Garlic chives
Allium tuberosum
Garlic chives add a mild zing to soups, meats, and other dishes. The herb tastes a bit more like garlic than chives or onions, making it a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It’s also ideal for the garden; the upright, grassy foliage looks great tucked in with other perennials or in container gardens. Grow this tough perennial in a sunny spot and you’ll be able to enjoy the tasty leaves all season long. You can also cook with the clusters of white flowers that appear in late summer or fall.
This plant can self-sow vigorously in the garden, so cut off all the flower stalks as they fade.
Light: Sun
Type: Herb, Perennial
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Width: To 2 feet wide
Flower color: White
Seasonal features: Fall bloom
Problem solvers: Deer resistant, Drought tolerant
Special features: Attracts birds. Cut flowers, Fragrance, Good for containers, Low maintenance
Zones: 4-8
How to Grow Wild Garlic Chives
I’m betting that everyone will want to know how to grow wild garlic chives in the herb garden, that is if you haven’t already. These little perennials can be planted up to USDA zone 3 in full sun exposure and rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0. Transplant or thin to 6 inches.
Plant your garlic chives among carrots, grapes, roses, tomatoes. They will supposedly deter pests such as Japanese beetles, black spot on roses, scab on apples,, and mildew on cucurbits.
Propagate either from seed or division. Divide the plants in the spring every three years. Propagation from seed may result in an invasion of garlic chives, so you may want to either eat the flowers before they dry and drop seeds or remove them and discard.
Care of Garlic Chives
The care of garlic chives is pretty straightforward. Water as needed; although the plants are drought tolerant, they do enjoy moist soil. Other care of garlic chives instructs fertilizing them at the start of the growing season with a slow release fertilizer.
After a long term freeze, garlic chives will often die back only to return again come springtime.
Garlic chives not only have a multitude of culinary uses, but are said to be beneficial to the digestive system, stimulate appetite, promote blood circulation, and have diuretic properties.
Clip the stems either all the way to the ground or with 2 inches remaining to allow the herb to grow anew.
