Garlic and Early Stardrift

In November 2008, I planted 9 cloves of garlic divided among six locations around the roses in order to help keep aphids away. Today, I pulled up 19 garlic heads ranging in size from a quarter to golf ball.

I think planting the garlic might have worked because I seem to remember having more of a problem with aphids before planting it. But I guess there’s no real way to determine if I would have had more had I not planted the garlic.

After cleaning them I researched how to braid them and did a thoroughly sloppy version of a braid but they are braided and are now hanging in the garage shed for the next two weeks where I hope they will cure sufficiently enough that I can use them.

I also dug up a bunch of Early Stardrift aka Striped Squill, because they did not bloom very well this year, a sure sign of over-crowding. Boy, were they ever over-crowded. In November 2006, I planted 10 bulbs in front of a couple of roses bushes, they were spread out pretty thin but I knew they would multiply and fill in. They have spread out to fill-in a space 40” long and 8-10” wide. This batch in the photo is from one clump about 12” across. There must be over 100 bulblets in here. Now I need to decide where to replant them and all the others that will be dug up.

I love getting new bulbs to spread around.