Tulbashia Violacea
A few plants taste good in spite of their name. The Society Garlic flower, with its pastel violet flowers and lite garlic flavor, is one of the best. You can view a patch of these beauties in the median of Santa Barbara, just south of Nicholas Parkway.
Yea for the city gardeners for selecting this stately, long-flowering plant for all to see. The plant is a species in the onion family. A native of South Africa, it is also called Pink Agapanthus.
You will see a slender stalk of blooms rising from a bed of green leaves. At the top of the stem is an umbrella-shaped cluster of delicate flowers; actually a collection of individual tiny blossoms, much like a delicate African Violet flower.
The stems are 1 to 2 feet high, and very sturdy, however a local tornado such as the one we just experienced, would flatten them for sure.
It flourishes well in Zone 7 through 10, blooming the most in the warmest ones. This plant likes a lot of sun, but does well with some dappled shade. It is drought resistant, in most soils and not picky about soils, except it needs to drain well. You already know sandy soils are always better with some added compost.
It seems insects are repelled by the light garlic scent, however pollinators are not deterred by the garlic scent. Moths come to visit in the night and our lovely butterflies are very friendly daytime.
Local outlets will have them off and on, your friendly Garden Club member, or neighbor, can share with you as they can be divided well. You can also start with seeds – if you are patient.
The name Society Garlic came about when polite Dutch settlers thought it was more polite to use as a flavor for dinner, than the true hearty and strong scented garlic.
What part is edible? Put the flowers in salad or anything needing a light garlic flavor, or just nibble if you so desire. It has kind of a peppery flavor.
Bulbs can be cooked and eaten, and have been used medicinally.
Broth of cooked bulbs can be ingested to help clear a cough, or a cold.
The leaves may be crushed and used to treat sinus headaches.
No recipe available, tea maybe or stuffing noses? Whatever!
I guess I should tell how the not pretty name came to be for this very delicate plant. The governor of Good Hope is to blame. His name being Ryk Tulbagh.
This was way back in 1699. They could have used Ryk as the name, however naming plants seems like a game to see who can come up with the most unusual spelling and grander unpronounceable name.
I know, I know, Latin and all that kind of educational splitting of the various species. Just for fun here is how you sound out Tulbashia Violacea – tool-bag-e-uh bee-oh-lay. No comment.
One more thing, there is a second species Tulbashia Alliecea, better known as wild garlic. The bulbs of this plant are supposed to be tasty and roasted or cooked with meat. Actually better than the above bulbs.
Much to my Italian friends’ distress, I am not much of a garlic flavoring person and tend to get the tiny little jars of mashed garlic. I really could not bear to even be eating the lovely blooms of a flowering garlic either.
I forgot to say you could plant these lovelies around the garden and repel insects. Also, the plants repel deer and moles. Deer are scarce in the Cape; moles, not so much; however, they would become more scarce very quickly trying to get from the grassy roadside over to the Santa Barbara median.
Stay warm and tidy up around the garden; it is a good way to stay warm.
Till we meet again …
H.I. Jean Shields is Past President of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.