Tulbaghia cominsii Violacea - Society Garlic

The Tulbaghia cominsii violacea or Violet Tulbaghia is sometimes called South African Violet Garlic because of the garlic aroma that permeates its entire vegetation, and its South African origins. From summer to autumn, this bulbous plant produces umbels of delicate star-shaped flowers in a lilac pink colour that sway at the end of long stems, and its edible leaves can be finely chopped to flavor salads. Not very hardy in wet and cold soil, it is best grown in a pot and stored dry, except in very mild climates. This lovely plant thrives outdoors in summer in light but without direct sunlight.

Tulbagia violacea is a plant from the lily or allium family, just like garlic, onion, and leek. It is native to the meadows of Lesotho and Swaziland in South Africa. There, this bulbous plant is also widely cultivated for culinary and phytotherapeutic purposes. Well adapted to difficult and dry soils, it is however not resistant to severe frost and is hardy up to zone 7 in dry soil.

The plant forms a clump of thick and narrow, ribbon-like foliage from spring onwards, reaching 30 cm (12in) in height, which quickly widens through tuberous rhizomes bearing thin and compact bulbs. Protected from frost, this foliage will persist in winter. The flowering, particularly long-lasting, takes place from June-July to October if the soil remains moist in summer. In dry and warm regions, the flowers will be produced in spring, and again from September to November, with the return of rain. From the clump of foliage emerge 50-60 cm (20-24in) floral stems bearing at their tip false umbels of small tubular star-shaped flowers with 6 lilac pink petals. The entire plant emits a garlic odor that may not appeal to everyone. The flowering, highly visited by pollinating insects, gives way to ovoid fruits measuring about 1 cm (1in) in length. At maturity, these fruits release seeds that can self-sow in light soils.  

Tulbaghia cominsii violacea is an excellent plant for coastal gardens, as it appreciates the mild climate and tolerates sea spray very well. It is particularly suitable for dry gardens in our Mediterranean or southern Atlantic regions. In mild climates, this small bulbous plant forms beautiful, highly flowered clumps in rockeries and sunny flowerbeds. It can be combined with silver-leaved ground cover plants (Stachys, Artemisia lanata, Cerastium), which enhance its elegant flowers. Elsewhere, it will make beautiful flowering pots, in the company of agapanthus, nerines, or belladonna lilies, for example. The flowers can decorate and flavor raw vegetable salads, and the finely chopped leaves can flavor sauces and dressings along with chives. Their flavor, similar to garlic, is slightly spicy and has notes of wild asparagus.