Common chives are easy to grow, require little maintenance, tolerate drought, and come back year after year. The edible flowers are a favorite for bees, make a tasty chive vinegar, add color and taste to salads, and look beautiful in floral arrangements.
They produce bright green, slender, hollow leaves with a mild onion flavor. Pink pom-pom flowers appear in late spring to early summer.
Sow seeds outside four to six weeks before the last frost. Consider planting chives in a devoted pollinator area of the garden with other nectar-rich plants. Seedlings do not need to be thinned and can grow well in close clumps.
Chives can also be grown in containers and brought indoors for year-round harvest.
Cut outer spears of chives when they are 6 inches long. Once or twice a season, shear plants to 2" above ground to ensure new, tender foliage. Harvested flowers can be used for floral arrangements or as a garnish for meals like baked potatoes, omelets, or summer soups.
Allow chives to flower in the spring. Collect flower heads when they are completely dry, then crumble heads with your fingers over a plate. Seeds will easily separate from the flower. Separate seeds from the chaff and store in a cool, dry place for up to two years.