Ao Shiso, the green perilla celebrated in Japanese kitchens for centuries, brings a powerfully aromatic leaf to your garden that's equally at home in sushi wraps, pickles, and cocktails. This compact herb reaches just 30 inches tall and 18 inches wide, making it surprisingly suited to edible landscaping despite its bold personality. You'll harvest mature leaves in about 65 days, and the large, flat leaf structure makes slicing into elegant chiffonade a genuine pleasure. The flavor is genuinely unusual: gardeners describe it as a cross between mint, cinnamon, basil, and anise, a complexity that keeps you reaching for it.
Full Sun
Moderate
6-11
30in H x 18in W
—
Low
Hover over chart points for details
The leaves are large and flat, designed by nature for rolling and slicing with ease. Ao Shiso thrives in full sun and grows to a manageable 30 inches tall, compact enough to tuck into an edible landscape without dominating the space. The herb delivers its distinctive aromatic punch in just 65 days, and the flavor profile, combining mint, cinnamon, basil, and anise notes, gives it a versatility in the kitchen that few herbs can match.
This herb shines in sushi wraps, where its large leaves serve as an elegant vessel and flavor bridge. It layers beautifully into salads, transforms into pickles for long-term preservation, adds complexity to cocktails, and steeps into memorable teas. The flat leaf structure makes it exceptionally easy to slice into chiffonade for refined presentations.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors in early spring, approximately 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow shallowly, keep soil warm and consistently moist, and provide bright light once seedlings emerge.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the danger of frost has completely passed in late spring, when nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 50°F. Space plants 12 inches apart with 18 inches between rows.
Direct sow seeds in late spring after the danger of frost has passed, planting shallow into warm soil.
Begin harvesting leaves at around 65 days after planting, once they've reached full size. The large, flat structure makes leaves easy to identify when ready. Harvest regularly to encourage bushier growth and prevent flowering, which extends the productive season. Pick leaves from the top down, or harvest entire stems.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Hudson Valley Seed brought this variety to Western gardeners in partnership with Shumei, honoring its traditional role in Japanese cuisine and connecting contemporary home gardeners to deep cultural roots.”