Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Morten Ross / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Morten Ross / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Jennie Lawrence / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Syd Cannings / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
Also comes in pink.
Chives blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Chives
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Are Chives toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension and University of Florida IFAS Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Chives
Plant Chives in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. Once settled, it blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Chives get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Chives in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Chives
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Chives about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Chives to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Chives' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- heronsheadnursery.comHeron's Head Nurseryheight, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Minnesota Extensionsun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extensionhardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun, water and bloom months and color
- University of Minnesota Extensionsun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 20 states and 13 provinces
United States: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and 8 more
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon and 1 more
Recorded growing wild in 120 counties.
Also grows wild, but is not native, in Illinois, Indiana and Maryland.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Good to know about Chives
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses: it is an Allium. The sulfur compounds damage red blood cells, causing Heinz-body hemolytic anemia. Safe for people though. per ASPCA and Merck
Worth knowing
One chemistry does three jobs: the onion-family sulfur compounds are the mild flavor, the scent that repels deer, and the toxin that poisons pets. per NC State
Zone limits vary by source
Wisconsin lists it hardy to zone 3; NC State caps the warm end at 8b. This entry stores 4 to 8, where its checked sources agree, so treat zone 3 as a gamble and zone 9 as heat-marginal. per Wisconsin and NC State
Leaves and flowers both edible
The hollow leaves add a mild onion flavor to eggs, salads and dips; the lavender-pink flowerheads are edible too, used in salads and as a garnish. per Illinois
Self-seeds; deadhead to control
Not a mint-type runner, but it self-seeds freely and can overtake a bed. Deadhead spent flowers before seed sets to control it, or leave some for the bees. per Wisconsin
Divide clumps every few years
A long-lived perennial that returns each spring. Divide the clump every 2 to 4 years in spring, each division carrying several bulblets, to prevent overcrowding and keep it vigorous. per Wisconsin and University of Minnesota
Cut near the base
Once leaves reach 6 in, cut near the base, about 1 to 2 in above the soil, not just the tips; take some per clump and it regrows all season. per NC State
What pairs well with Chives
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Prairie Blazing Star
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Spotted Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Brown-Eyed Susan
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Big Bluestem
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Purple Lovegrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Carnival Scotch Heather
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.