I don't think it has any scent at all. I have a large pot by my front door and have never noticed any odor from it.

I find it smells of garlic if I brush past it. :o)

BTW, did you know it is edible? You need to grow it a few in pesticide free location to clean it up. You never know what's been put on it at the box stores or nurseries. I've had mine now 10+ years so I know it's clean. lol Great for salad or thing you'd use scallions for. The flowers are pretty in salads too. :o)

I've had mine for over ten years as well and the only time they have a slight smell is when I weed around them or rub
them.
They are very tough and independent. :-)
Felix

I agree...if you brush up against them or trim them, you smell garlic, but even then it isn't overly heavy.

I clip the greens on mine and dice them up like chives on everything from scrambled eggs to salads to cream cheese. I love them. Tough, pretty, and tasty. What more could you want?

Marcia

I have both the white and purple Society Garlic . They make an excellent border plant especially along a sidewalk . If you find the garlic smell over powering or unpleasant , you can always move them . I too love my SG plants .

VERY!
Either it's me or a zone 10 thing but I can smell them before I see them. I would gag if I had them in my yard but it seems to work for you central Fla gardeners. Go figure.

Well, if zone is the factor, then you should be safe in Orlando. If the smell was TOO bad, builders wouldn't use them as much as they do. They are a BIG favorite as part of new home landscaping because they are eye catching, but neat, tidy, and tolerant of neglect.

I'd say go for it. I don't think you will find odor to be a significant factor, at least not up here.

Marcia

Tough, independent, eye catching but neat and tidy and most importantly tolerant of neglect - I'm sold! I am a newbie gardener struggling with citrus and tomatoes. I need something that can take care of itself. I'll be buying some society garlic this week :) Thank you everyone!

Tammy

Society garlic is not native to Florida and is not recommended by the Florida Native Plan Society for landscaping, along with liriope, another exotic plant. There are many native grasses that will contribute to biodiversity and have value to wildlife, such as muhly grass. This website lists native alternatives to many overused exotic plants in Florida-

http://www.floridaplants.com/post/nativeplants.html

I have quite a bit of it also because it grows so fast and easy to divide. I never smell it until I dig it or pull off the dead flowers. It always look great and never needs care.

I've heard that it's a deterrent for snakes. Is this true?

I would say no to this. I have a lot of soc garlic and have three snakes that I see around on a regular basis. The snakes scare me all the time as they do not seem to care I am there to bother them regularly because they do not go to another yard. I just wish they would eat more bugs, isn't that what they are supposed to do???

I have several clumps of society garlic planted along the edge of a patio. I find that it has a pleasant, savory scent. Kind of like chives with a hint of garlic. Sometimes I can smell it when I'm nearby, other times I can't. But I'd never describe it as overpowering or unpleasant.

As others have already said, it is very attractive and easy to care for.

I too read somewhere that people plant it to deter snakes, but that sounds like an old wives' tale to me.

John

That stinks! Ha! No pun intended. I wish it was true about deterring snakes. A young water moccasin was in my backyard a couple of days ago and I haven't ventured outside my screen room since. We just completed a pool and I was planning on using that in my landscaping. I still might b/c I do like the look of the plant.

I have some planted in my flower bed and there were a lot planted a long the back of my house. These were all from the previous owner. I find that it smells very much like skunk, or even weed. I can see why people would say it is a snake deterrent, because snakes do not like to get a hold of skunks. I don't know if it's just coincidence or not but I haven't seen any snakes by the house other than a small garter snake, that hangs out by the front door at night eating frogs. Although I have seen them in my yard away from my house.

I live in hernando, i can smell them before i see them and they smell like a cat is spraying the gardens where they are planted (usually easements and sidewalk areas in plazas.) I would never plant them anywhere near my front door or back door or anywhere i go often, unless you just couldnt smell. Have you tried growing aloe or pampas grass? They are hard to kill and have no grow-ss smell. ;)

I would stick with Garlic for vampires cjc45 as Society Garlic doesn't seem as strong. I wouldn't risk not having the best defense possible when it comes to vampires!!

We moved into a home where they were planted in the front, side, and back yard. You smell it instantly when walking up to the house or even opening the back door. It seems to be stronger at certain times. I haven't been able to pin point when the odor is stronger. I thought it was after raining at first, but have eliminated that theory. It's strong. Skunk/weed smell is an accurate description.

Once the frost hit, they wilted back and the stink was unbearable. DH just finished digging them up. I will never plant them again. There are too many other plants with similar characteristics minus the smell.