Wild garlic (Tulbaghia alliacea)
Care, watering, light and tips for Wild garlic on Floravia.
Quick facts
- Family: Amaryllidaceae
- Difficulty: Easy to care for
- Watering: every 7 days
- Light: Partial shade
- Temperature: 10–30 °C
About Wild garlic
Tulbaghia alliacea, known as unWelela, is a perennial bulbous plant from the Amaryllidaceae family, native to Southern Africa. It stands out for its narrow, fleshy leaves that emit a garlic-like scent when rubbed, and for its delicate lavender to pale pink tubular flowers that appear in umbels. It is ideal for garden borders, rockeries, or as a potted plant, adding a rustic touch and a distinctive aroma.
Native range
South Africa
Care tips
It requires full sun for abundant flowering, though it tolerates some partial shade. Watering should be moderate, allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings, and reducing it in winter. It prefers well-drained, sandy or loamy soils, and is quite drought-tolerant once established. A common mistake is overwatering, which can lead to bulb rot.
How to save a dying Wild garlic
- Warning signs
- Yellowish or soft leaves, drooping stems.
- First aid
- Check drainage, reduce watering. Repot if waterlogged.
- What kills it
- Overwatering, root rot. Does not tolerate soggy soil.
- Can it be saved?
- Yes, if roots are not completely rotted. Act quickly.