Using Chives in the landscape
Bunny McElwee
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
the chive production.
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Bunny McElwee
miata...@homexpressway.net
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years now, they haven't spread and don't seem to be invasive in my zone
9b climate. The chive flower buds make a good infused vinegar and are
tasty on salads besides being pretty.
George
Gayle Surrette
I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
related plants in containers randomly throughout
the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
(supposedly they don't like the smell). I usually
always have chives in the herb garden and then tend
to stay put and grow every year in the same spot with
little spread.
Gayle
Bunny McElwee wrote:
>
> I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
> months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
> after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
> on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
> good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
> prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
> experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
> flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
> the chive production.
=======================================================
Gayle Surrette STC at NOAA/NESDIS/IPD
(301) 457 5254 MAIL Address:
Gayle.S...@noaa.gov FB#4 Room 3045
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Washington, DC 20233-9909
========================================================
Bunny McElwee
but it does appear that it has stayed in its own little "mound". I'd like to
plant them around a tree in my front yard, both for the beautiful flowers,
and for the chives. Is there anything I should know about cutting them back
or anything, say in winter? As I said in my previous message, I had one in a
pot and it stayed out all winter, and even got two days of snow (Charleston,
SC - Little to no snow) and while it had a little bit of the foliage die
back around the outer edges, the middle sprang tons of new growth and then
tons of flowers, and is still sending out flowers today. How long will the
plant flower and should I cut it back in the winter?
clc
on salads) and I don't get them all snipped off, the seeds do spread. I've
got clumps coming up in places within a foot of my initial clump.
Cheryl
"Bunny McElwee" <miata...@homexpressway.net> wrote in message
news:b69j9j$1i2f$1...@news3.infoave.net...
Larry Blanchard
miata...@homexpressway.net says...
> I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
> months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
> after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
> on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
> good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump?
>
An alternative is a perennial called Armeria maritima (sp?). Looks like
chives but has bigger flowers and doesn't smell like onions. There
should be a picture on the web somewhere.
--
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Kenneth D. Schillinger
winters.
Ken.
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"Gayle Surrette" <Gayle.S...@noaa.gov> wrote in message
news:3E8861AE...@noaa.gov...
MacTech
> > > I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
> > > months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
> > > after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple
> flowers
> > > on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this
> a
> > > good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
> > > prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
> > > experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
> > > flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain
> from
> > > the chive production.
Chives have been growing in my pasture for almost 30 years (used to be
a garden area). They seem to stay fairly confined, and I don't do
anything with them. From time to time, I have dug up a clump and
planted them elsewhere (closer to the house) so I don't have to walk
so far to get chives when I want to use them. The flowers are
gorgeous. The plants come back year after year. And best of all, they
are extremely "low maintenance." And the bumblebees like them. Once,
during an early-summer all-day rain, I noticed that each chive flower
in one particular clump had a bumblebee clinging upside down on the
underside. Each bumblebee had its very own umbrella!
LeAnn
Jan Flora
<p...@meadows.pair.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 10:52:28 -0500, "Bunny McElwee"
> <miata...@homexpressway.net> wrote:
>
> > Thank you both for your information. I've only grown them in one pot,
> >but it does appear that it has stayed in its own little "mound". I'd like to
> >plant them around a tree in my front yard, both for the beautiful flowers,
> >and for the chives. Is there anything I should know about cutting them back
> >or anything, say in winter? As I said in my previous message, I had one in a
> >pot and it stayed out all winter, and even got two days of snow (Charleston,
> >SC - Little to no snow) and while it had a little bit of the foliage die
> >back around the outer edges, the middle sprang tons of new growth and then
> >tons of flowers, and is still sending out flowers today. How long will the
> >plant flower and should I cut it back in the winter?
> >
>
> I grew chives in Delaware - it's pretty cold in winter
> there, snow is common. The coldest I can remember was about
> 10 below zero (Fahrenheit).
>
> I never did anything to them, I planted them once, and that
> was it.
>
> Pat
They grow beautifully up here in Alaska, Zone 3, without any care at all.
(We get good summer rainfall; you may need to water them a little -- I
don't know. We normally don't have to water our gardens.)
