Perennial vs. Annual Herbs: Which Come Back and How to Plant Them

Perennial vs. annual herbs at a glance

Perennial herbs are planted once and come back from the same roots each spring. Chives, mint, thyme, sage, oregano and tarragon are the common ones. Annual herbs such as basil, cilantro and dill live for a single season and have to be sown or planted again every year. Parsley is a biennial that most gardeners treat as an annual, and rosemary is a perennial only where winters are mild, in zone 8 and above. That difference decides when you plant each herb, how you plant it and where it belongs in the bed.

Herb	Life cycle	Comes back next year?	How it is usually planted
Basil	Annual	No, killed by the first frost	Seed or transplants each year
Cilantro	Annual	No	Direct sown
Dill	Annual	No	Direct sown
Summer savory	Annual	No	Seed each year
Parsley	Biennial	Yes, but it bolts and turns bitter	Seed each spring
Chives	Perennial	Yes	Divisions in early spring, or seed
Mint	Perennial	Yes, and it spreads	Cuttings or potted plants, in a container
Thyme	Perennial	Yes	Divisions or cuttings
Sage	Perennial	Yes, with good winter drainage	Potted plants
Oregano	Perennial	Yes, marginally hardy in zone 5	Plants grown from cuttings
Tarragon	Perennial	Yes	Potted plants
Rosemary	Tender perennial	Only in zone 8 and above	Container, moved indoors where colder

The life cycle column follows Penn State Extension, which lists anise, basil, chervil, coriander (cilantro), dill and summer savory as annuals, caraway and parsley as biennials, and chives, fennel, lovage, marjoram, mint, tarragon and thyme as perennials. Hardiness notes come from the University of Illinois Extension herb pages.

Which herbs come back every year

Hardy perennials are the ones you can count on. Illinois Extension describes chives as a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial that grows in clumps from underground bulbs, and mints as extremely hardy perennials that spread aggressively by underground rhizomes. Thyme is a low, wiry-stemmed perennial 6 to 12 inches tall. Sage is a shrubby perennial that reaches 2 to 3 feet.

A second group comes back only with the right conditions. True oregano is marginally hardy in zone 5, and Illinois recommends a winter mulch of evergreen boughs or straw, applied in November or December after the soil has frozen. Golden, purple and tricolor sage are not dependably winter hardy in zone 5, even though common sage is. For sage and thyme alike, wet soil in winter does more damage than cold. Illinois notes that sage needs very well drained soil especially over the winter, and that poorly drained soil shortens the useful life of thyme.

Rosemary is the herb that causes the most confusion. It is a perennial evergreen shrub in zone 8 and above, growing 4 to 6 feet tall. It is not reliably hardy in zone 6 or colder, so in those areas it is treated as a tender perennial and brought indoors just before frost. NC State Extension treats marjoram and lemon verbena as similarly tender, listing them as winter hardy only in North Carolina’s mild Coastal Plain. Our guide to overwintering rosemary, bay and other tender herbs covers the indoor months.

Annual herbs you replant every year

Annuals germinate, flower, set seed and die within one growing season. NC State lists basil, coriander and dill as tender annuals and notes that annual herbs are killed by the first hard frost in fall, so the planting window opens after spring frosts end. No amount of mulch carries them through winter.

The upside is speed and easy sowing. Clemson Cooperative Extension notes that basil, coriander and dill may be sown directly in the garden. See how to grow cilantro without bolting for sowing times, and how to pinch basil to hold basil in leaf longer.

Parsley sits between the groups. Illinois Extension calls it a hardy biennial that is grown and treated like an annual. It is slow to germinate, and soaking the seed overnight before sowing in spring speeds things up. Parsley will overwinter, but in its second season it produces a seed stalk and leaves that are very tough and bitter. Sow a fresh row each spring and pull the old plants once the new ones are ready to pick.

Planting perennial vs. annual herbs: what changes

Site needs are shared. Clemson advises a spot that is sunny for at least six hours each day and a well-drained soil with a pH of 6 to 7. Penn State adds that the Mediterranean herbs, which are lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme, thrive in full sun and well-drained, dry, gravelly soil. Timing and method are where the two groups part ways.

	Perennial herbs	Annual herbs
When to plant	Fall or early spring	Spring, after frost for tender kinds
What to plant	Small potted plants, divisions or cuttings	Seed or transplants
Where	A permanent spot that will not be dug over	Gaps and rows that change each year
Upkeep	Divide or renew every few years	Resow through the season
End of season	Mulch after the ground freezes	Pull and compost

Clemson recommends planting perennial herbs in the fall or early spring, if possible, so that the plants have time to get well established before summer. Most are bought as small potted plants because seed is unreliable for several of them. Mint seed does not come true to type, and Illinois says the same of oregano, suggesting plants grown from cuttings. Thyme is much easier from divisions or cuttings than from seed. If you are weighing the two routes for a whole bed, herb seeds vs. starter plants compares cost and time.

Give perennials their own block. A bed that is forked over every spring for basil and dill is a bad place for thyme roots. Mint needs stricter separation. Penn State suggests planting it in 3- to 5-gallon pots with drainage holes sunk into the garden, and Illinois goes further and recommends growing mints in containers above ground. Our guide to the best pot for mint covers sizes.

Keeping perennial herbs alive through winter

Three dates matter more than any product. NC State advises that herbs should not be fertilized after early August, because late feeding pushes soft growth that has no time to harden. Woody plants should not be severely pruned within 4 to 6 weeks of the first severe freeze. Mulch goes on after the first hard freeze, as a 3- to 6-inch layer of straw, pine needles or chopped leaves. Penn State gives a similar instruction: straw, oak leaves or evergreen boughs to a depth of 4 inches after the ground freezes in early winter, removed when plants show signs of growth in early spring.

Mulching late is deliberate. NC State warns that heavy mulching before cold weather arrives keeps the soil warmer and may decrease winter hardiness.

Spring is the time for cutting back. Illinois recommends pruning sage just as new growth resumes, and renewing woody old thyme every few years by cutting it back severely in spring.

How long perennial herbs last

Perennial does not mean permanent. Clumps become overcrowded and shrubby herbs turn woody with age, so plan on some renewal.

• Chives: divide every 2 to 3 years, replanting clumps of about 4 to 6 bulbs.
• Mint: divide every 3 to 4 years to keep plants vigorous.
• Thyme: cut back hard in spring every few years once it turns woody.
• Sage: replace plants as they age and become woody, using summer cuttings, which root easily.

A practical mix for a small kitchen bed is a permanent edge of chives, thyme, sage and oregano, a pot of mint, and an open strip for basil, cilantro, dill and parsley. Rosemary goes in a container in zone 6 or colder, since Illinois notes that garden-grown rosemary does not transplant well when it is time to bring it inside.

Quick recap

• Perennials that come back: chives, mint, thyme, sage, oregano and tarragon. Oregano is marginal in zone 5.
• Annuals to replant: basil, cilantro, dill and summer savory. Frost ends their season.
• Parsley is a biennial grown as an annual. Rosemary is perennial outdoors in zone 8 and above.
• Plant perennial herbs in fall or early spring as potted plants or divisions, and direct sow basil, cilantro and dill.
• Stop fertilizing after early August, avoid hard pruning in the 4 to 6 weeks before a severe freeze, and mulch 3 to 6 inches deep after a hard freeze.