Allium schoenoprasum.

One of the most generous and reliable vegetable garden herbs you can install in the Québec garden. A hardy perennial of astonishing robustness (zone 3, even 2), it returns faithfully each spring among the very first green shoots, and keeps producing its fine hollow stems until the hard frosts of November. It's also one of the rare vegetable garden plants in the world whose natural geographic range stretches from the polar circles to the temperate zones — found wild in Eurasia, in North America, in the alpine foothills, in the prairies of Mongolia, in Siberia. Cultivated in China for more than 5,000 years, used by the Romans, integrated into the French culinary canon as one of the four classic fines herbes (with parsley, chervil and tarragon), it has accompanied humanity for as far back as written memory reaches.

A small perennial 20 to 30 cm tall, forming a dense clump of long, fine, cylindrical hollow stems like tiny blades of grass, of a bright tender green. Mild, fresh onion flavour, more delicate than that of other alliums, which wafts up as soon as you brush the clump in passing. Indispensable snipped at the end of cooking onto scrambled eggs, omelettes, cold or hot soups, potato salad, fresh cheese for spreading, and of course the inevitable sour cream and chives on the baked potato.

Unexpected bonus in June: the plant produces mauve pompom flowers of discreet beauty, entirely edible — separate into little florets to sprinkle on a salad like violet stars, or infuse in white vinegar to obtain a pink, delicately scented vinegar that makes superb vinaigrettes.

Grower's tip: Easy germination (10 to 14 days), to be started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting, or direct-sown as soon as the soil can be worked. A trick that comes with experience: sow several seeds together in the same starter cell — 6 to 10 seeds per pot — chives naturally grow in clumps, and a grouped transplant gives a visible presence in the garden from the very first year, where a single sprig lost in a cell looks pathetic. To keep the clump vigorous, divide it every 3 to 4 years in spring — each separated piece makes a new plant. A well-established clump produces for 10 to 15 years. Cut the spent flower stalks if you don't want self-seeding (otherwise, you'll find chives all over the garden the next year).

• Open-pollinated. Hardy perennial (zone 3, sometimes 2 with a little protective snow cover). Bee-pollinated; rarely crosses with other home-garden alliums.
• Height: 20 to 30 cm.
• Maturity: harvest possible from 8 to 10 weeks after sowing. Perennial 10 to 15 years.
• Exposure: full sun to part shade.
• Rich, fresh, well-drained soil. Tolerates drought well once established. Space clumps 20 to 30 cm apart.
• Indoor start 8 to 10 weeks before planting out, or direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked (April in Québec). Sow 6 to 10 seeds per cell for fuller clumps from the first year.