About the same time that the oxblood lilies bloom, the Chinese chives send up their flower scapes. However, it takes almost two weeks for them to open fully. The garlicky-flavored strappy leaves stay green all year, although in the worst of summer the outer leaves sometimes turn brown and papery. If I water them in late August, I'm rewarded with a huge clump of flowers on stems so long that they arch gracefully, weighed down by the umbels.

The leaves are edible and impart a mild garlic flavor to salads. I have never used them in cooking, but I read that you should add them as a garnish just before you serve the dish as they lose their flavor when cooked.

When lifted, the clumps look similar to a bunch of green onions (except that the leaves are flat). It's easy to pry them apart and stick them back in the ground. Planting them in clumps of at least 25 (the bulbs are small) provides the nicest effect. If you neglect to do this, they will form clumps on their own. They bloom as well for me in dappled shade as in full sun.