Wild garlic
Allium ursinum
Also called Ramsons, Bear's garlic and Wood garlic
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitIT DISAPPEARS COMPLETELY BY JULY and that is normal — it is a woodland spring plant, not a failure. It also SPREADS, hard, by seed and by bulb: give it a shady corner under trees where a carpet is welcome, never a bed you want back.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 4 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Part to full shade
- Feed
- Not needed
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Very hardy RHS H7, to -25°C
- Size
- 0.4 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Bulb
- Origin
- Europe and western Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: damage to the red blood cells, showing as weakness, pale gums and dark urine; also vomiting and drooling. Not listed under its own name — this follows Allium cepa, which is.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA does not name this species, and has no genus-wide row for Allium. It does list four others — chives, garlic, leek and onion — all toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and none of the genus as safe, so the warning is carried across from them.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A carpet spreading several feet a year, through seed and by the bulbs dividing, into beds you wanted for something else. Cut the flower heads off before they seed, and only plant it where a carpet is the point.Taking over · disorder
- A leaf that does not smell of garlic when crushed. Lords-and-ladies and lily-of-the-valley grow in the same woodland at the same time, look similar and are poisonous. If it does not smell, do not eat it.Picking the wrong leaf · disorder