Now that the rain has begun to fall and temperatures have fallen; many plants that usually bloom earlier are beginning to flower now. Today Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum are displaying their starry white flowers. I like to use the leaves on potato salad in place of ordinary chives. I would probably grow them just for their pretty flowers, brightening up an angle of the garden.
Allium tuberosum
Allium tuberosum, like little stars
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
These alliums are also doing well in my garden right now. To propagate them should I divide them – in autumn or spring?
I tend to divide and replant everything in the autumn here. If you have clay soil (as I imagine you do in Umbria) I think you could also do it in spring. The RHS say Divide clumps in early spring or remove offsets in autumn. Christina
OK I will have a go soon – the MGS have their Plant Sale in a couple of weeks so I might take some there. Thanks, Yvonne
Good luck, let me know details of the MGS, are you meeting locally? I really should join. Christina
Yes – sort of local – at Tuoro sul Trasimeno, on 13th October. Otherwise we are going to Rome on 8th November and we are just back from a brill visit to Naples & Ischia. We have a new Italy Branch Head who is really inspired. http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/branches-it.html
The 2013 programme is looking good too.
Yvonne
Thanks for the info. I’ll get myself organised. Christina
I saw these in a garden in DC recently and loved them so much I went out and bought a few seed packets. I’ve scattered one packet in with my daylilies. I hope they grow! I have pink chives in my garden that self seed easily so I have high hopes. Yours look great!
That’s a nice idea, I might try that combination myself. Christina
I am amazed at how resilient garlic chives are…they grow in the ever changing fall weather as do their cousins the regular chives during spring.
Such a useful plant, ours are still flowering, haven’t stopped for months now. We use such a lot in cooking, wouldn’t be without it.
Garlic chives and their flowers are nice and bloom in fall! I’ve never eaten these leaves in salad, but I think they are spicier than chives. Aren’t they?
Hi Nadezda, they taste mildly of garlic, so very nice in salads, and especially good with potato salad or new potatoes. Christina
You can also eat the flowers. Little white stars floating on a bowl of soup, look lovely and add a little garlic bite.
That’s a great idea; thanks Diana.
I love this allium! It really brightens up the fall garden. Mine as finished flowering already, and getting ready to spray their seeds about.
Nice to see that you are able to be out enjoying the garden again.
~Julie
Yes, Julie, I’m really enjoying being able to garden again, Christina
The flowering of the Garlic Chives is something I look forward to every Autumn.
I love garlic chives, I must get some sown ready for planting out next year, I left mine at the allotment.
I love garlic chives. The flowers are very nice in cottage cheese. My have gone over now but light levels are getting noticeably lower and nights colder. No frost yet but the plot is slipping into its winter slumber.
The light levels are changing fast here too. It is dark at 7pm! I hate the dark nights. I must try to get up with the sun, but the mornings are coldish. Christina