Chives - remove flowers or not?

[MooPointCowsOpinion]

MIL says to remove flowers quickly as they appear, if they blossom and seed the plant will die.

A quick google suggests it's fine to leave the flowers.

I want the chives to eat not just to look nice, if that makes a difference.

[catkind]

You can eat the flowers too.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

My plant is 15+ years old and going strong, I've never cut the flowers off it.

[Mouthfulofquiz]

I didn't cut mine off last year and the plant is doing just fine (and also looked gorgeous!)

[MadSprocker]

I have deliberately left mine to flower this year to encourage bees.

[freshprincess]

I leave them, the flowers are lovely. I think we've had them in for years, they come back every year.

[PopGoesTheWeaz]

It won't kill off the plant but the individual chives that flower don't taste good so when you pick a few to eat, just weed out ones that have flowered to discard.

[Oldraver]

Mine is flowering right now (don they look gorgeous) and was a new plant last year and flowered then..

[shovetheholly]

If they're ordinary chives, the flowers are a gorgeous addition to the garden. I have some that are years old, and they've flowered every year. I wonder if she means deadheading them, i.e. cutting off the flowers when they are over? As with other kinds of bulb, plants will divide energy between seed production and bulb production, so cutting off the flowerheads after flowering can ensure that the energy goes back to the bulb. This is the "proper" way of growing them, but honestly I find that they are tough as old boots and if you forget or don't bother, they will still spring up strongly the next year. In that respect, they are tougher than things like daffs, which really do need deadheading in my experience!

[bookbook]

never had a problem with them dying- I don't cut the flowers off

[Cathpot]

I've got some garlic chives I let flower because I really like them, but I was warned they would self seed all over the place so I cut them off before they go to seed. They've been going strong for 3 years.

[ElectroStallion]

Ummmm,its a long time since we grew them, but we always let them flower. They were pretty hardy iirc, didn't die off.