# Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/chives · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/chives)

Chives · ثوم معمر  
herb · exotic · family Amaryllidaceae · grows 0.2–0.3 m tall, 0.15–0.3 m wide · moderate growth  
sun to part shade · moderate water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 2 · salt 1 · drought 2 · shade 3 · ease of care 4  
Sow or plant: Oct–Mar  
Uses: edible, container

## Also known as

- **Arabic (العربية):** ثوم معمر
- **Tamil (தமிழ்):** இனப்பூண்டு (Inappundu), வெங்காயப் பூண்டு (Vengaya poondu)
- **Persian (فارسی):** پیاز کوهی (Piaz-e kuhi), میلو (Milu)

> **Advisory (caution):** A normal food for people, but the ASPCA lists chives as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Keep pots and trimmings out of pets' reach.

A clump-forming perennial for pots: plant from October (Dubai guides give October to March), cut leaves often and divide the clump every two to three years. Give it afternoon shade in summer.

## About

Meet chives, the herb that grows like a tuft of green hair and tastes like a mild onion. Snip it with kitchen scissors over eggs, potatoes, salads and dips, and the cut tips grow back.

Its character is steady. It does not bolt in a week or sulk if a day's watering is missed: it is a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial (Illinois Extension) that carries on year after year and slowly thickens into a larger clump.

What it brings, beyond leaf, is round pale-purple flower heads that are edible and attract bees (Wikipedia), and the pleasure of a plant you can divide and hand to a neighbour.

Chives are a perennial: plant them once and they keep growing season after season, as The National's herb guide puts it, and when the clump outgrows its space you divide it and repot. BBC Good Food Middle East lists chives for planting from October to March, in the same bracket as basil, parsley, coriander and mint.

Chives are a bulb-forming perennial about 25 cm tall with hollow, tubular leaves (Wikipedia). They prefer full sun and soil high in organic matter, and Illinois Extension calls them hardy and drought-tolerant; a desert nursery guide says they thrive in full to part sun. Cut the leaves about 2.5 cm above the soil: regular cutting keeps the leaf tender and encourages new growth, and frequently cut plants benefit from supplemental fertiliser (Illinois Extension).

Divide the clump every two to three years, with four to six bulbs in each piece (Illinois Extension recommends early spring; in Dubai, plan it for the cool months rather than summer). Dubai planting guides place chives in the cool season, and a desert nursery guide advises afternoon shade for many herbs through the hottest months, so keep a summer pot in shade and watered. Chives can self-sow if the flowers are left to fade, so cut them off first if you do not want seedlings. Try [parsley](https://plantguide.ae/plants/parsley.md) and [coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) in the next pot.

## Through the year

Chives are a plant to set up once. Clumps go in from October, with BBC Good Food Middle East and a Dubai garden designer both giving October to March, and leaf can be cut from about November to May, an inch or so above the soil. In June to September, Dubai guides place chives outside their cool-season list and a desert nursery guide advises afternoon shade for herbs in the hottest months, so a pot belongs in shade and needs watering as it dries. When the clump gets crowded, after two to three years, divide it in the cool months and replant the pieces.

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oct–Mar | Plant: Plant nursery clumps | BBC Good Food Middle East lists chives for planting October to March. A Dubai garden designer quoted in The National gives October to March for planting generally. |
| Nov–May | Harvest: Cut leaves near the base | Cut about 2.5 cm above the soil; regular cutting keeps the leaf tender and encourages new growth (Illinois Extension). |
| Jun–Sep | Heat stress: Afternoon shade through summer | Dubai guides place chives in the cool season. A desert nursery guide advises afternoon shade for many herbs in the hottest summer months. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Keep the pot in afternoon shade and watered. Chives are drought-tolerant in the ground (Illinois Extension), but pots dry out far faster than beds in Dubai.
- **Watering in winter:** Check pots daily and water when the top 2 to 3 cm is dry; keep the soil evenly moist (Illinois Extension).
- **While establishing:** Keep the soil moist while a new clump settles in.
- **Soil:** Well-drained soil rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6 to 7 (Wikipedia; Illinois Extension).
- **Feeding:** Frequently cut plants benefit from supplemental fertiliser (Illinois Extension).
- **Pruning:** Cut leaves near the base, about 2.5 cm above the soil. A clump that looks old can be cut back to about 2 to 5 cm (Wikipedia). Remove flowers before they fade if you do not want seedlings.
- **Planting:** Plant a nursery clump from October. Divide clumps every two to three years, with four to six bulbs per piece (Illinois Extension).
- **Toxicity:** Toxic to dogs, cats and horses, according to the ASPCA: N-propyl disulfide can cause vomiting and breakdown of red blood cells (haemolytic anaemia, Heinz body anaemia), blood in urine, weakness, a fast heart rate and panting. Keep chives, like garlic, away from pets.

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- A perennial: one planting gives leaf for years
- Leaves cut near the base regrow through the season (Illinois Extension)
- Listed for planting October to March by BBC Good Food Middle East
- Edible flowers as well as leaf (Wikipedia)
- Easy to share: divide the clump every two to three years

**Cons**
- Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA)
- Can self-sow and spread if the flowers are left to seed (Illinois Extension)
- Clumps crowd after two to three years and need dividing

## Common mistakes

- Cutting too close or too rarely. Cut about 2.5 cm above the soil and cut regularly, which keeps leaf tender and encourages new growth (Illinois Extension).
- Never dividing the clump. Illinois Extension recommends dividing every two to three years to keep plants vigorous and uncrowded.
- Leaving flowers to set seed. Chives can self-sow and take over unless flowers are removed before they fade.
- Dividing in summer. Plan division for the cool months, when the plant is not under heat stress.
- Confusing chives with garlic chives. Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) have flat, strap-like leaves; chives have hollow, tubular ones (Wikipedia).

