Is Shiso deer resistant?
Perilla frutescens
Plant typeAnnualHardinessGrown as an annual, any zoneLightPart shadeMature height12–36 inBloomSummer and Fall
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Shiso
Aromatic mint-family herb used across Korean and Japanese cooking, with green and purple forms. It self-sows very heavily and has escaped into pasture across the southeastern United States, where it is toxic to cattle. Deadhead before seed sets.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Average garden soil
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Shiso
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual CandytuftIberis umbellataGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual SalviaSalvia splendensGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual VerbenaVerbena x hybridaGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Bachelor's ButtonsCentaurea cyanusGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BasilOcimum basilicumGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BorageBorago officinalisGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
Where Shiso grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Shiso belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Shiso
- Is Shiso deer resistant?
- Shiso (Perilla frutescens) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Shiso grow in?
- Shiso is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Shiso grow in shade?
- Yes. Shiso tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Shiso get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is fast.