Chives

Chives Close

Chives can make a nice addition to the flower garden as well as the herb garden. I have my chives near the back veggie garden and they are not really a part of my flower gardens. However, I still enjoy the pretty blooms.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are the smallest species of onions. Chives are perennials so once you get them established you have them year after year. Chives grow to a height of 15-30 cm (6-12 in) and grow in clumps. You will want to divide the clumps every two to three years. Plant in a sunny to part shade location in a rich soil. Chives can tolerate moist to dry conditions in case you forget to water them at times.

Chives not only provides one with a pretty flower, they are edible as well and can be added to many dishes. When you harvest, cut the outer leaves back to the base and use fresh. Chives loses their flavour when dried.

When planning what to plant in your beds, it is important to know that some plants only bloom during a certain season while others will bloom through several seasons. Careful planning will ensure that your beds are always full of blooms. For example, if one plants a bed entirely of tulips, the bed will be full of blooms in the spring but will sit empty of blooms during the rest of the growing season. I tuck a few tulip bulbs amongst the plants in each bed to give each bed some spring colour. After the tulips are gone, the other plants in the bed will be producing blooms and the beds are always in colour throughout the season. The same can hold true for autumn; tuck a few late season plants as well so that in the crisp days of autumn your beds are still in bloom.

Today is the official first day of Spring. Temperature-wise it felt more like a day in Summer. The daffodils are starting to fade but the tulips are starting to bloom. The forsythias are in bloom as well as my bleeding heart and flowering almond. The redbuds are gorgeous this year. The gardens are starting to come alive with colours. However, I am a little concern with such high temperatures for this time of the year and how it will affect the plants that need the normal temperatures of spring.

Flowering Almond - 2012