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Chives illustration
Herbs · Perennial

Chives

Allium schoenoprasum

A tidy clump of edible leaves with soft purple flowers.

Make it part of your growing collection.

A LITTLE EVERYDAY CARE

Help it thrive.

A few things worth knowing.
01

Snip near the base

Once a clump is established and leaves are around 15 cm tall, clip leaves near the base for a tidy harvest.

02

Divide crowded clumps

Lift and divide established clumps in spring or autumn to create more plants and give them space.

03

Choose flowers or fewer seedlings

The purple flowers provide nectar. Remove spent flower heads before seed forms if you want to limit self-seeding.

Care guide · NC State ExtensionSource checked 14 Sept 2026 · Adapt timing to your climate and variety.
A PLACE TO THRIVE

Growing essentials.

Sunlight
2+ hours of sun (sun or part shade)Source-backed
Moisture
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Soil pH
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Drainage
Moist, well-drainedSource interpretation
Nutrients
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Soil texture
clay / loam / sandSource-backed
Plant spacing
≈ 25 cmPlanning estimate
Growing depth
≈ 20 cmPlanning estimate
Typical height
≈ 40 cmPlanning estimate
Growing season
warm-season / cool-seasonPlanning estimate

Source-backed preferences and planning estimates are labelled separately. Missing values are not treated as a match. Spacing and depth still depend on cultivar and growing method.

Data sources & uncertainty
Sunlight

Sun or partial shade is listed. 2+ hours is a broad category, not a yield guarantee.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Moisture

A sufficiently specific moisture preference has not been verified; excluded from scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Soil pH

No precise numeric pH range verified. Broad acid/neutral/alkaline tags are not converted into invented bounds.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Drainage

Free drainage is recommended; the ordinal distinction is an interpretation, not a measured drainage rate.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Nutrients

No comparable numeric nutrient requirement verified; excluded from scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Soil texture

Listed or described textures are examples, not an exhaustive list of tolerances. Unlisted texture alone is not a hard exclusion.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Plant spacing

Cultivar-dependent planning allowance, not a verified universal planting distance.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Growing depth

Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Typical height

Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.

Source · checked 2026-09-14
Growing season

Broad growth preference only; excluded from scoring because no location or planting date is known.

Source · checked 2026-09-14