How To Grow Common Chives

Common Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)  is a hardy, bulbous-rooted, perennial plant indigenous to France and Great Britain. The leaves, produced in tufts, are seven or eight inches long, erect and cylindrical, or awl-shaped. The bulbs are white, oval, and of small size, usually measuring about half an inch in diameter. The flower stalk rises to the height of the leaves and produces, at its extremity, a globular group of purplish, barren flowers.

Growing

Alliums prefer well-drained soil with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5. If your yard has heavy clay, add plenty of compost and horticultural grit before planting your alliums.

Cutting Gardens

Alliums have stiff stems, which make them perfect for cut flowers. Wide varieties will produce flowers throughout the growing season, and they look stunning in bouquets when in full bloom.

Containers

Alliums thrive in containers, either alone or combined with other plants. Follow the same principles for growing them indoors as you would for flowering gardens – protect your pots from wind and sun while providing adequate drainage holes.

Design & Colour: Alliums offer gardeners a vast palette of colors, giving them endless options when selecting flowers for their plantings. You can use one flower color throughout your arrangement or mix things up using different shades of pink, red and blue.

Sculptural Heads: Alliums have globe-like, multi-flowered heads that can add drama and visual interest to a planting. For instance, ‘Globemaster’ features deep violet 6- to 8-inch globe-shaped flower heads on an upright stalk of 3 to 4 feet height. Other popular allium hybrids include ‘Gladiator’ which boasts softball-sized purple flowers, and ‘Summer Drummer’ which features baseball-sized flowers in purple with white stripes.

Seedheads: Some alliums, such as Globemaster and Purple Sensation, produce beautiful decorative seed heads which can last into autumn. While these can be removed once the plants have finished flowering, some gardeners prefer to leave them in place for added visual interest and visual interest in their landscape.

Uses

• Leaves have a mild onion flavor. Chop them and add to salads, egg and cheese dishes, cream cheese, mashed potatoes, hamburgers, sandwich spreads, soups, stews, and sauces.
• Chive bloom in mid to late summer makes this an attractive border and edging plant.

Companion Plant

• Bulbs exude a substance that makes plants good carrot companions by discouraging a harmful fungus.

Hardiness

• Hardy perennial.

Height

• 6-10 inches

Spread

• 12 inches Location

Requirements

• Chives grow best in full sun in a fairly rich, moist soil, which is high in organic matter and has a pH of 6 to 8. Chives will, however, tolerate partial shade and most soil types. Chives should be fertilized several times during the growing season with a balanced commercial fertilizer or bone meal and manure.

Planting

• Sow seeds in spring or fall, deep in rows 12 in. apart. As soon as seedlings are established, thin to 6 in. apart. Or set out nursery-grown plants in early spring,

Harvesting:

• Leaves can be cut 4-6 mo, after sowing: cut often and close to the ground. 

Preserving:

• Leaves lose color in drying. Instead of drying, grow winter supplies indoors by potting a few clumps in the fall and keeping them near a sunny window, They Can also be preserved by deep freezing.

Propagation

• Lift and divide clumps every 3 or 4 yr.