Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is a UK native bulb, commonly seen in damp woodlands.  

• New leaves emerge from the soil each year in late winter or early spring and grow to about 7½cm (3in) wide and up to 50cm (20in) tall by early summer. The long, oval-shaped leaves have pointed tips and smell strongly of garlic when crushed; they die back to ground level as summer progresses. 
• Flowering stems bear rounded umbels of six-petalled white flowers from April to June. Clumps of elongated pale bulbs form underground.

Crow garlic, three-cornered leek and few-flowered leek 

Crow garlic, three-cornered leek and few-flowered leek are also edible alliums that grow and spread in UK gardens. The descriptions and images below will help you identify which species of Allium you have. RHS members can use the RHS Gardening Advice service for help with plant identification.  

Crow garlic (Allium vineale) 
Crow garlic is a UK native bulb commonly seen in Southern England, especially in grassland. Its narrow, tubular leaves are similar to chives and can grow up to 60cm (24in) in height. Curious flowerheads appear in June, initially covered by a papery sheath with green to reddish-purple bulbils (small bulbs) and sometimes a few pink flowers. Bulbils drop to the ground, allowing crow garlic to spread quickly. Underground, its pale bulbs are oval or round.

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Reddish-purple bulbils sprouting green shoots will root when they drop to the ground

Not necessarily – some gardeners choose to plant wild garlic and it is available to buy from herb nurseries. Wild garlic leaves can be eaten raw and are a tasty addition to salads. Cooked leaves have a milder garlic flavour and are useful as a leafy vegetable and as an ingredient in soups, pesto, oils and pasta dishes. The flowers and bulbs are also edible.

Here are our answers to your most common questions about dealing with wild garlic:   

How invasive is wild garlic? 

Wild garlic can form extensive carpets, particularly in damp woodland conditions. It spreads quickly, producing bulbs underground and seed above ground. In gardens, it can be difficult to curtail, and is easily and unintentionally spread by gardeners moving soil that contains hidden bulbs. 

The wide leaves of wild garlic create dense ground cover in spring and early summer, potentially smothering other plants.   

Do I need to get rid of wild garlic? 

You don’t need to eradicate wild garlic from your garden. Allowing it to grow in a wildlife corner, woodland border or at the shady end of a veg bed is a great way to attract wildlife, boost the biodiversity of your garden, and gives you the chance to enjoy its attractive flowers and edible leaves.

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Wild garlic flowers provide nectar for bees in spring 

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Its leaves make a tasty pesto 

Wild garlic grows well in damp, woodland borders 

What is the easiest way to kill wild garlic?   

If you have wild garlic growing where it is not wanted, there are a few ways to control it:   

• Fork out seedlings – use a hand fork to lift out seedlings or young plants, ensuring any small bulbs are also removed. 
• Dig out whole clumps – use a spade or garden fork to dig up clumps and remove all the bulbs and underground parts, looking closely for small offset bulbs. Most bulbs will be in the top 20cm (8in) of soil. Doing this when wild garlic is in leaf allows you to identify where the bulbs will be underground. This method can also be used around the edge of a clump to limit its spread. If wild garlic is growing among other garden plants, record (with a photo or a marker in the ground) exactly where the wild garlic is growing and remove the bulbs in winter when the plants are dormant and will suffer less root damage. You may need to completely dig up plants, remove soil from around the roots to find and pick out wild garlic bulbs, then replant into cleared soil.   
• Smother plants – cover with a layer of compostable material, such as cardboard, and then a layer about 20cm (8in) thick of organic matter, such as bark or wood chips. Alternatively, use a heavy grade biodegradable mulch matting. This will block light and prevent growth, causing the root system to die. Keep soil covered for a few years, topping up the mulch layer if necessary, to ensure this method is effective. This method limits soil disturbance. 

Control methods for crow garlic (A. vineale), three-cornered leek (A. triquetrum) and few-flowered leek (A. paradoxum) are the same as those listed above for wild garlic, with the additional recommendation to remove stems of crow garlic and few-flowered leek early, before bulbils develop and drop to the ground.

Should I use weedkiller?   

As non-chemical control methods are effective, even if time-consuming, there is no need to use weedkillers.  

For more information, see our page on Weeds: non-chemical controls.