Chives

Chives are a hardy perennial herb grown for thin, hollow, onion-flavoured leaves and edible purple pompom flowers in late spring. They return reliably each spring through hard winters, are among the first herbs up and the first to be picked, and ask for almost nothing, which makes them a staple of any kitchen garden and a good edging plant in the flower border too.

Sow in spring or set out divisions 6 to 8 inches apart in average soil that drains, in sun or part shade. Cut the leaves an inch above the ground as you need them; the more you harvest, the more the clump produces, and a clump cut hard in midsummer comes back fresh. The flowers slow leaf production, so remove them if you want leaves, or let them come for the bees and scatter the florets over a salad.

Clumps expand over the years and should be divided every three or four years in spring or fall. A pot of chives brought indoors in late winter, after a cold spell, gives fresh leaves weeks early. Deer and rabbits leave onions alone, and chives have no pests worth naming. Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are a different plant with flat leaves and white flowers in late summer.