The message
from The Reid contains these words:

Chives in second year are producing lots of flowers and looking a bit
tatty, how should they be treated to best get good crops in future, or
is it best to grow again from seed each year? Is it best to cut all
the leaves from a plant then let it regrow, or what?

You can't get much wetter than 70" a year, and chives always flower
here too, so I don't think it's caused by dryness. At that stage I
usually shear them down to ground level, then get a second crop of
tender leaves. They grow from bulbs and last forever, but you'll get the
best crops if you divide the clumps every couple of years and replant in
small bunches. They make a good edge to veg garden paths.

Janet.