Should You Cut Back Chives After Flowering?

Have you ever wondered if you should cut back chives after flowering? If you have, then you are not alone. A lot of new gardeners wonder this – I was there myself too at one point. This article will outline the reasons why I think you should cut back your chives once they flower, and the best way to do it.

Chives flower early in the season, and generally last a few weeks. Three reasons that you should let your chives flower before cutting them back is because they are beautiful, edible, and a great resource for the bees. The chive leaves will not change flavour after flowering so you can still enjoy them. The best part is that chives grow back much stronger and healthier after they have been cut back.

Chives are actually quite hardy perennial herbs that can easily be grown in pots from seeds, or out in the garden. They will not be as likely to flower if you are growing them indoors because they will be receiving less light.

When Do Chives Flower?

Chives will flower during spring and early summer, shortly after the daffodils have flowered. For my 6b Ontario garden, chives flower in mid April. Chives are typically the first plant that you will see starting to poke up out of the ground – and are a sure sign of spring. I have been able to harvest from them as early as the end of March. So nice to get that fresh flavour so early in the season.

Chives will continue to flower for a few weeks. Then the flowers will start to finish, fade, and dry up.

Should I Let Chives Flower?

In my personal opinion – you should absolutely let your chives flower.

First of all, they are beautiful to look at. They are one of the earliest flowers to enjoy in the spring garden. They make great cut flowers to add to bouquets as well.

Secondly the honey bees just love them. When the bees have gone through winter it is especially important for them to find food and start to build up their hive’s reserves again. If you leave your chive flowers you will find that the honey bees are very much drawn to them. I love to work with nature in my garden and I like to help out the pollinators and beneficial bugs as much as I can. It is easy to leave the flowers for just a few weeks to help out the bees.

When you leave your chives to flower you may notice that the flower stems are very tough. I personally do not like eating those parts. This led me to initially want to cut off the flower stems off when I first grew chives. But, once I saw how much the bees were enjoying them – I just couldn’t do it. What I do now is just harvest around the flower stems, so the bees and I can both benefit. Sharing is caring.

One word of caution. If you do not want to have chive plants taking over your garden space, it is important to remove the flowers before they fully dry, mature, and drop seeds. Worst case scenario you will just need to pull out the new sprouts so it isn’t too bad as they are easy to remove. However, if I find that my clump of chives is big enough then I simply remove the flowers before they start to drop their seeds.

Can You Still Use Chives After They Flower?

You betcha! Chives can still be used after they flower. In fact they become even more useful because the flowers are actually edible as well. The chive flowers are a pretty addition to any meal and add a mild oniony flavour. It is best to use them early when they are fresh and just newly opened. Unlike some other herbs, the chive leaves will taste the same after the plant has flowered. Here is an article that gives some ideas on how to use chive blossoms in recipes.

Will Chives Grow Back After Cutting?

Chives actually appreciate being cut back. You will notice that when you cut back chives after flowering they will grow back with even more vigour than before. It is a great way to revitalize your chives if they are looking a bit straggly. It will take a couple weeks, but it will be worth the wait for new fresh chive growth. You can then continue to enjoy them for the rest of the summer until the frost comes.

It is often recommended to cut back your chives multiple times a season. I don’t really stick to any particular schedule. I usually cut them back after flowering, and then if they are looking a bit yellow, floppy or wilted. Whenever they need a good refresh.

When you are harvesting chives you should always take a clump of leaves that you want and then cut about one to two inches above soil level. This will be easier to manage in the kitchen, and will promote fuller growth on your chives.

What Is the Best Way to Cut Back Chives?

1. Select a sharp, clean pair of scissors or garden pruners
2. Grab the entire chive plant and hold all the leaves together like you would a pony tail
   • If the plant is too large to grab all at once, then work in smaller sections
3. Cut the chives evenly across the entire plant about 1 to 2 inches above soil level
4. If the leaves have not yellowed much, you can take them in and use them in the kitchen, or freeze them
5. If the leaves are looking a little worse for wear then add them to the compost pile
6. Get ready to enjoy fresh new chives in just a few weeks.

Cutting back your chives after they flower may seem a bit drastic, but it really does improve the health of the plant. I have not done this in the past and my chives were just straggly throughout the summer and didn’t seem as healthy. Now that I cut back my chives after flowering it really revitalizes them so I can enjoy them the whole summer long.

Until next time!