Scientific name: Allium schoenoprasm
Synonym: Allium alpinum, Allium buhseanum, Allium gredense, Allium montanum, Allium oliganthum, Allium purpurascens, Allium raddeanum, Allium schmitzii var. duriminium
Family: ALLIACEAE
Common names: “Chives” “cive” “onion grass” “schnittlaugh” “seithes” “seives”
Plant Type: Bulb
Conditions:
Zone: 4-8
Light: Full sun – part shade
Exposure: Exposed or sheltered
Soil: Sandy loam with added grit if clayey
Moisture: Moist well drained, handles some drought but best with even moisture
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: 12-18″ H & W
Leaf and Stem shape: Erect, narrowly cylindrical, onion-scented leaves
Flower: Rounded umbels of light purple or white, bell-shaped flowers
Maintenance: Low, harvest leaves by cutting them low anytime, cut out flowered stems or cut flowers if you don’t want them to seed
Landscape use: Herb garden, edible, wildlife garden, flower beds, cottage garden, containers
Propagate: By seed and division
Pests & Disease: Can get a rust on the leaves but not serious, root rot may occur in wet
*Deer resistant
Comments: Chives are a herb garden essential, easy to grow and they come back every year, an excellent garnish for many dishes
Cultivars: Allium tuberosum – “Garlic chives” – a great companion plant, with a taste more like garlic and fragrant flowers, hardy to zone 3-9
Vancouver Island Grows 