Australian Garlic
Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars
Turban 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: Hot when raw, milder cooked with pleasant flavour and aroma. Some with very good flavour.
Storage: Short to medium.
Growing location: Can be found in all growing locations in Australia from Southern Queensland to Southern Tasmania, all parts of SA and mid and southern WA.
Growing requirements: Cold to mild winters, warm to hot spring and summers. Will tolerate some humidity.
Planting and harvest: Early. Mature suddenly so harvest quickly.
Bulb
Shape: Large usually flattened globe.
Skin colour and texture: Heavily purple striped or blotched skins that split easily and whiten during storage.
Clove
Number and layout: 7-11 some in one layer although may have internal cloves often with some from each layer in a second skin.
Size and shape: Large, plump and blunt tipped.
Skin colour and texture: Glossy bronze to pink, purple, occasionally white. Easy to peel.
Plant
Size and shape: Small and floppy to strong and upright, depending on climate and cultivar. Up to 1.1m.
Leaves: Medium green, well spaced up the pseudostem. Fold in middle. Often 10-12.
Young plants: Fast to sprout and grow.
Matures: Early. Goes from being almost ready to past ready in a couple of weeks.
Scape: Weakly bolting. Slender, hollow when cured. Upside down U, some curl more or are strong gooseneck. Appears late in growth cycle.
Umbel and beak: Flattened turban shape, variable but usually long beak.
Bulbils and flowers: Small to medium bulbils, purple, often more than 50. 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