Rocambole

Rocambole is perennial and hardy. Plant the cloves in autumn (mid-September to mid-October) about 4 to 5 cm deep in the bed, where they overwinter without protection. Only in harsh, wind-exposed spots do you cover the sprouted garlic with spruce brushwood or straw, and remove it in good time in spring.

You propagate rocambole (serpent garlic) exclusively vegetatively; the plant almost never sets true seed. There are two ways. First, the classic propagation by garlic cloves. Split the mother bulb shortly before planting (no earlier than two days beforehand), choose the largest, outer cloves and plant them from September to October about 3 to 4 cm deep and 15 to 20 cm apart, tip upwards (the blunt root end points down), in well-drained soil. Rocambole overwinters once planted and sprouts in spring; it is harvested the following summer, as soon as about a third of the leaves have yellowed. Second, you can use the bulbils that form in summer on the characteristically coiled flower stalk (scape). These are smaller than cloves and need two growing seasons: in the first year small, still undivided rounds form, and only in the second year full-sized bulbs divided into cloves. Plant the bulbils in autumn (or in spring in harsher locations) about 1.5 to 2 cm deep and 4 to 5 cm apart; it often works well to raise them first in small pots and plant them out in the bed later. For the clove method, it is fine to cut off the scape in May/June so that the plant puts its energy into the bulb. If you want to harvest bulbils instead, leave it standing.