Allium tuberosum

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Chinese chives

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Chinese chives RHS

Other common names

fragrant-flowered garlic, garlic chives, oriental garlic

Synonyms

Allium uliginosum G. Don. non Ledeb.

Plants for pollinators
Bulbs Herbs - Culinary
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Vigorous bulbous plant to 50cm tall, forming a clump of narrow, edible leaves, with umbels of small, fragrant, star-shaped white flowers in late summer and autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower Foliage
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with a strong onion or garlic scent, linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Himalaya China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile moisture retentive well-drained soil in full sun. See chive cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown as soon as ripe or in spring in a cold frame. Divide clumps in early spring or remove offsets in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Susceptible to slugs, snails, allium leaf mining fly and onion fly but usually trouble free in the border

Diseases

Generally disease-free but may be susceptible to onion white rot and downy mildews