Allium schoenoprasum
Herb, Perennial

USDA Zones: 3 - 9
Light: sun
Height:  12 inches
Width:  4 inches
Flower Colors: pinkish-purple flowers
Bloom Time: late spring
Special Features:
Attractive Foliage
Deer Resistant
Easy to Grow
Flowers
Companion Plants:
Basil

Well-known in culinary circles and a mainstay in herb gardens, chives also make a bold statement in the flower garden or as an edging plant. The plant produces numerous 1-inch spheres of small, tightly-packed lavender or white flowers in late spring. They're held above dense clumps of bright green, upright, narrow, tubular leaves. Both the leaves and blossoms are edible. (Just be sure to avoid any pest control treatments forbidden on vegetables.) If planting for culinary use, plant enough of a crop so you needn't go back to the same plant too often. Usually two or three plants are plenty.

Notable Varieties
Allium tuberosum or garlic chives have the same culinary uses as Allium schoenoprasum.

Care
Chives need full sun and do best in sandy, well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Avoid harvesting leaves during and just after blooming. To avoid a sheared look, harvest leaves by cutting only some of them 1 inch from the ground. Use flowers pulled apart into individual blossoms in salads.

Planting
Plant seed or transplants in spring or in fall in mild-winter areas. Divide in spring when crowded and blooming diminishes, generally every two or three years. Will reseed in good conditions.

Pests and Diseases
Chives are generally pest-free, but aphids may occasionally cause problems.