Plant This: Honeybees love garlic chives and so will you

August 26, 2013


Want more bees in your garden? They do need our help, you know. And we always need theirs.


Plant garlic chives (Allium tuberosum), and the bees will be busy.


You’ll also enjoy sprays of sparkling, white flowers atop slender, green stems — a crisp, clean bloom to herald the end of summer.


Grassy foliage is fresh and green all summer and makes a nice front-of-the-border plant for sunny or partly sunny garden beds. Plus deer will leave it alone, as they do many herbs. For extra punch, plant a purple fountain grass behind it, so the white flowers stand out against dark-purple foliage.

Any other suggestions for good combos with garlic chives? I’d love to hear them.

Note: My Plant This posts are written primarily for gardeners in central Texas. The plants I recommend are ones I’ve grown myself and have direct experience with. I wish I could provide more information about how these plants might perform in other parts of the country, but gardening knowledge is local. Consider checking your local online gardening forums to see if a particular plant might work in your region.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

6 responses to “Plant This: Honeybees love garlic chives and so will you”

  1. Great bee shots! Are you collecting them?!

    I always enjoy bees! —Pam

  2. Peter/Outlaw says:

    What a beautiful fresh face at a time when many other plants are looking a little tired. Great idea, I’ll look for this one!

    You’ll probably find a neighbor growing it right down the street, Peter. It’s a grandmother’s garden kind of plant. But if you can’t find it locally I’ll be glad to mail you some seeds. —Pam

  3. Anna K says:

    Yes, I have it, and yes, I love it. I find the edible flowers useful too. They look so pretty sprinkled over a salad!

    I didn’t know the flowers were edible, Anna. —Pam

  4. Robin Peckover says:

    I love the idea of planting the chives in front of a purple grass. Also, more practically, they are great around roses to keep bugs at bay.

    Good to know! —Pam

  5. Katina says:

    OOO!!! Garlic chives with purple gomphrena. gotta love that white and purple combo.

    Yes, I bet that would be pretty. Great idea, Katina. —Pam

  6. Nell Jean says:

    Mine were from seed; I thought they were regular chives until they bloomed and wondered why they were flat.

    Purple Alternanthera, perfect with them — two near-thugs to duke it out.

    Ha — I like the way you think, Nell Jean. Start taking bets now. —Pam