queries about growing garlic....

Brie

OK so 2 different questions...

A few years back I had an elephant garlic bulb which started to go all sprouty so rather than bin it I broke the cloves apart and planted them in the border.  Every year since I have had 1 ridiculously tall plant that has come up with a purple/blue flower about 6 feet up.  Sometimes the flower opens properly sometimes it doesn't.  Is it just being too dry that it doesn't open?  And last years plant leaves have never died back.  Will it send up a new spike and flower this year?

And meanwhile I'm trying to resist the over excitement of ordering lots of seeds, plants etc online and looked in case they had elephant garlic available.  They don't.  But they are offering a few different types of garlic to plant at prices starting at £10 for 2 bulbs.  Now I understand if you want a particular variety for eating that might be a good idea.  But is there any reason I shouldn't just put in some of the sprouty cloves I have from the stuff I buy at the supermarket??   I'm not after them to dig up and eat so it's only for the possible flowers.  Any reason this wouldn't work??  I accept that I have no idea what colour, height etc they would be but that's a bit of a fun surprise to me.

Farway

First up, I dislike garlic so never grow it, thus no experience

However, FWIW I think Elephant garlic is not real garlic, looks like etc but isn't. Same as a shallot is not an onion.

If it's only the flowers you are after, no reason any old one from Tesco etc would not do, however if it's the flower shape you want, why not try Alliums, them you can choose the colour, height etc

But, I agree, go for the mystery if you have space, or even use sprouty cooking onions?

If you want tall flowers, stick in an old woody parsnip, pointy end down

Brie

@Farway
thanks for the ideas.  Oddly I've never succeeded with alliums.  I wonder if the squirrels and foxes like them too much.  But don't like garlic?? (even when it's not real)

twopenny

Brie I've heard that supermarket garlic is treated so won't grow - I tried anyway and nothing the first year, some leaves the second and same the 3rd so I gave up.

It never grew more bulblets.

But to be fair I just shoved it in round a rose bush and left it.

This has some simple information that may help with types of garlic

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/garlic/growing-store-bought-garlic.htm

AndElephant Garlic

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-elephant-garlic/

Or if it's the flowers there is the Garlic Chives that I grow both to use and for the flowers.

Sorry about the wobble. Seems I deleted the good ones

And this link shows which companion planting for garlic. I think I put it round a rose because it was supposed to stop bugs

https://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/blogs/news/planning-your-garden-with-garlic-companion-planting

It even tells you which for flowers

-taff

You can grow supermarket garlic [ mine this year is a big pack I picked up from the grand bazaar shop round the corner. It's all coming up by the way. But you are a bit late planting it now, it really needs a period of cold in the ground, hence planting in November..You might get something though, no harm in trying, as Emma says, Whack it in and see....

They try to frighten you into not planting it by citing it could have diseases [ true] , you don't know whether it's soft neck or hardneck [ I think most supermarket garlic is soft neck - check that though] I did have some bublbs from the Isle of Wight Garlic farm once, they did grow very well, including the elephant garlic.

If you want your elephant garlic to flower, I'm not sure if you should be treating it like other aliums and chopping off the head after it's flowered. This is what I've been told helps, no idea if it's true. Another 6 fter you might like is babington leek if you can find some.

Dustyevsky

Elephant garlic is in demand, so it usually sells out in hours when offered on the Internet at sensible prices.

I've no idea about proper garden garlic, but the squirrels don't seem to like the wild stuff (ramsons) I grow in a wildlife area.

There's no telling what your giant plant might do. I think it takes a few years for giant garlic babies to grow into adult-sized bulbs. Maybe....

RAS

If you want massive allium flowers, just plant some bendy leeks that have intact root plates. Bigger the leek, taller the flower basically, pale mauve if I recall. Although currently taking a break from alliums as the wretched Allium Leaf Miner has become a problem locally.

Brie

@RAS - what a great idea!  

RAS

Just learned when some leeks on the plot were meagre and left in the ground. I did it deliberately with the left-overs in other years.  But don't currently grow them.