Perilla frutescens
Family Lamiaceae
Under your sashimi and around your Korean barbecue, shiso carries a flavor somewhere between cinnamon, cumin and mint that nothing else approaches. One plant keeps a kitchen in wraps, garnishes and pickles all season, and the purple form is handsome enough to pass as bedding foliage.
Grows like the mint relative it is: fast, unfussy, self-sowing so reliably that one planting becomes a permanent supply. One honest caution: it is dangerous fodder for cattle and horses — Missouri bans its sale for that reason — so it is a kitchen-garden resident, not a pasture edge. Where it's welcome, few herbs give more for less.
⚠ Invasive in parts of the USCheck your state before planting.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Moderate water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill
From the print shop
Our Plant Library collection carries perilla (shiso) — Perilla frutescens, print Nº 429, “Perilla (Shiso).”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what perilla (shiso) actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualPerilla (Shiso) · Common problems
1 problem on file
Almost none (aromatic, pest-resistant)
1 problem on file
FewPerilla (Shiso) · Growing & propagation
LightWater
Soil
Fertilizer
PruningPinch flower spikes to prolong leaves; deadhead or it self-sows everywhere.
Spacing
Maturity
From seedSelf-sows heavily
PropagatePerilla (Shiso) · Seasonal care & spray guidance
early spring
2 jobsSowingIn springShiso can be direct seeded in the garden or set out as transplants in spring. Give it full sun to partial shade and allow about 2 feet per plant, since a single plant fills out to roughly 2 to 3 feet tall and wants the room. Shiso is a frost-tender warm-season annual in the mint family, so it has no reason to go in the ground until the soil and air have warmed, and it grows fast enough to catch up.
FeedingIn springGive shiso a moderate feeding at planting and leave it at that. Get a soil test for the bed and follow its lime and fertilizer recommendation rather than guessing; if you are cutting leaves hard all season, a light second feeding is reasonable. Herbs grown for leaf flavor need only moderate fertility, and pushing them with nitrogen buys you soft growth rather than better leaves.
at bloom
1 jobPruningAt bloomAs soon as the spike-like flower clusters start rising from the leaf axils in late summer, pinch them off. Keep after them every week or so until frost takes the plant. Pinching the flowers before they set seed both keeps the plant putting its energy into leaves and stops the wind-dispersed seed that lets shiso escape the bed.
the growing season
1 job
HarvestingIn summerPick leaves for fresh use as soon as the plants are established and keep picking all summer. For the strongest flavor, take stems individually, cutting about 6 inches below the flower buds, in the stretch just before the plant blooms. The essential oils that carry shiso's flavor peak in the foliage just prior to blooming, and cutting stems rather than stripping leaves keeps the plant branching.
autumn, and putting it to bed
1 jobWhat to watch forAfter harvestPull or mow shiso down before the seed heads mature, and walk the surrounding ground the following spring for volunteer seedlings. Hand pulling while plants are young is the whole job; let one season of seed drop and you will be at it for years. Shiso self-seeds prolifically and the seed travels on wind, which is how it has naturalized along roadsides and woodland edges; it is listed as invasive in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Perilla (Shiso) · Calculators & field guides
Perilla (Shiso) · Yearly calendar
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BloomBloomAugust
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Perilla (Shiso) · Ecology & uses
Perilla frutescens
AttractsMoisture
DeerProtect young plants
Origin✓ Commonly eatenSafe (culinary leaves); the plant is toxic to cattle and horses (perilla ketones cause fatal respiratory distress) and Missouri banned its sale under SB 105
UseUseUseUseEdible valueLeaves all season — pinch for bushiness. About 70-90 days from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Perilla (Shiso) · Varieties & cultivars
Green (Japanese cooking); 'Red'/purple (Korean kkaennip, and ornamental); 'Britton' (bicolor)
Sources & plant identity
Perilla frutescens
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Perilla (Shiso) questions, answered straight.
Perilla (Shiso) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: culinary leaves); the plant is toxic to cattle and horses (perilla ketones cause fatal respiratory distress) and Missouri banned its sale under SB 105. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
Leaves all season — pinch for bushiness. From planting, expect about 70-90 days to maturity.
From seed.
It can be invasive in some regions — give it room or a barrier, and check your state's invasive-species list before planting.
Where perilla (shiso) sits in the library.
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