I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
the chive production.

--
Bunny McElwee

'91 Mariner Blue - BlueFlash (we call her Blue for short G)
License Plate - IXCLR8
Jackson Racing Cold Air Induction, chrome interior accents, Racing Beat
Chrome Double Hoop Style Bar,
FM Sway Bars, Heim End Links, Koni Adjustable Shocks (lowest perch),
JR Sport Exhaust, JR Cat, Moss Headers, JVC MP3 Player, Bazooka Powered
Subwoofer with internal 4 Channel Amp, silly grin (driver and car!) and too
much more to list.

I've had onion and garlic chives planted in my herb garden for several
years now, they haven't spread and don't seem to be invasive in my zone
9b climate. The chive flower buds make a good infused vinegar and are
tasty on salads besides being pretty.

George

Bunny McElwee wrote:

I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
the chive production.

--
Bunny McElwee

'91 Mariner Blue - BlueFlash (we call her Blue for short G)
License Plate - IXCLR8
Jackson Racing Cold Air Induction, chrome interior accents, Racing Beat
Chrome Double Hoop Style Bar,
FM Sway Bars, Heim End Links, Koni Adjustable Shocks (lowest perch),
JR Sport Exhaust, JR Cat, Moss Headers, JVC MP3 Player, Bazooka Powered
Subwoofer with internal 4 Channel Amp, silly grin (driver and car!) and too
much more to list.

Bunny,

I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
related plants in containers randomly throughout
the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
(supposedly they don't like the smell). I usually
always have chives in the herb garden and then tend
to stay put and grow every year in the same spot with
little spread.

Gayle

Bunny McElwee wrote:

I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
the chive production.

================================================== =====
Gayle Surrette STC at NOAA/NESDIS/IPD
(301) 457 5254 MAIL Address:
FB#4 Room 3045
4700 Silver Hill Road, Stop 9909
Washington, DC 20233-9909
================================================== ======

Thank you both for your information. I've only grown them in one pot,
but it does appear that it has stayed in its own little "mound". I'd like to
plant them around a tree in my front yard, both for the beautiful flowers,
and for the chives. Is there anything I should know about cutting them back
or anything, say in winter? As I said in my previous message, I had one in a
pot and it stayed out all winter, and even got two days of snow (Charleston,
SC - Little to no snow) and while it had a little bit of the foliage die
back around the outer edges, the middle sprang tons of new growth and then
tons of flowers, and is still sending out flowers today. How long will the
plant flower and should I cut it back in the winter?

I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
related plants in containers randomly throughout
the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
(supposedly they don't like the smell). I usually
always have chives in the herb garden and then tend
to stay put and grow every year in the same spot with
little spread.

Gayle

Bunny McElwee wrote:

I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple
flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this
a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain
from
the chive production.

================================================== =====
Gayle Surrette STC at NOAA/NESDIS/IPD
(301) 457 5254 MAIL Address:
FB#4 Room 3045
4700 Silver Hill Road, Stop 9909
Washington, DC 20233-9909
================================================== ======

On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 10:41:34 -0500, Gayle Surrette
wrote:

Bunny,

I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
related plants in containers randomly throughout
the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
(supposedly they don't like the smell).

I bet the deer will eat the chives as well as the fruit!

When I lived in northern NJ, I had four dogs - two of them
very large male German Shepherds, one a shepherd-mix, and
one a little mutt.

The backyard had a chain-link fenced area for the dogs.

The deer there would come within SIX FEET of that chain link
fence - while the dogs were all there, barking and growling
hysterically, and leaping about - to eat the apples that had
fallen off old apple trees in our yard.

I don't think chives will keep deer away if four hysterical
dogs couldn't do it.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

In Z 5, I find that if I leave the chives to flower (which my husband loves
on salads) and I don't get them all snipped off, the seeds do spread. I've
got clumps coming up in places within a foot of my initial clump.

Cheryl
"Bunny McElwee" wrote in message
...
I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple
flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain from
the chive production.

--
Bunny McElwee

'91 Mariner Blue - BlueFlash (we call her Blue for short G)
License Plate - IXCLR8
Jackson Racing Cold Air Induction, chrome interior accents, Racing Beat
Chrome Double Hoop Style Bar,
FM Sway Bars, Heim End Links, Koni Adjustable Shocks (lowest perch),
JR Sport Exhaust, JR Cat, Moss Headers, JVC MP3 Player, Bazooka Powered
Subwoofer with internal 4 Channel Amp, silly grin (driver and car!) and
too
much more to list.

In article ,
says...
I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump?

Ours stays in a clump, but the clump gradually gets bigger.

An alternative is a perennial called Armeria maritima (sp?). Looks like
chives but has bigger flowers and doesn't smell like onions. There
should be a picture on the web somewhere.

--
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we
are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Teddy Roosevelt

On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 10:52:28 -0500, "Bunny McElwee"
wrote:

Thank you both for your information. I've only grown them in one pot,
but it does appear that it has stayed in its own little "mound". I'd like to
plant them around a tree in my front yard, both for the beautiful flowers,
and for the chives. Is there anything I should know about cutting them back
or anything, say in winter? As I said in my previous message, I had one in a
pot and it stayed out all winter, and even got two days of snow (Charleston,
SC - Little to no snow) and while it had a little bit of the foliage die
back around the outer edges, the middle sprang tons of new growth and then
tons of flowers, and is still sending out flowers today. How long will the
plant flower and should I cut it back in the winter?


