Australian Garlic
Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars
Creole Group
Hardneck - Weakly Bolting
This cultivar falls into the Artichoke Group, Type 2 and shares its evolution with others in this sub-group from Formosan to Taiwanese and Taiwanese Purple. Long time grower Roger Schmitke selected bulbs from this heritage that produced larger bulbs and cloves then other cultivars grown in the 80s and 90s. These went to Queensland’s Gatton Research Station and over a 6 year period they were grown and selected and replanted, selecting only the biggest and best bulbs and cloves. In 1997 Southern Glen named and released.  See the Production of Garlic here
This day-length neutral cultivar is a very important cultivar for growers in warmer more northern regions.
General Information
International name/s:
Flavour: Spicey, hot and rich.
Storage: Long
Growing location: Tasmania to Nothern NSW. South Australia and Southern WA.
Growing requirements: Hot, dry climates. Do not like warm humidity.
Planting and harvest: Mid season to late season
Bulb
Shape: Smaller, globe shaped usually symmetrical bulbs.
Skin colour and texture: Strong, glossy white sometimes with purple hue, but no striping or blotching.
Clove
Number and layout: 8 to 12 in one or two layers
Size and shape: Tall slender cloves with sharply angled inner edge.
Skin colour and texture: Bright red, burgundy, purple, bronze some with cream shading and striping. Occasionally pale pink or even white with pink top and bottom. Tight skins, hard to peel, easier after storage.
Plant
Size and shape: Small to medium in height.
Leaves: Narrow, blue-green, quite vertical. Often only 6 leaves but may be 8-10.
Young plants: Slender and upright.
Matures: Usually mid to late maturing
Scape: Although scapes classed as weakly bolting, stronger than others. Upside down U, some curl more. Remove scapes or they will adversely affect bulb size.
Umbel and beak: Long, slender, small umbel. Medium length beak.
Bulbils and flowers: Small to medium bulbils, usually more than 30, pale pink to purple skins. No or few flowers.
Artichoke Group
Silverskin Group
Subtropical Group
Asiatic Group
Creole Group
Middle Eastern Group
Turban Group
- Flinders Island Purple
- Glamour
- Italian Purple
- Monaro Purple
- Ontos Purple
- Shandong
- Tasmanian Purple
- White Crookneck
- Xian