Rhi Axtell – Writer

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Today, the slower life is taking the form of meditation* and… surprise chives.

*something which is increasingly difficult during hay fever season – have you tried taking a deep breath in when your nose is blocked? Or tried to be one with the universe when your ears are itching?

Yes. You read that correctly.

We are very lucky to have a small outdoor space as part of our flat. Almost a balcony, but it is surrounded by walls so I don’t think you can really call it that. We’ll call it the almost-balcony.

Over the years, my wife and I have tried, with mixed success, to cultivate a small green space on the almost-balcony, although recently time constraints* have left the space more a gathering of old mud, broken pots, and slugs. Lots of slugs, actually. How do they climb two floors and end up on our almost-balcony? One more mystery in this wild universe.

*and general disinterest from me, I am ashamed to admit.

But there is one plant pot that is THRIVING. I’m not sure what the origin of this pot is*, but over winter it was stored inside another, bigger pot, which filled with water every time it rained. When I finally found the courage to plunge my hands into the dark, murky depths, and pull this smaller pot out of the bigger one, it had a strange green plant sticking out of it and a nice layer of slime all around the rim. Lovely!

*maybe the slugs brought it with them.

Which brings me to today. In the name of slowness, I thought I would step away from screens. I would spend my time gathering together the old pots on the almost-balcony, cleaning up the mess, and preparing for another attempt at the green space.

And there it sat: the slime pot.

I wiped off the slime. It was the least I could do. I looked at the thriving green plant with its sharp, round stalks shooting out of the wet clump of soil which had gathered in the bottom. I noticed that there were some buds on the stalks. Whatever this plant was, it was preparing to flower.

At this point, I would love to say that I took out my great big encyclopaedia of horticulture which I have stashed away for occasions such as this, but no. I took a picture with my phone and poked the screen until it told me what plant I was looking at: Chives.

Allium schoenoprasum, if you want the fancy Latin name, which means ‘rush-like leek’. It’s also known as onion grass or cive.

Chives can be found in Europe, North America, southeast Asia and on my almost balcony in a slightly slimy pot.

If you’re wondering why I am suddenly spouting facts about chives, its because I felt I needed to learn more about this herb. I almost feel guilty for letting it grow without tending to it at all – it’s almost akin to discovering a child I never knew I had (alright, maybe that’s an exaggeration).

Luckily though, the-corner-of-the-almost-balcony-next-to-the-drainpipe seems to have been the perfect spot for this surprise chive. Chives are very hardy and don’t need too much in the way of tending beyond plenty of water (Welsh rain had that covered) and sunlight (um… well, we occasionally get that too). This means that they can be ruthlessly abandoned, and still grow tall and strong and even sprout flowers.

May we all be as strong as the mighty chive!

I might add some fresh chives to my salmon this evening and pretend that I am actually some kind of brilliant gardener and this was my plan all along.

See you next time.