This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Herbs in the Flower Bed ... Part Deux: Chives

Mixing herbs and flowers fits with the North Fork's "Truck Garden" style.

Purists might consider that herbs in a flower bed aren’t strictly cricket. I find that blurring the lines between veggie and floral gardening  becomes a whimsical feast for eyes. Given our large veggie industry on the North Fork, the design style 'fits'. And I get to eat the results.

Take chives, for example. In my perennial garden, I am encouraging two varieties to sprout in the floral borders. Now instead of fussing and complaining about the herb going to seed before using it all, I can just enjoy the contribution the 'flower heads' make as they pop up among their official floral neighbors.

Garlic chives have a thin,  flat leaf-structure that looks deceptively like the grass that springs up around the base of the bird feeder. Eventually,  lacy white flower heads rise up on tall, graceful stalks, easily dwarfing the surrounding perennials. If I snip some of the leaves in passing for a salad or other dish, the subtle garlic flavor is a treat. Purple flowers of the common garden variety of chives are miniature versions of the strictly for-looks allium that bloom in my spring garden. Before classic chives 'flower', its thin tube-shaped shoots have a strong onion-y tang that adds punch and color to a whole variety of dishes.

Find out what's happening in North Forkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Chives work best in the borders of a garden so they won’t be overwhelmed by taller mid- to back-of-the-bed plantings. I know of a chef’s garden that actually alternates chives and nasturtiums very effectively in those border areas.  Nasturtiums flowers (an annual) are often used in salads or battered as an appetizer.  Yum, on all counts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?