 cm. The base of the stem is surrounded by leaf sheaths. Inflorescences are almost spherical umbrellas, light purple. Blossoms in May-June; bears fruit in August.

Aflatun bow is often confused with Dutch and Giant bow

Dutch

Also a perennial from among large decorative garlic. The number of narrow, but not long, basal leaves can reach 15. The peduncle is very powerful, up to 2 m high. The inflorescence is spherical, densely purple or white in color.

Ornamental Dutch garlic inflorescence diameter 25 cm

Giant / Giant

Perennial large-leaved species. A native of Central Asia and the Middle East. Grows in soft soil in the lower belt of the mountains. The main purpose is to decorate the flower bed.

Ornamental giant garlic leaves can be eaten in the same way as table varieties. If the recipe for a dish requires green "feathers", you can use the herbs from the flower bed.

The diameter of the ovoid bulb is 2-4 cm. The height of the peduncle is 80-150 cm. The width of the belt-like leaves of a bluish color is 5-10 cm. The length is usually 2-3 times shorter than the stem. The inflorescence is dense, spherical. The color of the corollas is light purple.

Giant garlic can be easily confused with Aflatun garlic, as they are most likely close relatives.

Inclined

Perennial wild plant of North America. Growing areas: prairies, dry forests and scree.

In its original state, the plant is very inconspicuous. But breeders took up it, bringing out several varieties of ornamental garlic for growing in a garden in a flower bed.

The bulb is conical. With a diameter of 15 mm, its length is up to 5 cm. The leaves are flat, narrow. Width 2-4 cm and length up to 30 cm. Rosette. The length of the peduncle is up to 0.5 m. The stem ends with a downward-bent umbrella with white or pink flowers. Flowering time July-August.

Comment! All parts of the plant are edible, but they do not have a garlic, but an onion smell.

Breeders took up the bent garlic, breeding several varieties, including the Purple King

Christophe's onion / garlic

Powerful, relatively short, perennial plant. The distribution area is mountainous Turkmenistan, northern Iran and Central Turkey. Grows in the lower mountain zone on soft slopes.

The tuber is spherical, 2-4 cm in diameter. The number of rosette leaves is 3-7, their width is 5-25 mm. Flat. The color is bluish green or gray. There are hard, sparse bristles at the edges.

The peduncle is very powerful. At a height of 15-40 cm, its diameter is 5-15 cm. In length, it is approximately equal to the leaves. Inflorescence with a diameter of 20 cm. It can be spherical, but more often hemispherical. The color of the flowers is purple or pink-violet. A characteristic feature of this type of ornamental garlic is the star-shaped flowers with narrow petals. Blossoming in June.

Comment! Leaves die off after flowering.

You can propagate Christoph's garlic with daughter bulbs or seeds. Its main purpose on the site is to decorate the flower bed.

Christophe's garlic looks good as a curb when planted fairly densely.

Karatavsky

Endemic to the Pamir-Altai and Tien Shan. The name is from the Karatau ridge. It prefers to grow on mobile limestone taluses of the lower mountain belt.

The bulb is spherical. Diameter 2-6 cm. There are usually two leaves, but there can be three or one. The shape is lanceolate, oblong or almost spherical. Leaf width 3-15 cm. Peduncle is short: from 10 to 25 cm. It can be half buried in the ground. The stem is shorter than the leaves. The inflorescence is spherical, dense. The color is white or light pink-violet.

Comment! Thanks to its unusual leaves, the blooming Karatav garlic looks very decorative when planted in small groups.

The tulip-like leaves of Karatavian garlic combined with the balls of the inflorescences create cognitive dissonance

Narcissus

Homeland - the mountains of Spain, the south of France and the north of Italy. Herbaceous perennial with a height of only 10-40 cm. Leaves are lanceolate-linear, bluish in color. The flowers are large: 1-1.2 cm long. In the wild form, the corolla is pink. Inflorescences are a drooping umbrella of a hemispherical or almost flat shape. Both the appearance in the photo and the name of the garlic indicate that its main use is decorative.

Brighter decorative varieties have already been bred from the wild form of daffodil garlic

Fragrant

This species has a lot of names, the origin of which is often associated with Latin names. That is, "tracing paper". Of the Latin, two are most used: Allium odorum - onion / fragrant garlic and Allium ramosum - onion / branched garlic. Other Russian names:

wild;
Chinese;
odorous;
Tatar.

There are two more almost forgotten Russian names: lousy onion and steppe garlic.

Comment! In Kazakhstan, it is often called "Dzhusay", but originally this was the name given to another species, the Chinese leek (Allium tuberosum).