## Good to know

- BBC Good Food Middle East lists chives, with basil, parsley, coriander and mint, for planting from October to March.
- Chives are one of the fines herbes of French cuisine, with tarragon, chervil and parsley (Wikipedia).
- Chives are hollow-leaved; garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are a different plant with flat leaves (Wikipedia).
- The ASPCA lists chives as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and lists garlic as toxic for the same reason, N-propyl disulfide.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Kitchen container herb, Bed-edge herb, Balcony pot, Cool-season kitchen crop

Give chives a pot by the kitchen door, where you can reach it with scissors, or a clump at the front of a raised bed. Morning sun with afternoon shade suits it through the hot months, and full sun is fine in winter. A wide pot gives the clump room to thicken before it needs dividing.

- [Parsley](https://plantguide.ae/plants/parsley.md): Chives and parsley are two of the four fines herbes of French cuisine (Wikipedia), and both are listed for October to March planting by BBC Good Food Middle East.
- [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md): Another cool-season herb with an October start in the Ministry calendar; coriander is sown little and often while chives stay in the pot all year.
- [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md): A salad crop for the same cool season, and chives are the natural snip for the salad bowl, so they suit the same bed or neighbouring pots.

## FAQ

**When should I plant chives in Dubai?**  
From October to March. BBC Good Food Middle East lists chives for October to March, and a Dubai garden designer quoted in The National gives the same window for planting generally. October gives the longest cool season.

**Will chives survive a Dubai summer?**  
They are hardy, drought-tolerant perennials (Illinois Extension), but Dubai planting guides place them in the cool season and a desert nursery guide advises afternoon shade for many herbs in the hottest months. Keep a summer pot in shade and watered.

**How do I divide chives?**  
Lift the clump and split it into pieces with four to six bulbs each, every two to three years (Illinois Extension), and replant. In Dubai, do it in the cool months.

**Are chives and garlic chives the same?**  
No. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) have hollow, tubular leaves; garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) have flat, strap-like leaves (Wikipedia).

**Are chives safe for pets?**  
No. The ASPCA lists chives as toxic to dogs, cats and horses; they can cause vomiting and damage to red blood cells. Keep pots out of reach.

**What are chives called in Arabic and Tamil?**  
Thawm mu'ammar (ثوم معمر) in Arabic, and inappundu (இனப்பூண்டு) or vengaya poondu (வெங்காயப் பூண்டு) in Tamil.

## Related plants

[Parsley](https://plantguide.ae/plants/parsley.md) · [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) · [Onion](https://plantguide.ae/plants/onion.md) · [Garlic](https://plantguide.ae/plants/garlic.md)

## Photos

![A clump of chives (Allium schoenoprasum) in flower, with round pink-purple heads above grassy leaves](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Allium_schoenoprasum_-_pa%C5%BEitka_%28%C5%A1nytl%C3%ADk%29.jpg)  
Photo: Pohled 111 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_schoenoprasum_-_pa%C5%BEitka_(%C5%A1nytl%C3%ADk).jpg))

![A chive clump with fresh green leaves and swelling flower buds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Allium_schoenoprasum_2023-04-21_3148.jpg)  
Photo: Salicyna / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_schoenoprasum_2023-04-21_3148.jpg))

![Chives in full bloom in a mixed bed](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Allium_schoenoprasum_2021-06-05_8144.jpg)  
Photo: Salicyna / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_schoenoprasum_2021-06-05_8144.jpg))

![Close-up of chive leaves with one flower head open and many buds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Allium_schoenoprasum_in_Botanical_Garden_of_Besan%C3%A7on001.JPG)  
Photo: Krzysztof Golik / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_schoenoprasum_in_Botanical_Garden_of_Besan%C3%A7on001.JPG))

## Sources

- [BBC Good Food Middle East: A guide to growing fruits and vegetables in the UAE (herb planting months)](https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/how-to/a-guide-to-growing-fruits-and-vegetables-in-the-uae/)
- [The National: Growing your own herbs in the UAE, a guide](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/growing-your-own-herbs-in-the-uae-a-guide-1.274580)
- [The National: UAE gardening guide, what to plant and when (May 2024)](https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/home-garden/2024/05/05/gardening-uae-summer-plants/)
- [Illinois Extension: Chives](https://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/chives)
- [Star Nursery: StarNote 215, Growing Herbs in the Desert (July 2024)](https://www.starnursery.com/StarNotes/SN215_Grow-Herbs-Desert.pdf)
- [ASPCA: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, Chives](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/chives)
- [ASPCA: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, Garlic](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/garlic)
- [Wikipedia: Chives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chives)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: ثوم معمر](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AB%D9%88%D9%85_%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1)
- [Tamil Wikipedia: இனப்பூண்டு](https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%A9%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%A3%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81)
- [Persian Wikipedia: پیاز کوهی](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B2_%DA%A9%D9%88%D9%87%DB%8C)