Keeled garlic

Keeled garlic: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Thin stems of 30–40 cm above a few narrow leaves; barely 10 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow and grass-like, green; they start to wither around flowering time.

Flowers

Loose heads of nodding, bell-shaped purple-pink flowers on long, unequal stalks; July–August.

Bracts

Two long, pointed bracts that rise well above the flower head.

Bulb

Small, egg-shaped bulb of 1–2 cm; planting depth 5–8 cm.

Flowering: July–August · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Flowers in July–August, when most ornamental onions have finished.
• Graceful, nodding purple flowers that sway nicely among grasses.
• Bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
• Drought-tolerant: ideal for a rock garden, gravel garden or a low wall.
• Small and modest: it does not spread aggressively and suits small gardens too.

Keeled garlic: where does it grow best?

• Full sun.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; stony soil is fine.
• Dry to normally moist: in wet winters the bulbs rot.
• Plant in groups of ten or more, 5–10 cm apart, among low grasses or in a rock garden.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Feather grass: Fine, swaying stems among the nodding purple flowers.
• Thyme: A low, fragrant mat in a rock or gravel garden.
• Blue fescue: Low, blue-grey tufts that hide the dying leaves.
• Wild marjoram: Flowers at the same time, attracts the same butterflies and likes the same dry soil.

Keeled garlic: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs in September–November, as long as the soil is not frozen.
2. Dig a wide, shallow pit 5–8 cm deep and mix grit into heavier soil.
3. Set the bulbs pointed end up, 5–10 cm apart, in groups of ten or more.
4. Cover with soil and firm lightly; water only if the soil is bone dry.
5. Mark the spot so you do not dig up the bulbs by mistake in spring.
6. Keep the bulbs out of reach of children and pets before planting.

Care

Watering

Hardly ever needed: it is drought-tolerant.

Feeding

Not needed; poor soil keeps it compact.

Leaves

Let the leaves die back naturally, so the bulbs can store food.

Deadheading

Leave the flowers if you want it to self-seed a little, or cut them off before the seed ripens.

Dividing

Every few years, lift crowded groups and replant them more widely spaced.

Tip: Plant it in small groups among low grasses or in a rock garden: that is where the nodding flowers look best. This subspecies does not spread aggressively, so there is no need to fear it will take over your border.

Keeled garlic: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. After flowering you can cut off the spent stems; always let the leaves die back naturally.

How:

• Cut off spent stems if you do not want seedlings.
• Only remove the leaves once they are completely yellow or brown.
• In autumn, simply pull the dry stems out of the ground.

Caution: Do not cut the leaves while still green: the bulbs weaken and flower less.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

After a few years the bulbs form offsets. Lift the clump once the leaves have died back, separate them and replant in autumn.

Seed

Sow ripe seed in autumn in a pot left outdoors, or let it self-seed a little where it grows. Seedlings flower after 2–3 years.

Keeled garlic: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −25 °C: in Belgium the bulbs simply stay in the ground.
• Wet soil is the biggest danger: plant in a free-draining spot or in gravel.
• In a pot or trough: stand it against a wall in winter, out of the rain.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: Bulbs that fail to come up or are soft in wet soil. Plant them in a drier spot or in gravel.
• Slugs: They eat the young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Seedlings: It sometimes self-seeds a little. Cut off the flowers before the seed ripens, or weed out the seedlings.
• Yellow leaves: Normal during and after flowering. Let them die back among low plants that hide them.

Through the year

• March: Leaves emerge.
• April: Watch for slugs.
• June: The flower stems with their long bracts appear.
• July: Flowering begins. Bees and butterflies on the flowers.
• August: Flowering. Cut off spent flowers if you do not want seedlings.
• September: Plant bulbs. Lift and divide crowded groups.
• October: Plant bulbs. Sow in a pot outdoors.
• November: Plant the last bulbs.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Ornamental onions are true alliums, related to onion, garlic, leek and chives, and like them they are poisonous to dogs and cats: all parts, especially the bulbs, contain sulphur compounds that damage the red blood cells and can cause anaemia. Cats are more sensitive than dogs, and the signs (lethargy, pale gums, red or brown urine) sometimes appear only after a few days. Horses, sheep and other livestock can fall ill from them too. Even though the leaves and bulbs smell of onion, they are not grown as vegetables: do not eat them, and never store the bulbs with the kitchen onions, as they are not meant for eating and may have been treated with pesticides. Do not plant them where your dog digs, keep loose bulbs out of reach of pets and children, and do not put a vase of alliums where your cat chews the stems. If your dog or cat has eaten a bulb or leaves, call your vet, even if it shows no signs yet. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Carinatum means keeled and pulchellum means pretty or lovely.
• The typical subspecies, Allium carinatum subsp. carinatum, forms bulbils among the flowers and can become invasive. Pulchellum does not, which makes it the subspecies to grow in gardens.
• The long, pointed bracts rising above the flower head are typical of this group of ornamental onions.