Way back in the olden days I recall walking of an evening out onto the
golf course with my grandfather and we would find in that area golfers
called 'the rough' eg not the short grass of the fairway and not in the
hedge either little spears of asparagus which we would cut and bring
home for tea. Now I am lucky enough to have a little bit of rough grass
out behind my house and I thought I might plant some asparagus along the
edge of the sth facing stone wall, not as a clultivated bed so much but
just as it might grow wild in the grass.

Is there such a thing as wild asparagus? Will a few crowns of gardeners
asparagus seed and spread? Could I grow from seed and disperse the
seedlings more? I am not in any particular hurry. What variety?

Tim W

In article , TimW wrote:

Is there such a thing as wild asparagus? Will a few crowns of gardeners
asparagus seed and spread? Could I grow from seed and disperse the
seedlings more? I am not in any particular hurry. What variety?

Yes. Back before global warming caused our weather to become wetter,
it had naturalised itself in my garden, and I hunted it from the
flower beds. It was also a fairly common weed in the vegetable patch.
Any variety will naturalise, but you must have plants of both sexes.
It likes very good drainage, so a very sandy or gravelly soil is best.
It is quite decorative, too, and grows to c. 4' with thin, feathery
leaves.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 20/02/2021 13:00, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , TimW wrote:

Is there such a thing as wild asparagus? Will a few crowns of gardeners
asparagus seed and spread? Could I grow from seed and disperse the
seedlings more? I am not in any particular hurry. What variety?

Yes. Back before global warming caused our weather to become wetter,
it had naturalised itself in my garden, and I hunted it from the
flower beds. It was also a fairly common weed in the vegetable patch.
Any variety will naturalise, but you must have plants of both sexes.
It likes very good drainage, so a very sandy or gravelly soil is best.
It is quite decorative, too, and grows to c. 4' with thin, feathery
leaves.

It doesn't naturalise in my heavy clay! It can sometimes be kept going
in raised beds for a few years but eventually succumbs to a wet winter.
I doubt I will have any surviving crowns after this cold wet winter. It
is lovely and feathery when you allow it to grow on to feed the crown.

Berries on the females are quite attractive too.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 20 Feb 2021 12:00, TimW wrote:
Way back in the olden days I recall walking of an evening out onto the
golf course with my grandfather and we would find in that area golfers
called 'the rough' eg not the short grass of the fairway and not in the
hedge either little spears of asparagus which we would cut and bring
home for tea. Now I am lucky enough to have a little bit of rough grass
out behind my house and I thought I might plant some asparagus along the
edge of the sth facing stone wall, not as a clultivated bed so much but
just as it might grow wild in the grass.

Is there such a thing as wild asparagus? Will a few crowns of gardeners
asparagus seed and spread? Could I grow from seed and disperse the
seedlings more? I am not in any particular hurry. What variety?


Although we are on heavy clay/silt we have it seeding on our allotment
from next doors bed, gradually moving it to where it can stay.

--
Regards.
Bob Hobden

On Sat, 20 Feb 2021 18:37:06 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

On 20 Feb 2021 12:00, TimW wrote:
I might plant some asparagus along the
edge of the sth facing stone wall, not as a clultivated bed so much but
just as it might grow wild in the grass.

Would you be better putting in two or three crowns of standard
Asparugus, adding plenty of grit under the crowns to aid drainage, and
then just let them get on with it, in time they will self seed

In article ,
Derek wrote:
On Sat, 20 Feb 2021 18:37:06 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

On 20 Feb 2021 12:00, TimW wrote:
I might plant some asparagus along the
edge of the sth facing stone wall, not as a clultivated bed so much but
just as it might grow wild in the grass.

Would you be better putting in two or three crowns of standard
Asparugus, adding plenty of grit under the crowns to aid drainage, and
then just let them get on with it, in time they will self seed

as I said, you need plants of both sexes, and many commercial crowns
are male-only.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sun, 21 Feb 2021 10:56:58 Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article ,
Derek wrote:
On Sat, 20 Feb 2021 18:37:06 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

On 20 Feb 2021 12:00, TimW wrote:
I might plant some asparagus along the
edge of the sth facing stone wall, not as a clultivated bed so much but
just as it might grow wild in the grass.

Would you be better putting in two or three crowns of standard
Asparugus, adding plenty of grit under the crowns to aid drainage, and
then just let them get on with it, in time they will self seed

as I said, you need plants of both sexes, and many commercial crowns
are male-only.

That's true! I don't think I've ever had a female plant among those that
I've bought over the years!

I'm wondering just how my asparagus in France is faring. I haven't seen
it for over a year and it doesn't look as though I can get over there
this year in the short term! :-(

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK