(Chives, Cultivated Chives, Garden Chives)

Most know only know chives as a chopped herb sprinkled on salads or added to cream cheese for mild onion flavor and green color, but chives are much more than that. This lovely bulbous perennial produces a bottle brush of fine, cylindrical foliage in spring and becomes topped with beautiful lavender-pink, sometimes white, clover-like flowerheads in late spring or early summer. It is a far-flung and diverse onion that’s native across much of the northern hemisphere, so it has been historically used...

(Chives)

Most know only know chives as a chopped herb sprinkled on salads or added to cream cheese for mild onion flavor and green color, but chives are much more than that. This lovely bulbous perennial produces a bottle brush of fine, cylindrical foliage in spring and becomes topped with beautiful lavender-pink, sometimes white, clover-like flowerheads in late spring or early summer. It is a far-flung and diverse onion that’s native across much of the northern hemisphere, so it has been historically used...

(Chives)

Chives are a bulbous perennial grown primarily for their edible, pungent, dark-green foliage. As a bonus, pale purple clover-like edible flower heads bloom from spring to summer. Profusion chives bear an abundance of sterile flowers which last longer than those of other forms.

Plant the bulbs in fertile, well drained soil at a depth two to three times their width. Once established, chives tolerate some drought. Lift and divide the clumps only when they become crowded. The leaves can be chopped...

(Chinese Chives)

There are lots of reasons to love and hate garlic chives, also called Chinese chives. On the upside, they’re easy to grow, attractive and delicious to eat. The downside is they're impossibly invasive if one doesn't remove their flower heads before they set and drop seed. Each seedhead produces copious amounts of viable, black, wedge-shaped seeds that germinate fast. You’ll be weeding baby garlic chives out of every garden nook and cranny. The plants originate from Southwest China but have become...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear)

Alocasia is a genus of about 70 huge-leaved species of tropical plants native to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. They are usually perennial evergreens and have large rhizomes (underground lateral stems) or bulbs. The leaves are roughly oval with lobes at the base. Some are arrow-shaped and all have the petiole (leaf stem) attached inside the leaf edge. Large, prominent, variously colored veins often decorate the leaves. The leaves top long, variously-hued petioles which grow directly...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear)

Beautiful dark leaves are the shining glory of Alocasia ‘Black Velvet.’ This smaller tropical elephant ear is adapted to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. Some list this selection as a cultivar of Alocasia reginula but the parentage of this Borneo discovery is still unclear.

Evergreen in the tropics, 'Black Velvet' is a dwarf Alocasia, which grows via rhizomes (underground lateral stems) that branch to form large clumps. The leaves are roundly heart-shaped, dark greenish...

(Alocasia, Blue Lady Taro, Elephant Ear)

Alocasia is a genus of about 70 huge-leaved species of tropical plants native to the warm, moist areas of southern Asia. They are usually perennial evergreens and have large rhizomes (underground lateral stems) or bulbs. The leaves are roughly oval with lobes at the base. Some are arrow-shaped and all have the petiole (leaf stem) attached inside the leaf edge. Large, prominent, variously colored veins often decorate the leaves. The leaves top long, variously-hued petioles which grow directly...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear, Green Shield Taro)

Grown for its beautiful, bright green, heart-shaped leaves with dark venation, 'Green Shield' is a vigorous elephant ear ideal for large garden spaces. First introduced in the Philippines, its thick leaves are quite leathery and can stand up to heavy rains better than many Alocasia with thinner leaves. This cultivar is likely the species, Alocasia clypeolata.

When weather is favorable, 'Green Shield' will flower sporadically throughout the year. Its Anthurium-like flowers...

(Alocasia, Elephant Ear, Hilo Beauty Taro)

The mottled leaves of this stunning Alocasia are unlike any other. Each huge, heart-shaped leaf is rich green with beautiful, irregular, greenish yellow blotches and gentle wavy edges. During the growing season, 'Hilo Beauty' produces spathe and spadex flowers, but these are not particularly showy and overshadowed by glowing foliage of this tropical gem. The parentage of this cultivar is unknown.

Ornamental taro is best grown in partial sun to partial shade with protection from scorching...

(Elephant Ear, Portodora Elephant Ear)

The eye-catching, upward facing leaves of 'Portodora' are rich green, spade-shaped and have wavy edges. This hybrid seedling resulting from the cross between Alocasia odora and Alocasia portei makes a superb architectural component to the shade border. During the growing season, spathe flowers appear but are generally overshadowed by this hybrid's majestic and imposing foliage. Stems are thick, fleshy and seemingly muscular as they hold the massive wavy-edged leaves.

The Portodora...