For marketing purposes, the plant is often referred to as Chinese garlic to give it a touch of exoticism. This is partly true, since the mountains of Mongolia and China are considered the birthplace of allspice garlic. It was brought to Central Asia, Western and Eastern Siberia by nomadic tribes.

It is a perennial frost-resistant plant. Although, in comparison with its "brothers", Chinese garlic is ranked as thermophilic. Moreover, even with a small snow cover, the bulb is able to overwinter at a temperature of -45 ° C. Jusai is capable of growing both in the shade and in well-lit areas.

A bulb of Chinese garlic is not very suitable for food because of its size: 8-15 mm in diameter. It is elongated and passes into the rhizome. The leaves are long, from 35 to 60 cm, but narrow - 8-12 mm. Belt-like, fleshy. The color is dark green. There is a waxy coating. The number of leaves in one plant is 6-12 pieces. Total weight 35-70 g.

Comment! It is the leaves that are eaten. They have an onion-garlic flavor.

Peduncle height 60-70 cm. Inflorescence is a dense ball. Flowering period July-August. In the photo, Chinese garlic does not look special; it got into decorative garlic not for flowers, but for aroma. Its peculiarity, which is absent in other types of onions, is a pleasant floral scent.

Jusai is drought tolerant, but beautiful leaves can only be obtained with good watering. Another of its advantages is its undemandingness to the soil. He is not afraid of even a little salty soil.

Chinese garlic is cultivated for its leaves, which must be cut 3-4 times during the growing season

Planting and caring for decorative garlic

Even ornamental garlic is in fact a vegetable crop with the same requirements for "neighbors" and predecessors as the table variety. Plants prefer dry, sunny locations with loose soil. They are usually undemanding to the quality of the soil and can grow where other flowers die.

Important! Ornamental garlic should not be planted where nightshades grew last year.

When to plant decorative garlic

The decorative variety of garlic, like the dining room, is propagated by seeds and daughter bulbs. The latter overwinter well in the soil if they are not dug up. But in the spring, you still have to divide the planting material, otherwise the garlic will quickly degenerate. Digging the bulbs in the fall or not depends entirely on the desire of the owner of the site. But it is better to plant them in a new place in the spring, after the frost ends. The advantages of vegetative propagation are that garlic will bloom in the first year after planting.

When deciding to propagate the plant by seeds, the planting of decorative garlic is carried out in the fall. They are planted 1.5 months before the onset of frost.

When planting seeds in spring, they are pre-soaked and germinated. You can plant decorative garlic in early spring, as it is not afraid of frost.

The seeds of ornamental species from the genus Onion can look different: as small heads or black grains

But since garlic is often understood as an ornamental onion, the seeds may look different, be dense and black. Such fruits are called "nigella".

Site and soil requirements

Almost all types of onions are steppe plants. The mountain slopes, where some of them grow, are treeless and differ from the steppe only in their slope. Therefore, when choosing a place for planting decorative garlic, one must take into account the amount of sunlight falling there. These plants are able to withstand even the midday summer sun.

Comment! Their winter hardiness is also at an altitude. As wild plants, they can hibernate at temperatures of -30 ° C, without the need for shelter.

Decorative garlic is also undemanding to the ground. But he does not like acidic or waterlogged soil. The ground must be alkaline or neutral. It prefers to grow in loose soil that allows water to pass through well. The flower is drought-resistant, and a slight lack of moisture is better for it than an excess of it.

How to plant decorative garlic

Before planting, the soil must be prepared in order to get strong plants with good inflorescences in the spring. The soil is prepared in advance, even in the summer. It is dug up and nutrients are added:

20 g superphosphate;
15 g of potassium salt;
10 kg of humus.

All norms are given per 1 sq. m.

Important! If a flower bed is to be planted in the place of the beds, you cannot plant garlic in the place of tomatoes, potatoes or cucumbers.

These plants have too many common diseases.

By selecting species with different colors of inflorescences, you can create interesting compositions

When planting decorative garlic with cloves in the soil, grooves are made about 10 cm deep. The slices are "set" vertically and sprinkled with earth. If the garlic is planted in the fall, it will have to be covered with peat during the frost. Planting is carried out no later than 1 month before the onset of cold weather. But it is better to plant daughter bulbs in the spring, as garlic can start growing in the fall. Then he will die in the winter.

It is better to plant seeds in autumn 1.5 months before the onset of cold weather. Do not soak them. During the winter, the grains will undergo natural stratification, and in the spring they themselves will get wet in melt water. Only healthy and whole seeds are selected for planting. They are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seedlings appear after a month. "Chernushka" and "air" grow slowly.

