🌿 Wild garlic

Wild garlic, also called ramsons, is a woodland plant with broad, glossy leaves and a pungent aroma, appearing in early spring when little else is available. Its white starry flowers cover the ground in April and May, and the whole plant is edible.

It thrives in damp shade under trees and on north-facing borders, where few crops will grow. It spreads freely, so place it where you are happy for it to colonise, or confine it in a large pot.

Varieties to try

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum, the only form)Three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum, a similar edible relative)

Plant bulbs in September and October, 5–8 cm deep and 10–15 cm apart, in moist, humus-rich soil in shade. Alternatively, buy plants ‘in the green’ in spring and plant at the same depth as they were growing. Seed should be sown fresh in autumn and takes up to 18 months to germinate.

Mulch with leaf mould to mimic woodland conditions. Do not dig up wild plants, which is illegal without the landowner’s permission; buy from a reputable nursery.

Top tips

• Plant in moist shade.
• Buy ‘in the green’ for the quickest results.
• Mulch with leaf mould.
• Never dig up wild plants.

Wild garlic needs almost no maintenance once established. Keep the soil moist in spring while leaves are growing; it tolerates dry summer soil, when the leaves die back and the plant goes dormant.

It spreads by seed and bulbs, so remove flower heads before they set seed if it spreads too far. Slugs sometimes eat young leaves. Divide clumps in autumn to extend the patch.

Top tips

• Keep moist in spring.
• Deadhead to limit spread.
• Divide clumps in autumn.
• Allow leaves to die back naturally.

Watch out for

SlugsRustInvasive spreadingDrought in summer

Pick leaves from March to May, before flowering, when they are tender and mild. Take only one or two leaves from each plant so that it can regrow and survive. Flower buds and flowers are also edible, from April.

Seed pods can be picked green in late spring and pickled like capers. Leaves become tough and bitter after flowering. Always positively identify wild garlic and avoid lookalikes such as lily of the valley and lords-and-ladies.

Top tips

• Take one or two leaves per plant.
• Pick before flowering.
• Eat the flowers too.
• Check identification carefully.

Use wild garlic leaves in pesto, soups, risotto, omelettes, butters and breads, or wilt like spinach. The flavour is mild and fresh, and best raw or lightly cooked. Whole flowers make a pretty, mild garlicky salad garnish.

Leaves wilt within a day, so use them quickly. Freeze pesto or wild garlic butter in portions, or blanch the leaves and freeze in ice-cube trays. Wild garlic loses flavour on drying.

Top tips

• Make pesto in spring and freeze it.
• Wilt like spinach.
• Garnish with the flowers.
• Pickle seed pods.