Strange Flower

[pukka.tukka]

Hi

Can any tell me what I have growing in my garden. The flower is star shaped, white and lilac in colour wiith flat grass like foliage which smells strongly of chives/onions.

It has been in flower for several weeks.

Thank you

[smallblueplanet]

sounds like wild garlic / ransoms - highly invasive when we had some in a garden in Essex......nuke it! :-)

[Lesley Jay]

No don't nuke it - cook with it.

[smallblueplanet]

If you must :-) but I'd still corral it somehow.

[Shortie]

Yes, sounds like a type of allium, but I thought some were poisonous??!!

Eat with Caution.

Be warned, the bulbs are very smelly when you lift them (your fingers will smell of garlic)

[Nicos]

If it's wild garlic.....I'll have some off you please???!

[SueA]

I don't think it is wild garlic (Ramsons) as that usually has white flowers, not white & lilac & has quite broad leaves not grasslike ones. Wild garlic doesn't usually flower until the end of April either- it's lovely walking through a wood full of it with the fresh garlic scent (not the pong you get on someones breath when they've been eating it! ) It does sound like some sort of allium though & is probably an ornamental one.

[nick the grief]

Can you post a picture for us to see PT that might help

[Jaxom]

Sounds more like an Alium. I have loads planted in the garden but they have not even shown their heads yet so don't know what to advise. there are loads of examples if you go to google and enter Alium but select the Image button rather than the Web button.
Jax

[SueA]

Hi pukka.tukka,
Just had a 'Eureka' moment last night when I was looking something else up in a book, I saw a picture of an 'Ipheion' which looked a bit like the plant you describe & when I read on it said it had star shaped violet, blue & or white flowers(sometimes honey-scented) & grassy foliage which smells of garlic/onions when rubbed or squashed.They are related to alliums & often used as rock garden plants, some can become invasive & some can be killed off in very cold weather depending on the variety.Sounds about right. You can look them up on many websites such as bbc.co.uk/gardening or the R.H.S. in their plantfinder sections.

[sewer rat]

Well done SueA
That's a good spot ! It's sometimes called the Spring Starflower and forms clumps which need to be divided every two or three years.

[fruit&vegvirgin]

blimey! that's what I've got I reckon.

ok, next odd flower: leaves are a bit speckly, shaped liked those shortish lily type things which have red bobbles on stalks after flowering. but these ones have little, delicate yellow flowers, facing downwards but with petals which turn back and outwards. will try and take and post a pic, but does this ring a bell with anyone?

[SueA]

Sounds a bit like erythronium to me FVV they come in different colours depending on the variety & some have more mottled leaves than others. I'm attaching a pic of the one I have which is 'Pagoda'. It's on it's last legs in the photo as the flowers are just finishing & the leaves have been nibbled by slugs!

[fruit&vegvirgin]

cant see your pic, but have just googled it (!) and you are absolutely right!
its very pretty.

[SueA]

Glad to be of help. Sorry you can't see my pic., it's definitely there on my screen but at least it was the right thing. I only bought mine this year & split up the plant into 3 which all seem to have taken O.K. I was really looking for Erythronium dens-canis(the dog-tooth violet) but saw this one & bought it instead.