Mine are very well behaved. They stay small for me. Keep the flowers pinched off and they won't go to seed.

They should stay well behaved. They will need to be divided every couple years or so, but they don't generally spread if you pick the flowers off--they are great in salads, make vinegar, etc...before they seed out. My in ground chives flower once or twice a year, usually in early summer, then again in fall if you clipped the flowers.

Now, if you bought at HD, you've got onion chives. Flat stemmed garlic chives are a different story and here they spread and need to be divided out yearly to keep in check.

Chives are very well behaved here even without dead-heading them before they drop seed. Yes, there is some spread and some self-sowing but that happens with most perennial plants. They are a wonderful addition to your gardens.

FataMorgana