Garlic needs a spell of cold to split into a bulb of cloves, and a Scottish winter supplies it. The choice that matters most is hardneck or softneck: softnecks store far longer, while hardnecks have fewer, bigger cloves and a stronger flavour.

Quick answer

Cristo, Solent Wight or Germidour for garlic that keeps through winter, with Cristo the one to plant in spring on ground that sits wet. Germidour for the largest, mildest bulbs, and hardneck Lautrec Wight for flavour, especially on a cold, exposed plot.

What Scotland means for the choice

All five varieties here are rated H4The 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 →, hardy to between -10°C and -5°C through most of the UK, but not reliably in inland valleys, at altitude or in central and northerly locations. The RHS ratings don't separate them, but Gardener's World says hardneck garlic is generally hardier and can be grown throughout the UK, while softneck is less tolerant of prolonged cold and suits milder areas, or elsewhere with winter protection. So on a cold, exposed Scottish plot, a hardneck is the safer bet; in a milder garden, a softneck's longer storage wins. The garlic growing guide covers planting times, soil, wet ground and white rot.

A hardneck garlic bulb with a rigid central stem and one ring of large cloves, next to a softneck bulb with no stem and many smaller layered cloves
Hardneck garlic (left), with a stiff central stem and fewer, larger cloves, and softneck (right), with more cloves and no stem.
VarietyTypeBulbs and flavourStorage
CristoSoftneckWhite bulbs, pinkish cloves; strong flavour, light aromaUp to a year
Solent WightSoftneckOvoid bulbs; well adapted to the British climateUp to a year
GermidourSoftneckLarge white bulbs; mild but rich flavourUp to a year
ArnoSoftneckIvory-white skin over pinkish clovesUp to a year
Lautrec WightHardneckPurple-tinged cloves; smooth, strong flavourAbout 4 to 6 months

Cristo, Germidour and Solent Wight hold 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. No hardneck holds it.

Softnecks: Cristo, Solent Wight, Germidour and Arno

Cristo has pure white bulbs with pinkish cloves, a strong flavour but a light aroma, and can be planted in autumn or spring. Solent Wight is a softneck "well adapted to the British climate" that stores well, a good all-rounder. Germidour is a well-known, reliable variety with large bulbs and a milder, rich flavour. Arno, without the AGM, has ivory-white skin and stores well. All four keep much longer than a hardneck, which is what you want for garlic to last through winter.

Hardneck: Lautrec Wight

Lautrec Wight is a French hardneck with purple-tinged cloves and a smooth garlic flavour. Like other hardnecks, it has fewer, larger cloves and stores for about four to six months. It's also more prone 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 → than a softneck: it sends up flower stems (scapes), which should be snapped off as they appear and are good sautéed or roasted. Grow it for flavour, and on a cold plot where a hardneck copes better with a long, hard winter.

Autumn or spring, and buying

Most varieties need one to two months at 0–10°C to form a good bulb, which is why garlic usually goes in from mid-autumn to early winter. The risk in a wet Scottish winter is the ground rather than the cold: wet soil makes garlic more prone to disease, particularly when it's planted in autumn. Some varieties can be planted in late winter or early spring instead, and Cristo is one of them, which makes it the softneck to choose for a plot that sits wet over winter. Spring-planted garlic is ready from mid-summer to early autumn, against late spring to early summer for an autumn planting.

Buy named varieties from a garden centre or mail-order supplier, not garlic from the supermarket, which may not suit the British climate and can bring in disease. Named varieties are sold in autumn and spring, and specialist suppliers have the widest choice. Elephant garlic is often sold alongside it, but it's more closely related to leeks and needs a long, warm growing season, so it's the riskier buy for a Scottish plot.

Which one for your situation

  • Garlic to last into spring: Cristo, Solent Wight or Germidour.
  • Large, milder bulbs: Germidour.
  • A stronger flavour, or a cold, exposed plot: Lautrec Wight.
  • Some of each: a softneck for storing and a short row of Lautrec Wight to eat first.

Variety makes no difference to onion white rot, leek rust or allium leaf miner.

Common questions

Hardneck or softneck garlic for Scotland?

Softneck for storing, since it keeps much longer. Hardneck for flavour, and on a cold, exposed plot, since it's generally the hardier type.

Can I plant garlic from the supermarket?

It isn't recommended. It may not suit the British climate, and planting it risks bringing in disease. Buy named varieties from a garden centre or mail-order supplier, sold in autumn and spring.

Is elephant garlic worth growing in Scotland?

It's a gamble. Elephant garlic is more closely related to leeks, with a few very large, mild cloves, and it needs a long, warm growing season to crop well. Plant it in October if you try it, as early planting makes single-clove bulbs less likely.

Does a cold Scottish winter help garlic?

Yes. Most varieties need one to two months at 0–10°C to form a good bulb. Wet, heavy soil is the bigger risk, since cloves can rot, so on a plot that sits wet over winter, plant Cristo in spring instead.

Sources

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