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Herbs - Culinary

Lactuca sativa 'Lollo Rossa'

lettuce (leafy) 'Lollo Rossa'

An attractive red lettuce, a leafy biennial usually grown as an annual. It produces a lose head of dark red crinkled frilly leaves, from spring to autumn according to sowing date. The outer leaves can be harvested as a cut-and-come-again lettuce keeping the heart intact to produce more, or it can be left to mature and harvested as a whole lettuce, great for adding colour to your salad bowl

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1 year

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral, Alkaline, Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Lactuca can be annuals, biennials, perennials or shrubs, with alternate leaves, milky white sap and daisy-like flowers in white, yellow or blue. The genus includes a wide range of wild plants, as well as species cultivated for their edible leaves (lettuce)
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in full sun on moisture-retentive soil. Use cloches or biodegradable horticultural fleece to protect early and late crops. See Lettuce (Grow your own)

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Patio and container plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to lettuce root aphid, slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds and lettuce downy mildew

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