Tulbaghia violacea

A hardy perennial with delicate clusters of star- shaped violet flowers that bloom reliably from spring through autumn. Its edible leaves and flowers carry a faint garlic scent, making it a charming and practical addition to herb gardens and borders alike.

Society garlic produces dense umbels of fragrant pinkish-purple star-shaped flowers on slender stems above narrow grey-green grass-like leaves from late spring through autumn — typically May through October in the Mediterranean. The whole plant has a distinct garlic-onion scent when brushed or crushed, which historically led to its common name (the plant was considered suitable for 'polite society' because the leaves can be eaten and freshen the breath, unlike true garlic). Hardy to -8°C, exceptionally drought-tolerant, the South African native tolerates poor soils, salt spray, full sun and partial shade; it actually flowers more in lean conditions. Naturally rodent and rabbit resistant.

Society garlic forms tidy clumps 30–45 cm tall and as wide that gradually expand. Use in massed plantings along sunny path edges, around terraces and pool surrounds; as a long-flowering replacement for annuals in mixed borders; as a culinary border around vegetable gardens (the leaves and flowers are edible and mildly garlicky); and in large terracotta pots on hot terraces. The cool purple flowers combine beautifully with the silver of Stachys byzantina and Convolvulus cneorum, the yellow of Bulbine frutescens and Euryops pectinatus, and the magenta of Lantana montevidensis. The variegated 'Silver Lace' form has white-edged leaves and softer growth, particularly useful for highlighting dark borders.