Wild garlic

A woodland walk in spring is not complete without the sights and scents from the carpets of wild garlic. The smell from these flowers can be quite overpowering from a colony in full bloom, but is just as strong if the plants are picked or bruised.

Wild garlic does have other attractions for the woodland walker: the clusters of delicate starry white flowers and bright green leaves. These leaves have a mildly garlic taste, but they can easily be mistaken for the poisonous lily of the valley. Wild garlic, or ramsons as they are also known, are vigorous growers and can dominate woodland floors and shady places in Europe and Asia.

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