Garlic Vines in my garden
The first time I saw garlic vine flowers light pink and overflowing over a wall, I was so overwhelmed with how beautiful they were I promised myself I would find out its name and procure some for my garden. This was way back when we were still mostly focusing on my veggie patch and I did not really buy ornamentals for the garden. But I was sure I wanted garlic vines so when we built a bamboo trellis over the compost pit where we kept our African nightcrawler worms, I bought a couple of garlic vine plantings (for a whopping P250 each!) and planted them on the trellis. Garlic vines are slow growers, it took maybe almost two years before we had them lush and flowering over the bamboo trellis but when they started blooming, I tell you, it was worth the wait! When my garlic vines are in bloom, it is always the star of the garden and the neighborhood (with neighbors always commenting on how beautiful it is).
Aside from being such a beauty, this vine has medicinal properties (it is used to treat arthritis, colds and flu in its native South America) and is believed to drive away bad luck in a home. It is also known as an effective snake repellant in the garden/farm.
I also read that the flowers of the garlic vine can be cooked similar to zucchini blossoms, fried to a crisp and stuffed with ricotta cheese. I might try this the next time my garlic vine blooms. In the meantime here are pics of my lovely vines.