Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - March 12, 2013

From: Branchburg, NJ
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Non-Natives, Propagation, Edible Plants
Title: Edibility of non-native garlic sprouts from Brancburg, NJ
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have regular garlic in my refrigerator. It had sprouts growing out of it so I put it in a cup of water. Now that the stems are large enough to put in food, my question is.. Is that part of the garlic edible?

ANSWER:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Garden, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which it is being grown, in your case, Somerset County, NJ. Allium sativum (Garlic) in the onion family, is native to Central Asia, and therefore falls out of our area of expertise.

From an article from the Boundary Garlic Farm  - Growing Garlic - we found a great deal of information on the cultivation and propagation of garlic, but no indication whatever than any portion of the plant was toxic. Whether it would taste good or not is another question, but we don't believe you would be at any risk at trying it.

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Pruning of non-native chocolate mimosa
August 07, 2008 - I have a one year old chocolate mimosa that has grown 2.5 feet in height. It has seven leaf stems two feet from the bottom and only three at the top canopy. The trunk is only three quarters of an inch...
view the full question and answer

Non-native hybrid willows dropping leaves in Downey CA
July 22, 2010 - I have 1 year old Hybrid Willows that are strong and 12 feet tall, with many branches. All of a sudden they are dropping their leaves in July. I got them for fast growing shade, now the branches are ...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native orange tree in Palm Harbor FL
January 03, 2010 - Almost all fruit has fallen off my orange tree. It looks moldy or like mildew on tree and on fruit?
view the full question and answer

Replacing yellow bells with hibiscus from San Antonio
July 03, 2012 - Help! Will the roots of the yellow bells keep sprouting if I've removed the shrub? I'm replacing it with a hibiscus shrub. Will it do well in the same spot where the yellow bells were?
view the full question and answer

Scale on non-native Loropetalum in Lincoln, NE
February 26, 2010 - Hi,I have found lots of scale insects on my Loropetalum (esp the young leaves) and ended up spraying some white oil to get rid of them. Unfortunately, I might have overdone it and the young shoots are...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.