Knowledgebase

Garlic or Grass or? Keep or Disappear? #920710

Asked October 27, 2025, 4:59 PM EDT

This looks so Pretty. Should I keep it as an ornamental or remove it as an invasive? Not sure why the photo looks black in the thumbnail here but maybe when you open it you can see the image clearly in color. Thank you!

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

We aren't able to ID the plant in the photos, since its foliage is not distinctive enough and it's not in flower. (Blooms are key to plant identification.) Plants with similar-looking foliage include onion relatives (most of which growing in disturbed habitat in Maryland will be non-native weeds) and rushes, which look like round-stemmed grasses. If crushed leaves of the plant smell like onion or garlic, then it's probably one of the non-native Allium species.

Miri
Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 28, 2025, 9:21 AM EDT
Thank you Miri! How sensible!!!!
Margaret 
The Question Asker Replied October 28, 2025, 9:30 AM EDT
You're welcome!
Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 28, 2025, 9:43 AM EDT

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