Vietnamese Perilla Seeds (Perilla frutescens), 4 pack x 800 seeds, Tia To / Shiso, an Aromatic Warm-Season Culinary Herb with Green-and-Purple Leaves for Wraps, Soups and Garnishes, Non-GMO Seeds for Planting

Vietnamese Perilla Seeds grow Perilla frutescens, the aromatic culinary herb known in Vietnam as tia to and more widely related to Japanese shiso. This is a seed packet for planting, not fresh perilla leaves, dried herb, a tea, an extract, or a ready-to-use product.

Product Details

Perilla is grown for its striking, richly scented leaves, which are often green on top and deep burgundy-purple beneath, with a jagged, serrated edge and a distinctive aroma that is hard to pin down, somewhere between mint, basil, anise, and citrus. In Vietnamese and East Asian kitchens the leaves are used fresh: torn over noodle soups and grilled meats, wrapped around fillings, added to salads and spring rolls, and used as a fragrant garnish. That makes it a favourite with home cooks who love these cuisines, herb-garden and container growers, and anyone who enjoys an unusual, good-looking kitchen herb.

A point of confusion worth clearing up is that perilla, despite its complex aroma, is not basil, mint, or cilantro, even though shoppers often browse it alongside them; it is its own distinct herb, tia to or shiso.

On growing, it is a warm-season herb and easy once it is up. The seed is fine and needs light to germinate, so it is surface-sown or barely pressed in rather than buried, and kept moist and warm. Grown on, it is happy in full sun to part shade in fertile, moist soil, and it grows quickly in warm weather, so it is picked leaf by leaf as it develops.

The one thing to plan for is its enthusiasm for seeding. Perilla self-sows very freely and can pop up all over the garden the following year, and in some regions it is regarded as weedy or even invasive, so it is worth growing it where volunteers are welcome, or removing the flower spikes before they set seed if you want to keep it in check, and checking local guidance.

Getting it going is easy once you respect the seed. The fine seed needs light to sprout, so press it onto the surface of a moist, well-drained mix and leave it uncovered rather than burying it, and keep things warm, ideally around 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, when it usually germinates within about seven to fourteen days. Thin or space the young plants roughly ten to twenty-four inches apart to give them airflow as they bush out.

From there it is quick and generous. A first picking of the aromatic, green-to-burgundy leaves usually begins around forty-five to sixty days from sowing, and the secret to a long, leafy season is to pinch out the growing tips regularly, which both keeps the plant compact and bushy and delays it running up to flower. Harvest leaf by leaf as you need it, always taking from the top and outer growth to keep fresh leaves coming.

The flavour is what sets it apart. A member of the mint family, tia to carries a bold, layered aroma that mingles mint, anise, and basil with a warm, slightly spicy edge, and the leaves are typically a glossy green on top with a striking purple or burgundy underside and a jagged, serrated margin. That colour and scent make it as much a decorative plant as a culinary one.

In Vietnamese cooking it is used fresh and with a generous hand. Whole leaves go onto the herb platters served alongside noodle dishes such as bun bo Hue and bun thit nuong, they wrap grilled meats and go into spring rolls and salads, and they are laid over or stirred into soups at the last moment, or wrapped around seasoned pork to fry. The leaves are added late so their perfume survives the heat.

It is worth placing it among its relatives. Tia to is the Vietnamese form of the same plant known in Japan as shiso, often used with sushi and tempura, and in Korea as kkaennip, prized for a nuttier, sesame-like note in wraps, kimchi, and stews; each kitchen leans on a slightly different flavour and leaf, but all are Perilla frutescens. Knowing that helps place its taste for anyone meeting it for the first time.

The one habit to plan around is its enthusiasm for seeding. Perilla self-sows very freely and can pop up all over a garden the following year, and in some regions it has naturalised and is regarded as weedy or invasive, so it is best grown where volunteers are welcome, or kept in check by removing the flower spikes before they set seed, and it is worth checking local guidance before letting it run. Growing it in a pot is an easy way to enjoy it while keeping it contained.

It also grows very happily in containers, which suits its warm-season nature. A pot on a sunny or lightly shaded balcony, windowsill, or patio gives a steady supply of leaves and can be moved into shelter as the weather cools, since perilla is frost-tender and finishes with the first cold. Given fertile, moist soil and warmth, it grows fast enough to keep a kitchen well supplied through the summer and into autumn.

It is a genuinely ornamental herb as well as a useful one. The plants grow into upright, bushy clumps of large, crinkled, nettle-shaped leaves, and in the purple and bicolour forms the deep burgundy undersides and stems give a rich, dusky colour that earns perilla a place in ornamental borders and container displays as much as in the herb patch. In late summer it sends up slender spikes of tiny flowers, the point at which it is best pinched if you want to keep it leafy.

There is some variety in leaf, too. Vietnamese tia to is typically green above and purple-red beneath, while some strains are more solidly green or almost wholly purple, and the closely related Japanese shiso comes in both green and red-leaved forms; all grow the same way, so you can choose by the colour and the shade of flavour you prefer. The two-tone kinds are especially handsome laid whole on a plate.

A few kitchen habits get the most from it. Pick the young, fully expanded leaves rather than old or tiny ones for the best texture and scent, use them fresh and add them late to hot dishes so their aroma survives, and, because the flavour is bold, start with a little and add more to taste. A steady supply of fresh leaves through summer is exactly what a pot or two by the kitchen door provides.

It is a poor fit for a few situations. It is not a cold-season herb, not the same as basil or cilantro, and its seeds are for planting rather than eating. Handle it as a warm-season, self-seeding culinary-herb project rather than a fixed result, since germination and growth depend on light, warmth, and moisture. Keep unused seed cool, dry, and sealed, and follow the packet directions for surface sowing.

Product Highlights

• Vietnamese Perilla Seeds grow Perilla frutescens, the aromatic culinary herb known in Vietnam as tia to and related to Japanese shiso, with jagged, serrated leaves that are often green above and deep burgundy-purple beneath, on upright branching stems.
• It is grown for those richly scented leaves, whose aroma sits somewhere between mint, basil, anise, and citrus, used fresh in Vietnamese and East Asian cooking: over noodle soups and grilled meats, wrapped around fillings, and in salads and spring rolls.
• Despite its complex flavour it is not basil, mint, or cilantro, even though shoppers often browse it alongside them; it is its own distinct herb, tia to or shiso, so match the botanical name when you buy it.
• A warm-season herb that is easy once up: the fine seed needs light, so surface-sow or barely press it in rather than burying it, keep it moist and warm, and grow it on in full sun to part shade in fertile, moist soil, picking leaf by leaf as it grows.
• Plan for its enthusiasm for seeding, since it self-sows very freely and is treated as weedy in some regions: grow it where volunteers are welcome or remove flower spikes before they seed, check local guidance, and store any spare seed cool, dry, and sealed.

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