Allium angulosum aka Mouse Garlic

Allium angulosum, or mouse garlic, is a bulbous perennial. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family and forms clumps. Its native range spans parts of Europe and temperate Asia. Records include France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and several Balkan countries. It also occurs in Russia, Siberia, and Kyrgyzstan. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants grow about 1.3 feet [0.4 metres] tall. The listed garden range reaches 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. Clumps can also spread to 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. They take two to five years to reach full size. The narrow leaves look like grass and die back seasonally. In summer, upright stems carry dense umbels of flowers. Each umbel forms a dome about 0.16 feet [0.05 metres] across. The flowers open pale pink, then deepen to purple-pink. This colour change gives the flower heads a different look as they age.

Choose a sheltered site with full sun for this plant. South-facing and west-facing positions suit its needs. It grows in fertile soil that lets water drain freely. Suitable soil types include chalk, loam, and sand. It accepts acid, neutral, and alkaline soil. Moist soil is suitable, provided it does not stay waterlogged. Heavy clay that stays saturated through winter poses a problem. In those conditions, the RHS advises growing it in containers. The RHS rates its cold hardiness as H6. PFAF lists USDA zones 4–8 for this species.

Mouse garlic suits borders, flower beds, and gravel gardens. It also fits cottage gardens, courtyards, and wildlife gardens. Pots offer another way to grow it on patios. The blooms can serve as cut flowers. Routine pruning is not needed beyond clearing old stems and leaves. Sow seed when ripe or during spring to raise more plants. You can also lift bulbs after flowering and detach their offsets. These give gardeners two ways to increase a clump.

Watch for allium leaf miner and onion fly. Both appear among the pests listed for this species. Onion white rot and onion downy mildew may also affect it. The supplied species-level evidence does not establish edible uses or toxicity. Food and safety claims from the differently named page are therefore excluded.