Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Also listed as Allium buhseanum, Allium reflexum
Also known as Wild Chives, Cives
Climate Match for your location
See how well Chives grows in your area.
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Chives are a hardy perennial herb with slender, tubular green leaves and delicate purple-pink flowers; both leaves and blossoms are edible and commonly used to flavor dishes. They spread readily by seed and division, making them a prolific addition to herb gardens and permaculture systems.
Why grow it
Chives are more cold-hardy and earlier to emerge in spring than most culinary onion relatives, making them a reliable cool-season herb for northern regions. Unlike garlic or shallots, they produce harvestable foliage continuously through the growing season without a dormancy period, and their delicate flowers add ornamental and edible value to borders or polycultures. They tolerate partial shade better than many alliums and perform well in containers, offering flexibility in garden design.
Watch out for
Chives can self-seed prolifically in favorable conditions, so deadheading spent flowers prevents volunteer seedlings in adjacent beds. They prefer consistent moisture and may decline in very dry soils, particularly in hot climates. In containers, root density can build quickly, requiring division every 2-3 years to maintain vigor and prevent decline.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
Native to the United States
Native Range
Northern Hemisphere temperate regions
Native to: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
Chives are a hardy perennial herb with slender, tubular green leaves and delicate purple-pink flowers; both leaves and blossoms are edible and commonly used to flavor dishes. They spread readily by seed and division, making them a prolific addition to herb gardens and permaculture systems.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Chives grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Chives are more cold-hardy and earlier to emerge in spring than most culinary onion relatives, making them a reliable cool-season herb for northern regions. Unlike garlic or shallots, they produce harvestable foliage continuously through the growing season without a dormancy period, and their delicate flowers add ornamental and edible value to borders or polycultures. They tolerate partial shade better than many alliums and perform well in containers, offering flexibility in garden design.
Watch out for
Chives can self-seed prolifically in favorable conditions, so deadheading spent flowers prevents volunteer seedlings in adjacent beds. They prefer consistent moisture and may decline in very dry soils, particularly in hot climates. In containers, root density can build quickly, requiring division every 2-3 years to maintain vigor and prevent decline.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
Native to the United States
Native Range
Northern Hemisphere temperate regions
Native to: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
Similar herbs you might consider:
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