Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are used like regular chives but have more of a garlic flavor instead of an onion flavor. They are good in omelets and other egg dishes. They also work in salads, as fresh vegetables, or any savory dish. The flowers are edible, too, although they can have a pretty strong flavor.
About Garlic Chives
Native to northeasern Asia, garlic chives are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Garlic chives are perennial herbs, so plant them someplace they can stay for a while. This plant has gray-green leaves that are long and narrow. They curl downward making a graceful fountain appearence.
Blooms
In late summer or early fall, garlic chives bloom. The flowers are on stalks two to three feet tall. The stalks hold clusters of white flowers and brown stripped tepals. Garlic chive flowers are sweet scented and attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Seed Pods Look Nice In Arrangements
Hard, triangular shaped seed pods form after the flowers fade. Garlic chives self seed prolifically. They can even be invasive. If you do not want them to do that, cut the stalks off before the pods open. Both the flowers and seed pods make nice cut flowers.
Where To Plant
Garlic chives do best in full sun. They need well-drained soil. After they are established, they are heat, cold, and drought tolerant.
Growing More Garlic Chives
Propagation is by seed or division. Plants should be divided every three years or they stop flowering. Seeds are planted in the spring.
Harvesting
Clip the leaves off for use in cooking while they are green. The flowers and seeds are edible but strong flavored. Plants can be sheared off in the summer to reinvigorate the plant.
Fertilizing
If you regularly harvest your garlic chives, you should fertilize them with a balanced fertilizer in midsummer.
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