If the clumps spread, dig them up and give them away. One of my neighbors
has a clump that has spread a few feet over the last 20 years. She just digs
a shovelful up once in awhile and gives them away, when they start going
somewhere that they aren't wanted. (I do the same with my rhubarb plants.)
I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem *so*
prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.
Jan
Glenna Rose
>My deer must be hungrier, as they have eaten my chives the last three
>winters.
>Ken.
A couple of years ago when I brought new plants home, including one garlic
chive plant, my tomcat ate the garlic chive plant down to just above the
soil line. He didn't touch anything else in the flat, not even the
catnip! He did, however, have garlic breath for a couple of days.<g>
From his behavior, I think the deer might not be deterred. However, one
never knows for certain until trying.
Glenna
Marcella Tracy Peek
"Kenneth D. Schillinger" <k...@whidbey.com> wrote:
> My deer must be hungrier, as they have eaten my chives the last three
> winters.
> Ken.
>
Ah, you have deer with gourmet tastes. So far all the herbs I have
planted have proved to be uninteresting to the deer except the dill
which they ate to the ground.
marcella
clc
> I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem
*so*
> prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.
>
> Jan
Actually, Jan, my rose garden is now where my herb garden used to be and I
specifically left the chives in the rose garden because I'd heard they were
good for keeping aphids away.
Cheryl
rmw
chives will Not keep aphids away. I have a pot of chives in the green house
and it was covered in aphids. a quick blast of water soon removed them and
all is well now. hope this helps you.
Richard M. Watkin.
clc <dingy7...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4Pgia.4734$_i4....@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu...
Greg Draiss
be careful
Setzler
the flower heads off before they go to seed to help that.
susan
Setzler
be repelled by them. They'll eat what is next to them
susan
Pat Meadows wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 10:41:34 -0500, Gayle Surrette
> <Gayle.S...@noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> >Bunny,
> >
> >I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
> >related plants in containers randomly throughout
> >the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
> >(supposedly they don't like the smell).
>
> I bet the deer will eat the chives as well as the fruit!
>
> When I lived in northern NJ, I had four dogs - two of them
> very large male German Shepherds, one a shepherd-mix, and
> one a little mutt.
>
> The backyard had a chain-link fenced area for the dogs.
>
> The deer there would come within SIX FEET of that chain link
> fence - while the dogs were all there, barking and growling
> hysterically, and leaping about - to eat the apples that had
> fallen off old apple trees in our yard.
>
> I don't think chives will keep deer away if four hysterical
> dogs couldn't do it.
>
> Pat
> --
> CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
> United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
> International: http://www.thehungersite.com/
Bunny McElwee
more. Now that I DO have flowers on my chives, and in the future want to
have them in the landscape, how do I go about keeping them from setting seed
and spreading all over the lawn? And, can I cut the flowers off and keep
them until they dry out and extract the seeds for more plants? I'm assuming
the seed is in the centers of each little purple flower on the flower
"head"? Also, is it best to cut chives back in the winter or do I just let
them die off by themselves and regenerate by themselves?
"Bunny McElwee" <miata...@homexpressway.net> wrote in message
news:b69j9j$1i2f$1...@news3.infoave.net...
Gayle Surrette
called (I think) _Roses love garlic_. I'm not sure
if the chive and garlic are in the same family. I'm
a newish gardener (meaning I've been fiddling around
for quite a while but never really actually took it
seriously until recently.
Gayle
Jan Flora wrote:
> I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem *so*
> prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.
>
> Jan
--
Nick Maclaren
Gayle Surrette <Gayle.S...@noaa.gov> wrote:
>I do a lot of companion planting and there's a book
>called (I think) _Roses love garlic_. I'm not sure
>if the chive and garlic are in the same family. I'm
>a newish gardener (meaning I've been fiddling around
>for quite a while but never really actually took it
>seriously until recently.
Yes. Both Allium. Some people swear by companion planting; others
laugh at it. No matter. Chives make an excellent plant for the
herbaceous border, provided that it is relatively cool and damp.
There are lots of decorative plants in that family, most of which
are called garlics for no very good reason, and which vary from
being like chives to thriving on a short, damp spring and a hot, dry
summer.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.