Garlic Cress
Peltaria alliacea
Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
What it is like
Peltaria alliacea is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in June, and the seeds ripen in August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Hills and woods.
E. Europe.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves - raw or cooked. A strong flavour, somewhat like a cross between garlic and mustard, the leaves make a reasonable flavouring for salads. The leaves are available for most of the year, even in a severe winter they remain green and lush. At this time they add an especially welcome spiciness to salads. They can become rather bitter in the summer, though, especially if the plants are in a dry sunny position. When flowering in early summer, the plants lose their leaves for a month or two - cutting down the flowering stems at this time will induce new fresh green growth. Flowers - raw. A similar flavour to the leaves, with very little bitterness, they make a very tasty addition to summer salads.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
The plants can be used as a ground cover, somewhat slow spreading but they are effective in excluding weeds.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers a light fertile moist soil in sun or light shade, though it is not too fussy. A very easily grown plant that tolerates considerable neglect, it produces its best crop of leaves from autumn to spring and is a potentially valuable winter salad plant. The bruised leaves give off a powerful garlic smell which is difficult to remove from the hands.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. The seed germinates rapidly, prick the seedlings out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, it can be done at almost any time of the year so long as the soil is kept moist. Divisions in the winter should be potted up in a greenhouse to allow themselves to establish, they can then be planted out in late spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist