THE CHINESE HERB GARDEN - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 130

DID YOU KNOW?
If you have trouble with chipmunks invading your tulip beds, a generous planting of garlic chives some-
times discourages them and other rodents. I can only suppose that they don't like the taste and conse-
quently leave the tulip bulbs alone. This is not a guaranteed solution, but it's easier and a lot more decor-
ative than planting tulips in wire cages.
How to Harvest
Harvest leaves any time after they're about 6 inches high. Cut each shoot to within 2
inches of the ground and take several shoots all the way to that point. Don't clip across
the entire plant; the bulbs need some foliage to grow on.
If you want flowers, leave some clumps unclipped until the flower stalks have deve-
loped. You can clip a little and still get flowers, but let them flower the first time around
until you become familiar with the growth habit of this herb.
Once you have enough to spare, treat yourself to the buds and flowers; these are
delicious raw or added to cooked dishes at the very last minute. They can be harvested
whenever they appear, at any stage.
Don't let the flowers go to seed; it takes energy away from the plant, and spent
flowers aren't particularly attractive. Cut them all off to eat fresh or to dry. Once your
garlic chives are well established you'll always have enough to enjoy the beautiful blos-
soms and for the kitchen as well.
Varieties
Plants in the trade are often confused, or at least their names are, so you may get a dif-
ferent species when you go looking for garlic chives. At least one has lavender flowers
rather than white; this variant is garlic-scented but not strongly so. Another is Allium
victorialis, also known as alpine leek . All that have a garlic flavor are grown and used
in China.
The most desirable, in my opinion, is the fragrant species. It sometimes goes by the
name Chinese chives but is also called fragrant-flowered garlic, and it's frequently con-
fused with garlic chives. Now classified as Allium ramo-sum, it was formerly called A.
odoratum because its flowers are quite fragrant — they smell like roses! Two or three
pots on a windowsill can perfume your kitchen and are as pretty as any flowering house
plant.