Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) shallow water pond plant

Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) shallow water pond plant

Society Garlic is a beautiful ornamental plant for the water garden. It has long, thin, green, strap-like foliage with clusters of lavender-pink flowers held above on tall stems. Flowers bloom non-stop May through Fall. The stems and leaves have a garlic smell when cut or bruised, and the flowers have a delightful sweet fragrance. The foliage is perhaps less attention-getting than the variegated form, however the green form is more vigorous and also blooms a lot more. A native plant of South Africa, it has a reputation for helping ward off snakes.

While best known as a landscaping plant, society garlic adapts surprisingly well to shallow water in ponds and streambeds.

Hardiness Zone: 7-11
Planting Container: We recommend a 7.5" x 5" fabric pot to grow a regular sized plant, and a 10" x 6" fabric pot to grow a large sized plant. Click on any fabric pot link to read about why fabric pots work better than hard plastic pots!
Light Requirements: full sun to part shade
Height: 12" to 24" - Spread: 12" to 24"
Water Depth: Moist soil to wet soil

FERTILIZING: For best health and growth, we recommend fertilizing regularly (unless using the plants in a plant filtration system!). Use Pondtabbs 20 count, 60 count, or 300 count for fast release, or Aquascape 6 count or 12 count capsules for slow release (once a year) fertilizing. Aquascape is preferred for low maintenance, but Pondtabbs are useful in Spring when Aquascape is slow to start in low temperatures. Pondtabbs are also useful for a quick extra nutrient push for extra bloom, and for mid-summer fertilizing of a new plant (we don't recommend using slow release fertilizer in mid-summer or later in cold climates, as plants should run out of fertilizer at the end of the year to encourage dormancy in cold climates).

Plants are shipped bare root or in starter pots, and will require planting upon arrival. For in depth planting and care instructions visit our Planting and Care Instructions for Shallow Water and Bog Plants.

For information on using plants for pond filtration, please read our blog on this topic!