When chives are finished blooming am I supposed to cut the whole plant to the ground or should I only cut out the flowering stems? If I cut it down I'm not sure if it will come back.
Chive flowers
I only cut what I am planning on using...flower or not. If you let the flower go to seed you can collect and plant them. My chives come back every year bigger than the year before,
Hope that helps
Robin
Mine seems to die down faster when I let it bloom and develop seed. If I keep the chive blooms cut off ( they are tasty to eat ) the plant will thrive a lot longer. It will come back in early spring in this zone... pod
Maybe it is something about this hearty maine soil?/ Or the long , very long cold freezes we live in maybe mine like winter sows and gets bigger every year.
I neglect my chives and they come back every year. Are they the pinky lavender flowered kind?
Chives are very perennial and they usually will come back regardless of what you do, of course drought is the main killer. The flowers will seed but are easy to eradicate if they do sprout for you. For us in zone 6 they flourish and like our winters. I am wondering if the heat of the summer and lack of cold in the winter is what causes the problems for those of you in warm areas.
However, if you just want the eat the flower and only nip off the flower, that stem will brown and die. If you want to harvest your chives, never just give them a hair cut because the remaining stem will die too. Cut the entire stem to the ground and pitch what you do not need. Always leave some of the plant so it can regenerate ( photosynthesis can not occur if there is not green growth and is hard on the plant unless it is early spring which replicates waking up in spring).
Ellen
Yes roybird they are the lavender colored kind. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/277 I think I have seen pics of them in your garden.
Podster, I too cut the flowers off so they wouldn't set seed. I should remember to eat them next year!
Thanks for clarifying on the cutting method arejay and Ellen. I grow my herbs in my ornamental beds and try to keep them looking as neat as possible.
You can also make a great flavored and rosy-hued vinegar from your chive blossoms. Pack a mason jar full of the chive blossoms, top off with vinegar - use something like rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar so the color of the chives turns the vinegar pink. Let it sit for a few weeks, strain and enjoy.