| Description | Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) is multipurpose purpose plant grown for its foliage, flowers and culinary virtues. Both the hollow leaves and flowers are edible. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (AL-ee-um)(skee-no-PRAY-zum) |
| Plant Type | Perennials Hardy, Edibles Vegetables, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | (3)4-9 |
| Sunlight | prefers full sun, tolerates partial shade in hotter climates, low light areas will cause the plant to flop |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | purple to pink globular flowers, borne on thin wiry scapes, florets can be sprinkled on salads to add a mild onion taste |
| Leaves | dense tuft of dark green, hollow cylindrical leaves, leaves can be cut off and used to add a mild onion taste to many food dishes |
| Stems | small bulbs at the base of the leaves |
| Dimensions | Reaches 8-10 inches tall by an equal or greater spread. |
| Maintenance | Divided the clumps every 2-3 years. To keep the clumps dense cut back once or twice a growing season to around 2-3 inches. If not the dense tuft becomes loose and floppy. |
| Propagation | seeds, division |
| Cultivar Origin | Chives were recorded in China over 4,000 years ago. |
| Misc Facts | Chives are reported to be a deterrent to many insects and have many folk medicinal uses such as stimulate appetite, promote digestion, etc. The species name schoenoprasum means rush-like leak. Derived from the Greek words schoinus meaning rush and parson meaning leek. The taste is from the pungent volatile oil rich in sulfur. |
| Author's Notes | I have grown chives for many years. They are easy to grow and nothing is better than fresh chives in potato salad. |
| Notes & Reference | #44-The Complete Book of Herbs (Lesley Bremness), #207-Alliums "The Ornamental Onion" (Dilys Davies) |
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