Amore Amaro

Original photo by: WingkLEE, via Wikipedia.

Garlic chives have a relatively mild, garlic-like flavor. They are commonly used as an herb in cooking or as a garnish to meals.

Uses

Garlic chives are not known to be an ingredient in any amaro recipe; they’ve been included here to add depth to the garden design.

Historical context

Alliums — including onions, leeks, scallions, and chives — have long been a part of kitchen gardens. They are also likely to have been included in most medieval gardens, from those found in cloistered monasteries to humble peasant plots.

Cultivation

Garlic chives are thought to be native to the steppes of Siberia, Mongolia, and North China,¹ but have been naturalized to much of the nothern hemipshere (including the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana).² They can be grown from bulbs or from seed. Chives like average soil with good drainage, do well in full sun to partial shade, and have medium water requirements.³

Pests

Garlic chives are somewhat susceptible to root rot, so proper drainage is important.⁴

References

1. FRIESEN Friesen, Nikolai, et. al. “Phylogeny and New Intrageneric Classification of Allium (Alliaceae) Based on Nuclear Ribosomal DNA ITS Sequences.” Aliso 22 (1) (p. 387).
2. USDA Plant Database. “Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng.” Accessed August 11, 2019.
3. Missouri Botanical Garden, “Allium tuberosum.” Accessed August 11, 2019.
4. Ibid.