I have a bunch of two-year-old asparagus crowns raised from seed in 4" pots on benches, and a few on 'a'a lava ground, in Keauhou Mauka, Kailua-Kona, Big Island. This is the Atlas F1 variety that's been tested as most productive in the Islands. These are mixed male and female plants that will produce seed; offspring will not remain true. If you want to cull female plants, order 200-210 percent of the number you plan to end up with (a good idea to avoid an ongoing, seriously colonizing asparagus weed forest around your patch and farther afield spread by birds). Grow these in 6" pots and watch for berries to ID females for culling while building & seasoning your permanent bed. Plan on no harvest during the first year after transplanting to your permanent bed. My plants are doing well in a well-drained, 2.5' deep, high organic matter, triple super phosphate supplemented bed. The plants stopped growing last fall and looked awful in the drought, so I cut all the tops off. They were dormant until March, then sent up new shoots. I'll remove the tops, wash media from roots, pack in shredded, damp newspaper, and ship to you via USPS priority mail. $24 for 10, plus estimated $10 shipping to be confirmed upon your order.

I have several. Nashville area. April Remembered has done really well and blooms when just about nothing else is. I also have Winters Interlude and I think Ice Follies or Pink Icicle. Snow flurry is another one I really like and it blooms in fall. Get some that bloom at different times. Yuletide is the only one I have that has not done great. It has not died but it just doesn't seem to do much. I would suggest a little shade in the winter. Under large tree canopy or northside of the house. There is a book by William Ackermann that is good.

A couple years ago I put up a cattle panel fence arch for my Waltham butternut squash. It was sort of a challenge getting them to want to grow upwards, even with encouragement (bungees). The one good thing was that there weren't any squash bugs.........although I did plant some marigolds around them, and didn't plant zucchini). This year they hardly grew up at all, even though I also covered the cattle panel with concrete reinforcing wire to give their tendrils something smaller to latch on to. Next year, I'm going to try a straight fence, rather than an arch, and it will all be concrete reinforcing wire. Anyone have much luck growing these guys up a trellis? What kind of wire did you use, and what kind of supports did you use for the fencing? Thanks!

For the average person and garden, Puya Alpestris is the better plant to raise. Berteroniana is a huge plant, probably better on a hillside. Alpestris only gets to about three feet wide and the flowers grow about three to four feet high. The flower display is similar. Photo attached. Yes, I have drainage holes :) If I am going to the trouble to create a well drained and structured soil, then be sure I make sure the container has drainage holes, covered by a large particle screen. The current state of my own Puya Alpestris are in the second photo.