Basil isn't hardy, so in Scotland it's grown on a windowsill or under glass, whichever variety you choose. That makes the choice about size, flavour and how long a plant keeps producing. Sweet Genovese is the classic cooking basil. The RHS also recommends five varieties with its Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one.
Quick answer
Sweet Genovese for pesto and everyday cooking. Pluto for a small windowsill pot. Mrs Burns' Lemon for a lemon flavour. Aroma 2 for the longest picking season under glass. Salvo for a tough, disease-resistant plant. The red-leaved form for colour in a patio pot.
What Scotland means for the choice
The reason is temperature: outdoors, basil needs nights consistently above 10°C, which a Scottish summer doesn't reliably manage, and every variety is equally tender. Our basil growing guide covers sowing, when it's safe to move plants on in your part of Scotland, and care under glass.
Six basils compared
| Variety | Size and habit | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Genovese | Vigorous, large leaves | Pesto and everyday cooking | Sweet, spicy taste and the strongest aroma |
| Pluto | Compact dome, to about 20cm | A small windowsill pot | Small, even, bush-forming plants |
| Mrs Burns' Lemon | Tall and upright | A lemon flavour | Intensely lemon-scented leaves; flowers attract bees |
| Aroma 2 | 50–60cm | A long season under glass, in a good-sized pot | Slow to bolt; resists Fusarium disease; F1 hybridThe first-generation offspring of two specific, deliberately chosen parent plants, bred for a predictable, uniform result but not worth saving seed from. Full definition → |
| Salvo | Neat and upright | A tough, disease-resistant plant | Disease and weather resistance |
| Red-leaved ('Basilico Rosso') | Compact enough for a container | Colour in a patio pot | Deep purple stems and leaves, purple-and-white flowers |
Sweet Genovese for cooking
Genovese is one of the most popular sweet basils for the kitchen and the traditional basil for pesto: a vigorous plant with large leaves and a sweet, spicy taste. If you just want plenty of basil for cooking, it's the safe default. The other five are for particular needs.
Pluto for a small pot
Pluto forms small, even domes about 20cm high, so it fills a windowsill pot without going leggyDescribes a plant that's grown tall, thin and sparse rather than bushy, usually from too little light or not being pinched out. Full definition →. Its leaves are small but strongly flavoured.
Aroma 2 for the longest season
Once basil flowers, leaf production drops and the flavour declines. Aroma 2 is slow to bolt, so it keeps producing for longer before it flowers, which makes the most of a June-to-September picking season. Its shiny leaves are large and sweet, and it resists Fusarium disease. On any variety, pinching outRemoving the soft growing tip of a stem to stop upward growth and make the plant branch out sideways instead. Full definition → flower buds as they appear keeps the leaves coming. Aroma 2 is an F1 hybrid, so seed saved from it won't come true.
Mrs Burns' Lemon, Salvo and the red-leaved form
Mrs Burns' Lemon is the one to grow for a different flavour: its leaves are strongly lemon-scented, good in salads, fish dishes and drinks. Salvo is a neat, upright plant noted for its disease and weather resistance. The red-leaved form, 'Basilico Rosso', has deep purple stems and leaves and suits a patio pot where looks matter as much as the crop. Like other purple-leaved basils, it has a less intense flavour than green basil.
Other varieties worth trying
'Crimson King' is a British-bred purple basil with even, cupped leaves and more vigour than other purple varieties. It's an option if the red-leaved form doesn't suit you.
'Greek' has smaller leaves with a slightly sweeter, anise-clove flavour, and is compact enough for a container. It's another choice alongside Pluto for a small pot.
'Thai Sita' is a Thai basil with attractive purple flower spikes. Thai basil usually has a liquorice flavour and is the kind used in Thai cooking.
'Cinnamon' has dark green leaves with reddish-purple veins and a spicy flavour.
Pests and diseases
Watch for aphids, whitefly and red spider mite, and in a greenhouse also slugs, snails and leafhoppers. The two diseases to expect are grey mould and powdery mildew, and good ventilation is the best defence against both.
Common questions
Can I grow basil outdoors in Scotland?
Only in a warm, sheltered, south-facing spot in a good summer, and even then it's a gamble: basil needs nights consistently above 10°C.
Can I split a supermarket pot of basil?
Yes. A shop pot is usually lots of thin, overcrowded plants, which tend to get fungal diseases or start flowering soon. Divide it into a few clumps and repot them promptly, and they may carry on growing.
Is the red-leaved AGM basil the same as 'Red Rubin'?
No. 'Red Rubin' is a separate purple-leaved variety without the AGM. The award-winning form is sold as red-leaved basil or 'Basilico Rosso'.
Sources
Show the 13 sources
- How to grow Basil: Not hardy in the UK, nights above 10°C, greenhouse or pots in cooler areas, the recommended AGM varieties and 'Thai Sita', Pluto's small strongly flavoured leaves, supermarket pots and dividingPropagating a clump-forming perennial by digging it up and splitting it into several smaller pieces, each with roots and shoots attached. Full definition → them, pests and diseases including leafhoppers
- Ocimum basilicum 'Salvo': Hardiness (H1CThe RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →), size, neat upright habitA plant's characteristic shape and manner of growth, such as upright, spreading, creeping or bushy. Full definition →, disease and weather resistance
- Ocimum basilicum 'Mrs Burns' Lemon': Tall, upright habit, lemon-scented leaves, bee-attracting flowers, hardiness, AGM
- Ocimum basilicum 'Pluto': Compact dome-shaped habit to about 20cm, pests and diseases, hardiness, AGM
- Ocimum basilicum 'Aroma 2': Some resistance to boltingA plant switching early into flowering and seed production, usually triggered by stress, after which leaves, roots or bulbs turn bitter or unusable. Full page → and disease, hardiness, F1 hybrid status
- Ocimum basilicum, red-leaved: 'Basilico Rosso' synonym, deep purple stems, leaves and flowers, hardiness, container use, AGM
- Using award-winning plants in your garden: 10 award-winning herbs: Aroma 2's AGM, 50–60cm height, large sweet leaves, Fusarium resistance, slow to bolt
- Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens 'Red Rubin': Red Rubin as a separate purple basil without the AGM (FAQ)
- How to grow Basil: Pests (slugs, snails, whitefly, red spider mite), grey mould and powdery mildew with the ventilation fix, and the 'Crimson King' and 'Greek' descriptions
- How to grow basil (Garden Organic): Purple-leaved varieties having less intense flavour
- Basil (Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center): Genovese as a vigorous, large-leaved basil with a sweet, spicy taste; Thai basil's liquorice flavour and use in Thai cooking
- Basil, a summer favorite (Penn State Extension): Genovese as one of the most popular sweet basils for cooking and the traditional basil for pesto
- Ocimum basilicum 'Cinnamon': Dark green leaves with reddish-purple veins, spicy flavour, H1C