While visiting family in Ohio last month, my stepmother showed me some sort of wild allium invading her garden. It’s hard to tell how they even got there. Prolific and difficult to control, eradicating these stinky weeds is a continual task. Here are a few recommendations on staying ahead of unruly alliums.

Garlic vs. Onions – What’s the Difference?

At first glance, wild onions (Allium canadense) or wild garlic (Allium vineale), which is what invaded my stepmother’s garden, looks like chives that reseeded all over the place. They both grow in clumps and have the distinct allium fragrance. But their leaves are finer than chives, and at least with the garlic, tend to grow in a curling form.

While very similar overall, there are distinct differences between the onions and garlic. The wild garlic tends to have round and hollow stems, closer to what chives look like, while the wild onions are more flat and solid. Both have small bulbs and look like clumps of chunky grass at first glance. The onions grow up to 18-inches tall in some parts of the country (mostly in the South), while the wild garlic clumps are shorter. Both of them have purple flowers – actually the wild garlic form small (edible) scapes –  and both have seeds. 

Garlic Scapes 

Following a similar lifecycle as any other allium, they grow rapidly early in the season and die back in the late summer. Once the heat hits, they don’t last long. This is why if you’re going to control them, in most areas focus your efforts on the first part of the season. The one caveat is in some of the more temperate regions of the country, they green up again later in the fall. This is a second opportunity to spray them.

Wild Onion/Wild Garlic 

Dealing with Wild Alliums

The good news about both of these invaders is they are completely edible. You can dig them and eat them. As they mature, the stems become tough, but early in the season, add them to anything that can use an onion-like flavor boost. The bad news is there are usually way more wild onions and garlic, then there are meals to use them. 

Once established, these wild alliums can be tough characters to eliminate, but if caught early, you it’s possible to gain a handle on them. If there are just a few clumps, dig them completely using a trowel or small shovel. If any of the pieces of bulbs are left, the plant regrows. 

Pre-emergents are not effective because they reproduce via the bulblets, as well as the seeds, so you need to spray them while they’re growing. Spring is a good time to treat them with an herbicide as they’re actively growing. And, unlike many other weeds, herbicides work even better when the plants are trimmed, not mowed to the ground, before the application. After spraying, don’t cut the plants for at least a couple of weeks. It very well will require several applications to completely eradicate them as their waxy leaves don’t readily take up the herbicide. 

Remaining Vigilant with Wild Alliums

Like many of these plants that originated in other parts of the world, yet thrive in new regions, vigilance is the key. Don’t lose heart if you don’t eradicate them in one season. Keep after the ones you see, and be watchful for new ones popping up where you least expect them.