Chives are the smallest species of the onion family.
Chive comes from the French word, cive, which comes from the Latin word, cepa, meaning onion.
The leaves are used to flavor fish, potatoes, and soups. The flowers attract bees, but the plant itself may repel Japanese beetles and other unwanted insects.
Description
Create delicious gourmet meals with fresh herbs! Very popular, attractive herb with exceptionally flavorful leaves.
Additional Info
Chives may deter Japanese beetles and several leaf diseases. Some recommend it for inter planting among species such as carrots tomatoes, roses, and grapes. -Still, Steven "Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants" Native to Asia, chives were first used in China and spread westward to Greece. By the sixteenth century, they had earned a place in European herb gardens. In addition to their widespread culinary use, dried chives were hung in the home, like garlic, to protect against evil. Garlic Chives can be used to add a mild onion-garlic flavor to dishes where the flavor of regular garlic might be too overwhelming. Harvest the leaves by cutting them off at the base of the plant. Chop and add fresh leaves to cream cheese, butter, salads or stir-fries. Add the leaves to cooked dishes at a later stage, as lengthy cooking destroys the flavor. The flowers are sweetly scented and make a beautiful addition to fresh flower bouquets.
Plant in a reliably sunny spot. best in fertile, well-drained soil. Tolerates drought, but looks best with regular watering.
Cut to the base of the plant when harvesting to encourage new growth.
Chives should be divided about every three years.
Watering
New plantings should be watered daily for a couple of weeks. After that, depending on the weather and soil type, watering can be adjusted to every two or three days. Clay soils hold moisture longer than sandy soils, so expect to water more frequently in sandy settings.
Different plants have different water needs. Some plants prefer staying on the dry side, others like to be consistently moist. Refer to the plant label to check a plant’s specific requirements.
Ideally water should only be applied to the root zone - an area roughly 6-12” (15-30cm) from the base of the plant, not the entire plant. A soaker hose is a great investment for keeping plants healthy and reducing water lost through evaporation. Hand watering using a watering wand with a sprinkler head attached is also a good way to control watering. If the garden area is large, and a sprinkler is necessary, try to water in the morning so that plant foliage has time to dry through the day. Moist foliage encourages disease and mold that can weaken or damage plants.
To check for soil moisture use your finger or a small trowel to dig in and examine the soil. If the first 2-4” (5-10cm) of soil is dry, it is time to water."
Pruning
Prune plants freely to maintain the desired size and shape. Pinching plants back stimulates dense, bushy new growth and encourages more flowers.
Remove old flowers to keep plant looking healthy and prevent seed production that drains the plant’s energy at the expense of forming new flowers.
Some plants are grown only for their attractive foliage (such as coleus, dusty miller and flowering kale). Their flowers are not very showy and any buds should be pinched off to keep the foliage looking its best.
