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Chives
Posted on Thursday 24th February 2011
At last there is something moving in the garden - in fact quite a few things on close inspection.
This winter has been long and very cold, but it never ceases to amaze me, nature! She never fails us!
It takes something of an effort to force oneself out of the warm, cosy house and step into a cold, windblown, leaf sodden garden.
But we, at Yorkshire Lavender have been noticing lots of movement in our plot! The lavenders are still asleep - but we do grow and sell a lot more than just lavender.
My boss Nigel yesterday came into the polytunnel with three 4" long freshly grown shoots of chives (Scottish Giant) found popping up in the garden.
The taste was so strong and pungent!
Anyone can grow chives - you do not have to be a gardener, they are so reliable and pop up every year, one of the first herbs to appear after the cold winter.
I did add the three stems of chives into my egg sandwich for lunch - yummy!!
Chives can grow in pots outside or just in a border amongst flowers, shrubs or perennials or at the edge as an informal low hedge.
Let them flower in June/July (my granddad would be horrified at that!).
The Scottish Giant chives grow to 60cms high and look stunning and to add - an excellent nectar plant - a must to attract bees and butterflies into your garden.
Try eating the flower head too (after a good rinse under the tap). Add to salads, the leaves too.
But its that thing of picking new grown small shoots of any pungent herb as it is just popping through the cold, dank earth -
That is amazing - The start of a new Season.