Easily grown in a warm sunny position in a light well-drained soil. Only hardy in the milder parts of Britain, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. A very ornamental plant. There are several named forms. The sub-species A. roseum bulbiferum produces a few sterile flowers and many bulbils on its flowering stem. This form will probably spread freely and perhaps escape from cultivation. The sub-species A. roseum roseum does not produce bulbils. Both forms produce numerous bulblets around the base of the main bulb. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Bulb - raw or cooked. A garlic substitute, it is used as a flavoring in salads and cooked foods. The bulbs are 10 - 15mm in diameter. Leaves - raw or cooked. A mild garlic flavor, they make a nice addition to salads and can also be used as a flavoring in cooked foods. Flowers - raw. Used as a garnish on salads, they are very attractive and have a pleasant mild garlic flavor. Bulbils - raw or cooked. Very small and fiddly to use, though they have a pleasant mild garlic flavor.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle - if you want to produce clumps more quickly then put three plants in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in spring once they are growing vigorously and are large enough. Division in spring. Very easy, the plants divide successfully at any time in the growing season and the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required.

Grassland and gravelly places near the sea.