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Do you deadhead chives?

SarSpudSarSpud Posts: 46
in Fruit & veg
I have lots of clumps of chives around the garden and they flower brilliantly, we’ve had tons of bees on them 🙂 they’re just going to seed, is it possible to deadhead chives to get more flowers? I've just left them in previous years and never thought about it before.
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  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Sometimes I do, just for looks. Sometimes by this time they have rusty spots on them, I cut the whole lot back to the ground and in no time they are up again with lovely fresh leaves. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I take some flowers when still fresh for adding to salads and sauces but otherwise, it's much easier to do as Lyn does and cut the whole plant back.   Stops them spreading quite so fast too.   The purple flowered ones can be rampant.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    I grow them in pots just for the bees and I deadhead them 
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    Lyn said:
    Sometimes I do, just for looks. Sometimes by this time they have rusty spots on them, I cut the whole lot back to the ground and in no time they are up again with lovely fresh leaves. 
    Never have rust on mine 👍
  • SarSpudSarSpud Posts: 46
    BirminghamMarc1972 said:
    I grow them in pots just for the bees and I deadhead them 
    Do they re-flower?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    When the flowers are dead, i deadhead but then i really grow chives for the flowers. Ive tried buying pots of them to eat but i can't resist planting them
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    SarSpud said:
    BirminghamMarc1972 said:
    I grow them in pots just for the bees and I deadhead them 
    Do they re-flower?
    They always have flowers on them till mid summer then they seem to stop 
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    We do both here too - keep some of the flowers which the bees are thankful for and dead head other plants so we can harvest the chive stems to eat.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I just pick off a flower and eat it as I’m passing.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I do the same as Lyn. They often produce more flowers later too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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