Garlic Chives

Allium tuberosum

herb

Garlic chives, also called Chinese chives, are a hardy clumping perennial with flat, grassy leaves that taste of mild garlic and a flush of edible, fragrant white flowers in late summer. They are tougher and slower to spread than common chives and are a staple in Asian cooking.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Carrot — The allium scent helps mask carrots from the carrot rust fly
• Tomato — Aromatic foliage helps deter aphids and other soft-bodied pests
• Apple — Interplanted near fruit it is reputed to help discourage scab and pests

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Hose off colonies and let ladybugs and lacewings build up

• Thrips →

  Keep plants watered and unstressed and use sticky traps if needed

🌾 Harvest & storage

Snip leaves at the base once clumps are established, taking no more than a third at a time so they regrow. Cut the flower stems young to use as a delicacy, or leave a few for pollinators and deadhead the rest before they seed.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Garlic chives supply vitamins A and C and organosulfur compounds, and the late white flowers are an important nectar source for bees when little else blooms.