Scottish growing tool

Asparagus Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

Every recommendation below traces back to our full Asparagus varieties comparison — this page is the fast route to one answer for your specific situation, no clicking through required.

If: I want white asparagus, not green

Vittorio

The only variety here earthed up during growth to produce blanched white spears rather than green ones, a real and distinct choice for a grower who wants that specific product. Its own record is a bare taxonomy listing with no hardiness rating, no disease data, and no AGM, named here for the white spear trait alone since no performance data exists to back up anything more.

If: My site is exposed or upland with harsh winters → Disease resistance, even without an AGM award

Mondeo

All-male and H5 hardy, and highly resistant to disease, a trait none of Gijnlim, Backlim, or Connover's Colossal carry. It has no AGM, crops in late spring, and does best on a south-facing, sheltered aspect.

If: My site is exposed or upland with harsh winters → The strongest hardiness rating available, even if its sex is disputed between sources

Pacific 2000

Rated H5, hardy through severe UK winters, a step up from Gijnlim. It's a vigorous, all-male, herbaceous perennial with superior flavour and a stringless texture, though guidance is inconsistent on the male/female point: the general grow-your-own page says it can produce plants of either sex. It carries no AGM, but the H5 hardiness makes it worth a second look on an exposed site.

If: My site is exposed or upland with harsh winters → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

GijnlimAGM

The strongest all-round pick for a Scottish garden: it combines the all-male productivity advantage with the earliest cropping window of any variety here, and it carries an AGM. Its H4 hardiness rating covers most of the country, though not the most exposed sites.

If: I don't mind extra weeding for a really big heritage crop

Connover's ColossalAGM

The heritage choice: an exceptionally large crop and an AGM, but it sets seed, which means watching for and pulling up volunteer seedlings from female plants each year, a maintenance job the all-male varieties don't create.

Answer these as a quick wizard instead →

Asparagus growing guide →Full Asparagus varieties comparison →