Chives
Amaryllidaceae, Allium schoenoprasum var.sibiricum
Crop wild relative
Julie chose to paint the perennial common chive, Allium schoenoprasum var. sibiricum, because it grows well in partially sunny gardens in southern Alberta with very little attention or water. Common chives are cold-hardy, often surviving to -30°C (-22°F) and grow in clumps with as many as ten or more stalks. While their mild onion-like taste makes them a useful seasoning in cooking, common chives also have beautiful pale pink-to-purple flowers in a dense, globe-shaped inflorescence that flowers from late May to June.
These blossoms are formed by groups of 10-30 individual star-shaped flowers, each with six petals in bell formations that emerge from a purplish papery bract. Each bloom sits on top of a scape—a tall, thin, tubular stem approximately 25-30 cm (10-12 in) in length. The green scapes are harvested for their culinary use and are often chopped into small pieces as a substitute for their relative, the green onion, in salads or as a garnish for baked potatoes, soup or omelettes.
The common chive is a native species in Canada and temperate North America and also grows as well in Europe and Asia. It is rich in calcium, iron, phosphorous, sulphur, and also contains high levels of vitamins A, B, C and K. The sulphur content of common chives helps to repel herbivorous insects and its flowers attract pollinators, like bees, which then pollinate other garden plants an added benefit. When stems are cut back to an inch from the ground for culinary use throughout the spring and summer, new shoots regrow providing an abundance of beautiful green, hollow stems.
About the artist
Born 1956 and raised in Dundas, Ontario Julie has lived across Canada as well as, Belgium and Zaire (D.R. Congo) for a short time. She has been living in Lethbridge, Alberta since 1998. Julie started drawing and painting in watercolour in 2008 under Bob McNabb and Larry Weaver. In 2015 she started using watermixable oils and later began learning from Carol L. Douglas continued her studies with Ian Roberts in his Mastering Composition course. At Dundas Valley School of Arts (DVSA) Julie took a botanical art course with Margaret Best in 2018 where she met fellow art student Heather Wadsworth whose collaboration is highly valued. Julie has been a member of the First Baptist Lethbridge Art Group since 2008, which has been inspirational in the development of her own creative expression, especially in landscapes and botanical artworks. Julie is also a current member of American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) and Lethbridge Artisis Club (LAC).
Location: Lethbridge, AB
