Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Asparagus officinalis 'Pacific Purple'

A high yielding, colourful variety producing stringless, dark-green purple spears between April and June. The spears are more tender and sweeter than many other green varieties. Steam or eat raw as colour can be lost when cooked

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
7 suppliers

Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

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: Asparagaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Suckering
Potentially harmful: The young shoots (spears) are edible when cooked. Wear gloves for picking spears as they may a cause skin allergy. Fruits are harmful if eaten
Genus: Asparagus can be evergreen or deciduous perennials or subshrubs, sometimes climbing, with tuberous rootstock. Stems bear both inconspicuous scale-like leaves and larger, leaf-like phylloclades, with small white or pinkish flowers followed by red berries
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, well drained soil in full sun. Plant one year old crowns or sow seed direct between March and April. Do not harvest in first year, half-harvest in second year and take a full harvest in the third year. See vegetable cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by crowns. Although propagation by seed is possible, it is not advisable as seedlings take longer, and may not be male cultivars which produce better plants

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildlife gardens

Pruning

Cut a few spears, if any at all, in the first two years to allow the plant to build up strength. Cut the foliage when yellowed to 2.5cm above the soil

Pests

May be susceptible to asparagus beetle and slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to foot and root rot

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.