Lettuce (Lactuca sativa 'Merlot')
Lactuca sativa 'Merlot' creates beautiful loose rosettes of frilled, dark red leaves perfect for salads and borders.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ is a striking cool-season annual prized both for its culinary appeal and its ornamental foliage. This cultivar of common Lettuce produces loose rosettes of frilled leaves that exhibit a deep, rich red coloration reminiscent of merlot wine, offering excellent visual contrast in the garden. As a fast-growing annual, it provides near-continuous harvesting options; baby leaves can be ready in as little as 30 days, making it a reliable vegetable crop.
Cultivating Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ is straightforward for gardeners in zones 2 through 11, provided their primary goal is cool weather growth. These plants thrive with consistent care, particularly ample moisture and fertile soil, ensuring quick development before summer heat sets in. Its dual functionality—as an edible salad green and an ornamental edging plant—makes it an exceptionally practical addition to any productive or decorative space.
When grown in full sun, the best expression of the dark red leaf color in Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ is achieved, though partial shade is appreciated during peak summer warmth to delay undesirable bolting. Gardeners value this Lettuce for its high performance when temperatures remain moderate.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Asteraceae
- Plant Type: Annual
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 2-11
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.5-1 ft
- Spread: 0.5-1 ft
- Bloom Time: Flowers not showy
- Bloom Description: Yellow
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Medium
How to Grow
Planting Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ is optimized for cooler periods—spring and late summer. For spring harvests, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last expected frost date, or direct-sow them outdoors about two weeks prior to the last frost. To extend the harvest, make successive direct plantings every two weeks until mid-June. For a reliable fall crop, plant seeds again in late summer.
This Lettuce requires fertile, well-composted soil with medium moisture retention and excellent drainage. Consistent watering is crucial throughout the growing season, as dry soils are a prime trigger for this annual to bolt, causing the leaves to turn bitter. While full sun encourages the deepest red pigmentation, providing light afternoon shade during intense summer heat intervals will help maintain leaf quality.
Maintenance is modest, focusing mainly on preventing stress caused by heat or drought. Lettuce grows best when it can mature quickly without interruption. If you notice the plant starting to flower (bolting), the leaves will become unpalatable, signaling the end of the productive harvest window for that planting.
Landscape Uses
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ excels in utility gardens but also offers significant aesthetic contributions where it is used ornamentally. The deep, rich burgundy of the foliage provides excellent contrast against lighter green annuals or silver-foliaged companions in borders and edging applications. Because the cultivar only reaches about 1 foot tall, it works perfectly as a low, living foreground element in mixed flower beds.
Containers are another excellent venue for this vibrant Lettuce. You can successfully grow Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ alongside other cool-weather companions like pansies or petunias, ensuring the container mix receives regular, consistent medium watering. For edible landscaping designs, plant rows near pathways or kitchen windows to maximize the benefit of having fresh salad greens easily accessible.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Insignificant
Noteworthy Characteristics
The cultivar ‘Merlot’ is specifically noted for its frilled, dark red leaves that grow in loose rosettes, resembling merlot wine, hence the name. This cool-season annual reaches about 6 to 8 inches tall and is cultivated both for consumption and decorative appeal. Gardeners should note that baby leaves mature in approximately 30 days, while full-sized leaves are ready around 60 days, though hot weather rapidly induces bolting.
Tolerances
(No Data Available)
Potential Problems
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ generally proves quite resistant to severe pest and disease pressure, allowing for straightforward cultivation. However, gardeners should remain vigilant for common lettuce issues. Potential fungal diseases include downy mildew, powdery mildew, shot hole, septoria leaf spot, Botrytis, and bottom rot, which are often exacerbated by overly humid or wet conditions.
To manage invertebrate pests, inspect regularly for aphids, snails, slugs, and leafminers, which can quickly mar the appearance and edibility of the leaves. Control can often be managed through timely intervention, such as introducing beneficial nematodes for slugs or using insecticidal soap for aphids. Be aware that Mosaic virus can also appear, which has no chemical cure and requires removing infected plants immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’) suitable for?
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ is suitable for a wide range of climates, thriving in USDA Zones 2 through 11.
How large does Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’) grow?
This variety typically reaches a height between 0.5 and 1 foot, with a similar spread of 0.5 to 1 foot at maturity.
What sun exposure does Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’) need?
Optimal coloration for Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ occurs in full sun, though it can tolerate or even benefit from partial shade during the hottest parts of the summer.
When does Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’) bloom?
The flowers are not showy, typically being yellow when they do appear, which usually signals the end of edible quality due to bolting.
Conclusion
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ offers gardeners a valuable crop that combines rich ornamental color with reliable, quick-harvest salad greens. Its ability to enhance borders while feeding your family makes this cultivar an all-around winner for cool-season gardening. Plan your planting schedule carefully, focusing on spring and late-summer successions to maximize harvest potential and avoid summer heat-induced bitterness.
Companion Planting
Choosing companions for Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ should focus on plants with similar cool-weather needs and shallow root systems. Since this Lettuce prefers consistent moisture, grouping it with other thirsty cool-season vegetables like spinach or radishes can simplify watering routines. Avoid planting near heat-loving plants that will compete for resources as the weather warms, leading to premature bolting in the Lettuce.
In ornamental settings, pair the deep red foliage of Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ with bright whites, yellows, or blues to emphasize its color. Cool-season annuals such as pansies, violas, or early-season petunias mentioned in recommended uses serve as excellent, low-growing partners that share cultural requirements.
Design Ideas
The fine texture and deep color of Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ make it an effective “filler” or “edger” in formal or semi-formal plantings. Use it tightly planted along stone pathways or the front edge of raised beds where its rich tone can be easily appreciated during early spring. Because of its relatively upright, rosette form, it prevents garden beds from looking too flat before taller summer annuals reach their full size.
Consider using Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ in succession planting within patio containers. Once the spring cool-weather companions (like pansies) begin to fade in the heat of mid-summer, you can pull them out and immediately replace them with heat-tolerant summer crops, or simply continue harvesting the remaining hardy Lettuce until the end of the season.
