Perilla Mix  (Perilla frutescens)

Also known as Shiso,  Zǐsū or Kkaennip. This blend includes a variety of leaves that are either wrinkled or flat, green or purple. It’s a fragrant culinary herb with a bold, complex flavor—minty, basil-like, with a hint of anise—loved in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cooking as well as SE Asians for wraps, salads, pickles, garnish, infused oils and herbal tea or other drinks. Productive plants also make great pollinator-friendly summer greens.

Full sun to part shade. Start indoors 4–6 weeks before the last frost, or direct sow after nights warm. Surface sow or barely cover the seeds; keep consistently moist until germination. Thin to 20–30 cm (8–12″). Pick leaves anytime; pinch tips to encourage branching. As a bonus, it often self-seeds—leave a few flower spikes if you want it to return next year. Chigarden 2026