Dill grown for leaves has two ways to disappoint: it runs to flower before you've had much to pick, or it grows tall and blows over. Named varieties help with both, and the right one depends on whether you want leaves or seed.

Quick answer

Domino for leaves: compact and slow to bolt. Dukat for plenty of leaf, Mammoth for seed, and Bouquet for a pot or window box.

What Scotland means for the choice

Scotland's weather is wetter and windier than the English lowlands, so a compact variety that copes with an exposed site stands up better than a tall one. 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 → is set off by hot, dry conditions, so watering in dry spells and picking often delay flowering whichever variety you grow. Dill is sown fresh each year, so hardiness matters little beyond an early sowing meeting a cold spell. The dill growing guide covers sowing, succession sowing and harvesting.

A compact bushy dill plant next to a much taller dill plant in flower
Compact Domino, and tall Mammoth in flower.
VarietyHeight / spreadGrown forStands out for
Domino0.5–1m / 0.1–0.5mLeavesCompact, slow to bolt; exposed or sheltered sites; May to September
Dukat0.5–1m / 0.1–0.5mLeavesVigorous, lots of well-flavoured leaves
Mammoth1–1.5m / 0.5–1mSeedLarge plants that flower freely
Bouquet0.1–0.5m / 0.1–0.5mLeaves and seedCompact, good leaf and seed yield; containers
DianaNo figure givenLeavesCompact; suits containers
TetraNo figure givenLeavesBushy and slow to bolt

Domino is the only one with the RHS 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.

Domino

Domino is a bushy, compact variety with abundant, aromatic, deep blue-green leaves, and it's slow to bolt. It copes with exposed or sheltered sites in full sun, grows in the ground or a container, and gives leaves from May to September. For most gardens it's the one to start with.

Dukat and Mammoth

Dukat is vigorous, with lots of well-flavoured leaves on an upright, bushy plant, and it's slow to bolt: the pick for volume of leaf. Mammoth forms large plants, up to 1–1.5m (Gardener's World gives about 90cm), and flowers freely, which suits seed production rather than weeks of leaf picking. At that height it's the most likely to need a cane on an exposed site, and left to seed it will sow itself around.

Bouquet, Diana and Tetra

Bouquet is the smallest, a dwarf form under 0.5m with a good yield of both leaf and seed, suited to containers and window boxes. Diana is another compact variety that suits containers, and Tetra is bushy and slow to bolt. Beyond that there's little detail on either. Two more you may see in catalogues: Fernleaf, a dwarf about 45cm tall that's very good in pots, and Herkules, a tall variety to 1.2m with plenty of leaf.

Which one for your situation

  • Leaves, in a bed or an exposed spot: Domino.
  • As much leaf as possible: Dukat.
  • Seed: Mammoth.
  • A pot or window box, for leaf and seed: Bouquet.

Variety makes no difference to pests: watch young plants for aphids and slugs and snails, especially on damp ground.

Common questions

Which dill is slowest to bolt?

Domino, Dukat and Tetra are all described as slow to bolt. Whichever you grow, water in dry spells and pick often, since hot, dry weather is what sets it off.

Can I grow dill in a window box?

Yes. Bouquet, under 0.5m tall and wide, suits containers and window boxes, and Domino and Diana are compact enough for pots.

Why is Mammoth grown for seed rather than leaves?

It flowers freely, which is what you want for seed. If you want leaves over a longer period, grow Domino or Dukat instead.

Sources

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