Sicilian honey garlic

Sicilian honey garlic: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Straight, sturdy stem 80–100 cm tall above a clump of narrow leaves; about 20 cm wide.

Leaves

Strap-like, keeled and slightly twisted, grey-green. They smell strongly of garlic when bruised and wither around flowering time.

Flower

Loose heads of hanging, bell-shaped flowers on long, arching stalks, in May and June.

Colour

Greenish cream with a purplish-red to dusky pink flush.

Fruit

After flowering the stalks turn upwards and the seed capsules stand upright, like a crown or candelabra.

Bulb

Medium-sized bulb that multiplies by offsets and seed.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: September–November · Pruning: July

Why grow it?

• One of the most unusual bulbs: hanging bells in soft, mixed colours on a tall, slender stem.
• Bees and bumblebees love the nectar-rich flowers.
• Two seasons of interest: first the hanging flowers, then the upright seed capsules.
• Grows in sun and partial shade, and in sand, loam or clay.
• A lovely cut flower, and the seed heads are excellent for drying.

Sicilian honey garlic: where does it grow best?

• Full sun or partial shade, including light shade under trees or at a woodland edge.
• Sandy, loamy or clay soil, free-draining, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; not soil that is waterlogged in winter.
• Plant in groups of 5–10 bulbs, 10–15 cm apart, among perennials that hide the withered leaves.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

1 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Columbine: Flowers at the same time, also in partial shade, with hanging flowers in matching colours.
• Hardy geranium: Covers the ground and hides the withered leaves.
• Feather grass: Fine, swaying plumes that make the tall stems look even lighter.
• Spurge: Fresh green flower heads that echo the green of the bells.

Sicilian honey garlic: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant the bulbs in September, October or November.
2. Loosen the soil and, on heavy clay, add some grit to the bottom of the hole.
3. Plant the bulbs 10–15 cm deep, about three times their own height, tip pointing up.
4. Space them 10–15 cm apart and plant in groups, ideally among lower perennials.
5. Cover, firm and water if the autumn is dry.
6. Mark the spot so you do not damage the bulbs when you work in the border.

Care

Watering

Rarely needed; only in a dry spring, while the flower stem is growing.

Feeding

A thin layer of compost in March is enough.

Foliage

Withers around flowering time. Leave it until it is dry all the same: the bulb draws reserves from it.

Support

Usually not needed. In deep shade or very rich soil the stems may lean a little.

Seed heads

Leave them for decoration or cut them off in July before the seed falls.

Cut flowers

Cut the stems when the first bells open; pick seed heads when they are dry and straw-coloured.

Tip: Leave a few seed heads standing: the upright, straw-coloured capsules are almost as beautiful as the flowers in summer and dry well for arrangements. Cut off the rest before they split open.

Sicilian honey garlic: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July.

When: No pruning is needed. In July, cut off the stems with seed capsules if you do not want seedlings, or leave them for decoration and for dried arrangements.

How:

• Cut the stems off just above the ground before the capsules split open.
• Leave the leaves until they are yellow and dry.
• For dried arrangements, pick seed heads when they are straw-coloured and firm, and hang them upside down to dry.

Caution: It self-seeds readily: cut off the capsules before they split if you do not want it all over the border.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow fresh seed in autumn in a pot left outdoors; it germinates in spring. Seedlings flower after about 3 years.

Offsets

In July–August, while the plant is dormant, lift the bulbs, separate the offsets and replant them in September.

Sicilian honey garlic: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Wet soil in winter is the biggest danger; make sure drainage is good.
• In a pot: choose a deep pot, stand it against a wall and do not let the compost become waterlogged.

Diseases and pests

• Too many seedlings: In a good spot it self-seeds freely. Cut off the capsules in time and pull out unwanted seedlings while they are small.
• Bulb rot: The bulb goes soft and fails to come up in soil that is too wet. Replant in a better-drained spot.
• Slugs: They eat the young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Leaning stems: In too much shade the stems grow towards the light. Give it a lighter spot or plant it among sturdy neighbours.

Through the year

• March: Leaves appear. Add compost.
• April: Flower stems grow. Watch out for slugs.
• May: Flowering begins. Bees and bumblebees on the bells.
• June: In flower. The first capsules turn upright.
• July: Cut off the capsules or leave them. Clear withered leaves.
• August: Pick dry seed heads for arrangements.
• September: Plant bulbs.
• October: Plant bulbs. Sow fresh seed in a pot.
• 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.

Did you know?

• Nectaroscordum means ‘nectar garlic’: the bells produce plenty of nectar, and bees and bumblebees hang beneath them to drink it.
• Botanists long placed it in a separate genus, Nectaroscordum; today it is usually included in Allium again.
• The flower buds are at first wrapped together in a papery sheath, which splits open as the bells begin to hang down.