The inviting aroma of one early plant hides the fact that it’s mild compared to the cultivated version

WITH the spring bulbs having been very prominent in the garden with their beautiful colours and smells, there is one bulb, although not instantly revealing to the eye, which can hardly be ignored with its inviting aroma. With its close relative garlic used as a vital cooking ingredient in many dishes, wild garlic (allium ursinum) hardly gets a look in.

Wild garlic is native to Europe and Asia but has naturalised in Britain and northern America. Most commonly found in the moist soils in deciduous woodland areas, it flowers before the trees leaves get a chance to come through and has a triangular stem, white flowers and leaves that resemble lily of the valley. It has been called the ‘devils posy’, ‘onion flower’ and ‘bears garlic’ – so called because when European brown bears came out of hibernation the first thing they would go in search of was wild garlic.

The best thing about wild garlic is its culinary uses. It is easy to grow and all parts of the plant can be used. The bulb is relatively small and can take three years to develop, so its leaves are used the most. If you harvest the leaf by cutting through its base rather than its stem then the same leaf can be harvested twice, if the leaf is cut through the stem it will not grow back.

Growing garlic is easy, seeds can be sown in autumn direct in to the garden in a shady /part shady area (plants can be bought from the RHS shop and also wild flower nurseries). They can be divided when the plant is established in summer and the flowers have died back, but take care, once plants get established they are hard to get rid of, so keep only a small patch in your garden and dig out when you think your allocated patch is getting too big – preferably before it sets seed.

The taste of wild garlic is mild compared to cultivated garlic, many people assume that it has a strong flavour; this may be due to the strong odour given off when it is disturbed under footfall. But it has a slight chive like taste followed by a mild garlic flavour – so is prefect just chopped up in salads or in a sandwich, I’ve also tried it chopped up in mayonnaise. A pesto can also be made by combining parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil. To preserve wild garlic you can freeze it but it can go quite limp when defrosted. Preserving it in an oil works well preferably a sunflower or vegetable oil – not olive oil which has its own unique flavour. Chop up about 100g of leaves, sprinkle with some salt and leave them for 20 minutes. Blend the salted leaves in 100ml of vegetable oil, place into a preserving jar and top up with oil. This can be used to flavour pastas or stews. I hope I’ve introduced to a new flavour and maybe inspired you to give it ago.

Jobs to do this month

Feeding, watering and supporting your fruit and veg is vital in June.

Water and feed plants and fruit regularly once they are established.

Continue sowing salad crops, such as beetroot, Chinese cabbage, pak choi and radish. Leafy salad crops may do better when sown in partially shady sites since hot dry weather can lead to bitter tasting leaves

For more information on things to do in the garden this month visit rhs.org.uk

DIARY DATES

June 18 to19: The Bonsai Show

With beautiful displays aplenty, the Bonsai Group will be in the garden to offer first hand advice on these special trees. There will be ample opportunity to see how members’ trees are styled, enjoy specialist demonstrations and pick up hints and tips to style your own trees at home. Normal garden admission.