I grew chives in Delaware - it's pretty cold in winter
there, snow is common. The coldest I can remember was about
10 below zero (Fahrenheit).

I never did anything to them, I planted them once, and that
was it.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

My deer must be hungrier, as they have eaten my chives the last three
winters.
Ken.

--
All files Coming and Going scanned by Norton AntiVirus 2002, by the shores
of Puget Sound.
"Gayle Surrette" wrote in message
...
Bunny,

I have a deer problem and will be putting chives and
related plants in containers randomly throughout
the fruit orchard in order to keep the deer away
(supposedly they don't like the smell). I usually
always have chives in the herb garden and then tend
to stay put and grow every year in the same spot with
little spread.

Gayle

Bunny McElwee wrote:

I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple
flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this
a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain
from
the chive production.

================================================== =====
Gayle Surrette STC at NOAA/NESDIS/IPD
(301) 457 5254 MAIL Address:
FB#4 Room 3045
4700 Silver Hill Road, Stop 9909
Washington, DC 20233-9909
================================================== ======

I had a pot of chives from last year that I let go over the winter
months and actually thought I had killed it. Its in a pot now, and even
after being covered in snow, it came back and now has tons of purple
flowers
on it. I've heard of people using them in their landscapes, but is this
a
good idea? Do they spread or stay in one clump? Do they go to seed
prolifically and create many more plants around them? What are your
experiences with using them in the landscape? They are such beautiful
flowers, it seems a shame to not utilize the flowers as well as gain
from
the chive production.



Chives have been growing in my pasture for almost 30 years (used to be
a garden area). They seem to stay fairly confined, and I don't do
anything with them. From time to time, I have dug up a clump and
planted them elsewhere (closer to the house) so I don't have to walk
so far to get chives when I want to use them. The flowers are
gorgeous. The plants come back year after year. And best of all, they
are extremely "low maintenance." And the bumblebees like them. Once,
during an early-summer all-day rain, I noticed that each chive flower
in one particular clump had a bumblebee clinging upside down on the
underside. Each bumblebee had its very own umbrella!

LeAnn

http://ruralroute2.com

In article , Pat Meadows
wrote:

On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 10:52:28 -0500, "Bunny McElwee"
wrote:

Thank you both for your information. I've only grown them in one pot,
but it does appear that it has stayed in its own little "mound". I'd like to
plant them around a tree in my front yard, both for the beautiful flowers,
and for the chives. Is there anything I should know about cutting them back
or anything, say in winter? As I said in my previous message, I had one in a
pot and it stayed out all winter, and even got two days of snow (Charleston,
SC - Little to no snow) and while it had a little bit of the foliage die
back around the outer edges, the middle sprang tons of new growth and then
tons of flowers, and is still sending out flowers today. How long will the
plant flower and should I cut it back in the winter?


I grew chives in Delaware - it's pretty cold in winter
there, snow is common. The coldest I can remember was about
10 below zero (Fahrenheit).

I never did anything to them, I planted them once, and that
was it.

Pat

They grow beautifully up here in Alaska, Zone 3, without any care at all.
(We get good summer rainfall; you may need to water them a little -- I
don't know. We normally don't have to water our gardens.)

If the clumps spread, dig them up and give them away. One of my neighbors
has a clump that has spread a few feet over the last 20 years. She just digs
a shovelful up once in awhile and gives them away, when they start going
somewhere that they aren't wanted. (I do the same with my rhubarb plants.)

I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem *so*
prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.

Jan

writes:
My deer must be hungrier, as they have eaten my chives the last three
winters.
Ken.

A couple of years ago when I brought new plants home, including one garlic
chive plant, my tomcat ate the garlic chive plant down to just above the
soil line. He didn't touch anything else in the flat, not even the
catnip! He did, however, have garlic breath for a couple of days.g

From his behavior, I think the deer might not be deterred. However, one
never knows for certain until trying.

Glenna

In article ,
"Kenneth D. Schillinger" wrote:

My deer must be hungrier, as they have eaten my chives the last three
winters.
Ken.


Ah, you have deer with gourmet tastes. So far all the herbs I have
planted have proved to be uninteresting to the deer except the dill
which they ate to the ground.

marcella

I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem
*so*
prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.

Jan

Actually, Jan, my rose garden is now where my herb garden used to be and I
specifically left the chives in the rose garden because I'd heard they were
good for keeping aphids away.

Cheryl

Hi All,
chives will Not keep aphids away. I have a pot of chives in the green house
and it was covered in aphids. a quick blast of water soon removed them and
all is well now. hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.

clc wrote in message
...

I wonder if chives would be a good companion for roses. (?) Roses seem
*so*
prone to bugs -- maybe the chives would make the bugs feel unwelcome.

Jan

Actually, Jan, my rose garden is now where my herb garden used to be and I
specifically left the chives in the rose garden because I'd heard they
were
good for keeping aphids away.

Cheryl