On the wild side

The spring bulbs have been very prominent at Harlow Carr this year with their beautiful colours and scents. There is one bulb in the woodland, which although not instantly revealing to the eye, cannot be ignored due to its strong odour. With its close relative garlic usually used as a vital cooking ingredient in many dishes, this wild garlic (allium ursinum) tends to get overlooked.

Wild garlic is a native to Europe and Asia but has naturalised in Britain and northern America. It is most commonly found in deciduous woodland areas in moist soil. Its flowers are white on spiky stems with leaves resembling lily of the valley. Over time it has been given some interesting names, the ‘devils posy’, ‘onion flower’ and ‘bears garlic’ - so called because when European brown bears came out of hibernation the first thing they searched for was wild garlic.

The best things about wild garlic are its culinary uses, ease of growing and that all parts of the plant can be used. The bulb is relatively small and can take three years to develop, so it is the leaves that tend to be harvested. By cutting through the base of the leaf rather than the stem, the same leaf can be harvested twice.

The taste of wild garlic is mild compared to cultivated garlic. Many people assume it has a strong flavour due to the powerful odour given off when disturbed underfoot. It has a slight chive-like taste followed by a mild garlic flavour, so is prefect chopped up in salads or mayonnaise and used in a sandwiches. It also makes a lovely pesto by combining parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil and can be used to flavour pastas or stews. To preserve wild garlic, freeze it in a sunflower or vegetable oil (not olive oil which has its own unique flavour). Chop up about 100g of leaves, sprinkle on some salt and let them rest for about 20 minutes. Blend the salted leaves in 100ml of vegetable oil then place in a preserving jar and top up with oil.

Growing garlic is easy, seeds should be sown straight in to the ground in autumn, in a shady /part shady area. They can be divided once the plant has established and the flowers have died back in summer. Once the plants have established themselves, they can be hard to get rid of, so keep just a small patch for them in your garden and dig out the rest before they go to seed. Most wildflower nurseries will stock wild garlic, or come and ask for it at the RHS Plant Centre at Harlow Carr. Have a go growing your own, it’s easy, fun and the kids will love smelling, picking and eating it!

With thanks to Katy Trohear, Horticulturist at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Jobs for the week

· Put slow release fertiliser in containers and hanging baskets to last the summer

· Sow a packet of mixed ‘cut and come again’ salad leaves

· Keep lawn edges clipped and sharp

· Prune early flowering Spring shrubs after they have finished flowering

DIARY DATES

Until 30 June: The ‘Language of Flowers’ exhibition The Victorians believed that every flower - and some vegetables - carried a symbolic meaning: a hellebore for scandal, a rose for love. Learn about the symbolic meaning of flowers at an exhibition taking place at Harlow Carr’s library. Normal garden admission applies.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr Flower Show Friday 23 – Sunday 25 June Enjoy our second Flower Show set in the stunning surroundings of the garden in its early summer splendour. Browse, buy, and pick up advice from more than 40 specialist nurseries and garden trade stands and enjoy a full programme of talks and demonstrations. Normal garden entry applies. Free Park & Ride service in operation from Harrogate Rugby club. See website for full details. 10am – 5pm As the UK’s leading gardening charity, the proceeds taken from events and tickets sales at all RHS gardens help to fund the many activities undertaken by the RHS to promote horticulture and help gardeners. For further information on all the above events please call 01423 565418.