Content Detail

German garlic, also known as broad-leaved chives, is a beautiful perennial adding a long season of interest to the landscape. Dense, round clusters of lavender-pink flowers appear above the deep green, glossy foliage mid-summer, lasting long into the season. It is tolerant of drought, hot weather, rabbits, and deer.

  • Family (English) Amaryllis
  • Family (botanic) Amaryllidaceae
  • Tree or plant type Perennial
  • Native locale Non-native
  • Size range Medium plant (12-24 inches)
  • Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
  • Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
  • Soil preference Moist, well-drained soil
  • Tolerances Alkaline soil, Dry sites, Occasional drought
  • Season of interest midsummer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall
  • Flower color and fragrance Pink
  • Shape or form Upright
  • Growth rate Fast

Size and Form:

German garlic is a clump-forming perennial that reaches 18 to 24 inches high.

Native geographic location and habitat:

It is native to Europe and northern Asia.

Attracts birds and pollinators:

German garlic attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Leaf description:

Its leaves are clump-forming, medium green, 1/2 inch wide, and strap-like, growing up to 12 inches long.

Flower arrangement size and shape:

German garlic has dense, globular flower clusters of lavender-pink flowers that appear mid-summer and last until fall.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

 It has capsules of small black seeds.

Plant Care:

This is a bulb that is often purchased as a plant. It grows best in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. The dried flower heads add structural elements to the winter garden, but can be removed to tidy up the plant.

List of pests and diseases:

There aren’t any serious pests or diseases, although it is not tolerant of wet soils.

Blue broad-leaved Chives (Allium senescens subsp. montanum var. glauca):

Also called curly chives, this plant grows 6 to 12 inches high and 12 to 18 inches wide. It has neat rounded tufts of short, flattened but twisted, blue-green foliage and lavender-pink flowers.

Summer Beauty German Garlic (Allium senescens subsp. montanum ‘Summer Beauty’):

This cultivar is 18 to 24 inches high and 12 to 18 inches wide. It has gray-green twisted foliage and pink flowers.

Summer Peek a Boo German Garlic (Allium senescens subsp. montanum ‘Summer Peek a Boo’):

It is 8 to 12 inches high with a compact habit and rounded lavender-purple flower clusters. It is a sport of Summer Beauty German Garlic.

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