Twice every year we are rewarded with the beautiful blooms of this amazing and very forgiving plant as it bursts out in to the purple flowers you can see presented here. Placed in a suitable position, it really can produce a stunning impact in the garden; either as a centre piece, or in a less obvious position where it is intended to simply provide more interest for the garden lover.
Garlic Vine is a vine species that is commonly grown in the West Indies but native to the northern parts of South America. It has been exported to many other countries around the world and grows in most areas that provide it with a reasonably warm climate.
Botanical Name
Mansoa alliacea
Growing Conditions
Garlic Vine is very easy to take care of and is resistant to most pests and diseases. It is a perfect plant to grow if you have little time to spend in your garden, and just want your plants to mostly look after themselves. Although, it will benefit from the occasional Prune
Sunlight
Full Sun, although, as long as you are wanting to not grow it in a cooler region, it is worth giving it a go in part shade. But, it is definitely not a shade loving plant - Full sun for the best results.
10b, so definitely a plant for the warmer climates. Subtropical through to tropical conditions are best.
Mid to late spring is best. Allow it to get established in the ground before those warmer summer months begin.
Propagation
Cuttings. Propagation success is best found with hardwood cuttings. You might also like to try layering if you have an established plant in your garden.
2.5m
Garlic Vine is native to the norther parts of South America.
Garlic Vine keeps its leaves all year round - it is an evergreen climbing shrub.
Its leaves smell like garlic. This is most noticeable when the leaves are crushed.
It is mainly used for ornamental purposes, although some have said that it can be used in cooking and has some medicinal uses - but do not do this without confirmation. I would recommend that it is only used as a beautiful ornamental vine.
Blooming lasts for several weeks at a time and occurs twice a year - autumn and spring.
Garlic Vine is really a win-win type of plant. The garlic-like scent is a wonderful discussion point for visitors to your garden, its blooms are a treat that not only last for several weeks, but also also appear not once, but twice every year; and they take very little to look after.
What isn't there to like about a Garlic Vine! So if you have a suitable empty space in your garden, this is certainly one to consider.
I am an educator and passionate gardener and traveler. Throughout my adult life, gardening has been my passion, therapy, drive and source of purpose. Even as a child I had an intrinsic interest in plants and a desire to understand what makes them grow.
I distinctly remember the moment this began - my family was on one of our regular road trips from Hervey Bay; Australia. We were driving past a field of sugar cane. Dad pulled the car over and we cut a couple of sugar cane stems and brought them home for a treat. To be honest, I didn’t really like the taste, but I did want to try and grow it; and that is exactly what I did. It was then that my fascination, interest and passion for gardening and understanding plants began.
Fast forward a few years and I studied biological sciences and began what would be a 36 year career as a Biology educator. From this, I don’t only love gardening, but I also love helping others learn about gardening. I am also always looking for new ways to develop my own gardening knowledge. I like to think I am truly a life-long learner.
Fundamental to my beliefs about education is that learning is often best done as a part of a community - learning from others, and helping others to learn. It is this type of community that I hope iCultivate will be for its members - a community of gardeners, keen to share their gardening knowledge and wanting to learn about new ways to garden - a community built on the love of gardening.
