How to grow society garlic in a raised bed

Society garlic is a tough, pretty perennial with edible, mild garlic-flavoured leaves and starry lilac flowers. Hardy, drought-tolerant and long-flowering, it makes a neat, useful edging plant for a raised bed.

Quick facts

• Position: full sun to part shade
• Spacing: 20–30 cm clumps
• Tub depth: our 23 cm depth
• Time to harvest: from established clumps

When should I plant society garlic?

Plant divisions in spring or autumn. It's a hardy perennial that forms clumps and flowers for much of the warmer year. Our free garden calendar shows the right months for your postcode.

• Subtropical (Brisbane & SEQ): March to April and August to October
• Temperate (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth): March to April and September to November
• Cool & mountain (Tasmania, Canberra, highlands): October to November
• Tropical (Cairns, Darwin): March to June
• Arid inland: March to April and September to October

How do I grow society garlic in a raised bed?

Plant into any reasonable, free-draining mix. It's remarkably tough and drought-hardy once established, and clumps can be divided every few years.

How do I use it?

The leaves and flowers have a mild garlic-chive flavour, good in salads and stir-fries, and the plant is said to help deter some pests. The lilac flowers draw in bees and butterflies.

What pests attack society garlic?

Keep an eye out for aphids, though flowers are seldom much bothered. See our safe pest guide.

What are the common problems with society garlic?

The main one to watch is rust, usually in damp, crowded conditions. Good airflow prevents most.

Where should I plant it?

A hardy, low-fuss edging plant; its scent is said to deter some garden pests. See our companion planting guide.

More growing guides: lavender, anise hyssop and bee balm.

Plan your patch: our free garden calendar shows what to plant now where you live. Ready to grow? Browse our raised garden beds or build your own with the garden bed builder.

Image: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, via Wikimedia Commons.