Scottish growing tool

Tarragon Variety Selector: Which One For Your Garden

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

If: Reliable, low-maintenance outdoor herb bed or Best culinary flavour is the priority → No, I'd rather keep things simple and sow from seed or Best culinary flavour is the priority → Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice or I want to sow tarragon from a seed packet or Not sure, just give me the safest all-round choice

Russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)

The reliable outdoor pick for most Scottish gardens: both types are rated H4 for cold alone, but Russian tarragon copes far better than French with the wet-and-cold combination winter actually brings, and it is the only type that grows readily, or at all, from seed. Its flavour is noticeably grassier and more bitter than French tarragon, a reasonable, practical substitute in slow-cooked dishes, marinades, or anything with other strong, competing flavours.

If: Best culinary flavour is the priority → Yes, I can buy a plant and give it that extra care

French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa)

The culinary standard: a distinctive peppery, aniseed-liquorice flavour that matters a great deal in dishes like bearnaise sauce where tarragon is the defining flavour. It cannot be grown from seed at all, so buy a plant and check the label specifically states Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa. It needs a sheltered, well-drained spot or a container, and moving undercover over winter, since it copes with cold alone but not the wet-and-cold combination a Scottish winter brings.

Answer these as a quick wizard instead →
Tarragon growing guide →Full Tarragon varieties comparison →

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