Allium ursinum
| Habit | bulbous
| |
|---|---|---|
| Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
| Features: | ✓ | flowers, edible |
|---|---|---|
| USDA Zones: | 5 |
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Ramsons (Allium ursinum) (also known as buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, sremuš or bear's garlic) is a wild relative of chives.
Ramsons grow in deciduous woodlands with moist soils, preferring slightly acidic conditions. They flower before deciduous trees leaf in the spring, filling the air with their characteristic garlic-like scent. The stem is triangular in shape and the leaves are similar to those of the lily of the valley. Unlike the related crow garlic and field garlic, the flower-head contains no bulbils, only flowers.[1]
Cultivation
Bulb growing to 0.3m by 0.3m.
It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from February to June, in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
Prefers woodland conditions in a moist well-drained soil[203]. Plants are often found in the wild growing in quite wet situations[K]. When growing in suitable conditions, wild garlic forms a dense carpet of growth in the spring and can be a very invasive plant[24, 203, K]. It dies down in early summer, however, allowing other plants to grow in the same space[K]. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[1]. The seeds are dispersed by ants[244]. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[18, 20, 54]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[201]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe either in situ or in a cold frame. It germinates quickly and can be grown on in the greenhouse for the first year, planting out the dormant bulbs in the late summer of the following year. Stored seed can be sown in spring in a greenhouse. Division in summer after the plants have died down. Very easy, the divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Pests and diseases
Varieties
Gallery
References
- ↑ The Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain p.383.
- Plants for a Future - creative commons text incorporated
External links
- w:Allium ursinum. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Allium ursinum QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)