[Chiswickian]

Hi all.
I bought some Solent Wight in winter from EBay. This week the bulbs flowered. Solent Wight , being a softneck shouldn't flower. Is it possible that softnecks can flower? I'd like to know before I complain that I have been sold a dud (though the garlic has grown well and formed good bulbs.
TIA

Ian

[mumofstig]

They can flower, as you've found out 
Sarah Raven's advice says

Care tips: Feed February to April with standard plant food. They need very little after care. Just nip off the flower bud if one appears and keep the area weed-free until the foliage turns yellow in mid summer.

http://www.sarahraven.com/shop/garlic-isle-of-wight-bulbs-seed.html

[Trillium]

There is no guarantee just because it's a soft neck. Unusual weather will trigger all sorts of 'oddities' in plants.

You'll need to keep watch in late spring, as the rest of us do, for potential flower heads and nip them off before they size up so energy returns to sizing up the bulb below.

[Chiswickian]

Thank you!

[gavinjconway]

Maybe it was a mix up from the supplier??

[Chiswickian]

Hmmm. I've looked into this in more detail. The Sarah Raven site has the same generic advice for all garlics so I don't feel that's terribly reliable!
Most  stuff I can find on t'internet is clear that softnecks don't grow scapes so my suspicion is that what I have is not Solent Wight. I was interested to know if other peeps had had extraordinary circumstances where a softneck does produce a scape.

[crh75]

I often get the odd softneck flowering.  This year lots of my Early Purple Wight flowered.  I put it down to stress, so this year probably too hot and not enough water.

[mumofstig]

The RHS agress with you 

Softneck garlic (Allium sativum) .............................
Does not produce flower stalks unless stressed

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=677

[gavinjconway]

Interesting.... thank you.

[Chiswickian]

I emailed the nursery that supplied the Solent Wight. Got a terse reply (can't say I balme him) that softnecks were developed in order to reduce the flowering habit but that under certain conditions - such as this extraordinary summer - they can flower.

Ian