The genus Tulbaghia, commonly known as wild garlic or society garlic, is a charming group of flowering plants in the Alliaceae family, native primarily to southern Africa. Renowned for their ornamental appeal and distinctive garlic-like aroma, Tulbaghia species thrive in sun-drenched gardens and rocky grasslands, where they display clusters of starry, tubular flowers in hues of soft lilac, pink, or white. These resilient perennials are not only drought-tolerant and easy to cultivate but also hold traditional medicinal and culinary value in some cultures. Named in honour of Ryk Tulbagh, a former governor of the Cape Colony, this genus beautifully blends botanical elegance with practical versatility, making it a firm favourite among gardeners and plant enthusiasts alike.

Tulbaghia natalensis, commonly known as Sweet Wild Garlic or Pink Wild Garlic in English and Soetwildeknoffel in Afrikaans, is a South African endemic perennial found in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Just like its well-known relative wild garlic, Tulbaghia violacea, T. natalensis is also used as a culinary herb, fodder and medicinal plant. Like most Tulbaghia species, due to their garlic scent, it is also planted in gardens to repel snakes and other pests. The leaves are crushed and applied on the skin to repel ticks and insects. The Sweet Wild Garlic is also used in ornamental horticulture. Due to its small size and the fact that they don’t produce a lot of leaves, mass planting is the best option. It can be planted in containers, in a rockery garden, as an edging plant and along a pathway. It can also be mass planted as a ground cover. Throughout spring and summer, it produces sweetly scented white and yellow flowers flushed with pink that attract butterflies to the garden.