Allium schoenoprasum Seeds | Chives
LATIN NAME: Allium schoenoprasum
COMMON NAME: Chives
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Chives, Allium schoenoprasum is a hardy, perennial in the amaryllis family. Chives raise their small, rounded heads of pale-purple flowers above thin, hollow leaves, and the whole plant stands in the neat, dense clumps. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground. Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers freely through the season. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the amaryllis family, Allium schoenoprasum draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Because it has been grown for so long, its garden habits are thoroughly documented.
Uses & Benefits
Chives works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Chives are a fine, bright herb of herb garden and study collection. It is a fine, bright herb of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden. Give young plants deep, rich, moist bed, and rounded heads will rise in the first season. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
The onion family is one of the great medicinal plant groups: garlic, onions, leeks and their kin supply sulfur compounds such as allicin that have been studied extensively for cardiovascular and antimicrobial effects. Regular allium consumption is associated with several benefits in population studies, and garlic remains one of the world’s best-selling herbal supplements.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Chives under ordinary good conditions. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. The seed responds well to a cool, moist stratification period, which helps it break dormancy evenly. Pot the young plants on as they grow, harden them off gradually, and plant them into their final positions when sturdy.
Our Take
Chives is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Beginners will find it patient of imperfect technique.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Chives often pair it with these related subjects: