Native Plants

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.

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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.