Comment! Garlic grown from seeds will bloom only in the second year.

Follow-up care

Although decorative garlic is unpretentious, it also needs some care. After the sprouts appear, it must be regularly weeded out. Watering is required only four times per season if the year is not dry. Otherwise, you will have to water more often, depending on the need for water.

The soil must be loosened regularly, especially after heavy rainfall. To obtain a strong central peduncle and a beautiful large inflorescence, it is necessary to remove all lateral arrows if they appear.

Otherwise, no special care is required. Only pest and disease control is standard for all flowers.

With improper care, the leaves turn yellow quickly, and the plant loses a significant part of its attractiveness.

Diseases and pests

Basically, garlic gets sick from being in a too humid environment. Powdery mildew affects him in the flower bed. The plant begins to wither, light green spots appear on the leaves and peduncle. Eventually, the garlic dries up. This can be avoided by observing the watering rules and changing the growing place every 3-4 years. It is also necessary to treat the teeth with a fungicide before planting.

During storage, garlic heads are often affected by neck rot. The teeth first become soft, then mold grows on them, and at the end they dry out.This is due to insufficient drying of the bulbs before storage. As a preventive measure, the harvested garlic is dried in the sun and only then sent to storage.

Ornamental garlic and garden pests are attacked: spider mites, onion fly and onion moth.

These pests are eliminated with the help of insecticides designed to treat garden crops from insects.

When to dig up ornamental garlic

Decorative garlic ripens at the same time as table garlic. Therefore, it must be dug out at the beginning of autumn, when the seeds are already ripe, and the bulbs will gain the maximum of nutrients. But if the plant is not intended for the winter table, the heads can not be dug out until spring. They winter well underground.

How to propagate decorative garlic

Ornamental garlic is propagated by seeds and daughter bulbs / chives. The nigella is harvested after the seed pods are brown and dry. The inflorescences are cut off, the seeds are husked and dried.

If the method of reproduction by daughter bulbs is chosen, they must be separated from the mother in the spring before planting. Otherwise, the small clove will dry out during storage. Dig the head of garlic, being careful not to damage it. Dried in the sun and laid out in a cool place on straw. Sawdust does not fit well, as too dry it sucks water out of the bulbs. And in wet garlic can germinate. Another storage method: in hanging bunches.

Usually, table garlic is stored this way, but this method is also suitable for decorative

The use of decorative garlic

Various types of garlic are often used for garden decoration. There is even a separate category of the onion garden called "alarius". Only representatives of the genus Onions are used in it.

Plants look very good on alpine slides. They are widely used in landscape design where strict geometric shapes are required. Low-growing decorative bows are often used to decorate the borders along the paths.

The main advantage of decorative types of onions is that they bloom when other similar plants have already completed their vegetative period. Therefore, they can be used in popular herb and cereal gardens. It is even possible to partially "recreate" steppe expanses or alpine meadows.

Peduncles are used as a cut crop. Ball-shaped inflorescences look good in a bouquet in combination with other garden plants. The green leaves can be used in summer salads.

Is it okay to eat decorative garlic

All species of the genus Onion are edible. They may differ from table garlic in saturation and shades of taste, but otherwise they are very similar. In the regions of origin, they are eaten on a par with regular garlic.

Comment! There are also many varieties of table garlic, which vary in the degree of pungency and size.

Ornamental garlic can be eaten in any dish. Add to taste.

The restrictions are the same as for table varieties. Do not eat spice whole heads in an attempt to protect yourself from respiratory viruses. Eating ornamental garlic helps with disease in the same way as in the case of table garlic. That is, nothing. But you can burn your stomach lining. So everything is good in moderation.

But since mostly wild species are meant by ornamental onions / garlic, it must be remembered that these plants have a less pronounced taste and smell than garden crops.

Another reason why ornamental varieties are usually not eaten: it is an expensive pleasure to eat planting material. But you may not get the desired effect in a dish.

What plants is combined with

Blue, lilac, purple and blue balls of garlic go well with other decorative flowers of similar shades: irises, hydrangeas, delphiniums.

The yellow inflorescences of some decorative onions go well with these plants.

Comment! When planting, it is better to avoid neighborhood with ornamental plants from the Cabbage and Legumes families.

Conclusion

Ornamental garlic is an unpretentious plant that is well suited for novice growers. Its main advantage is its “dual purpose”. In addition to decorating the garden, decorative bows can also be used for food. The same cannot be said about many garden flowers, such as the delphinium related to Buttercup.

Decorative garlic: planting and care, photo, how to propagate