Roses Love Garlic by Louise Riotte

Author:Louise Riotte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Published: 1998-07-22T16:00:00+00:00

Allium (Allium)

Onions belong to the Lily family, Liliaceae. Actually, allium is a Latin word for garlic. Vegetable alliums are chives, garlic, leek, onion, and shallot, all of which are excellent protective companions for roses.

The ornamental alliums are more decorative to plant with roses and will also provide excellent protection from mildew and black spot as well as aphids and many other pests. They thrive on the same care and culture as onions and are very easy to grow.

Flowering onions come in many colors beside blue and purple — in greenish white, yellow, rose, and dark red. They like plenty of compost but will do well even on dry soil. Some of the larger varieties such as ‘Jewel of Tibet’ grow to a height of five feet and have a blossom head up to eight inches in diameter. These should be staked in windy climates. Alliums are winter hardy and may be left in place year after year.

An interesting ornamental allium is A. senescens glaucum, a low-growing plant with silvery blue leaves that curl and twist in a style suggestive of Japanese art. The two-inch umbels of soft rose pink are profuse in August and September. This plant not only makes a fine protective ground cover for roses but is also appropriate for edging rock walls or for the front of the border. Add to its useful qualities its hardiness and drought tolerance. Plant seeds ten to twelve inches apart.

Alliums also repel moles. Here are some other beneficial services of the Onion family:

Onion. Repels cabbage butterflies and helps all members of the cabbage family.

Chives. Good companion for fruit trees and tomatoes.

Garlic. Good against fruit tree borers.

Members of the Onion family were so valued in ancient times that it is said the builders of the pyramids were paid in leeks, onions, and garlic. Onions are not only healthful; certain members of the family such as garlic are said to be an excellent aid in preserving a youthful complexion.

Borers

Garlic planted around fruit trees will repel borers, but this is best done when trees are young and newly planted. Nasturtiums are also good. To foil borers in squash plants, soak the seeds overnight in kerosene.

Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)

The flowers of the dwarf or red buckeye attract and kill Japanese beetles.

Bulbs

Flowering bulbs such as crocus and colchicum (which are poisonous if eaten) are very attractive but often are simply allowed to come up without an accompanying ground cover. They are much prettier if low-growing companion plants such as white alyssum, Phlox subulata, P. divaricata, armeria, saponaria, common thyme, and vinca minor are used as a framing ground cover.

Buttercup Family

Root secretions from these plants poison soil for clover by retiring growth of nitrogen bacteria. Clover will disappear in a meadow where buttercups are increasing. Delphinium, peony, monkshood, columbine, and double buttercup belong to the same family. Unless the soil is very rich, other plants will not grow well in their vicinity. This is a strong, vital family, but they grow only for themselves.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

See Marigold.

Camomile (Anthemis

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