Life.Ecology.Food.®

  • Perennial green leaf
  • Herb
  • Bees and butterflies
  • Edible flowers
  • Edimentals

Chives

Allium schoenoprasum

A classic, edible wildlife plant of green leaf and flowers to eat in Spring in Summer

PLANT TYPE Herb

PLANT HABIT Deciduous perennial

USES Culinary, Pollinators, Ornamental

DESCRIPTION

A classic, edible and wildlife plant of green leaf and flowers, to eat in Spring in Summer. Chives are popular with bees and pollinators as the flowers provide a huge amount of nectar. It was rated in the top 10 for most nectar production (nectar per unit cover per year) in a 2017 UK plants survey. It’s purple flowers also make great additions to salads and edimental wildlife gardens.

PRODUCT NOTES Two relatively mature plants straight out of the ground to you.

RECOMMENDED LOCATION Pot, Kitchen garden, Forest garden, Wildlife garden, Ornamental garden

Aspect Full sun, Partial sun

Height 50cm

Spread 30cm

Hardiness Hardy in UK WInter

Management and care Requires little management. Gently break up large bunches in early spring to create even more plant stock and renew virility of growth. If you don't eat the flowers you get more seeds. But, the flowers are super yummy and look so nice in salads. It's a conundrum.

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Chives