Biennial culinary umbellifer grown for its leaves in the first year. Allow some plants to run to flower in the second year for parasitic wasps and butterfly larvae.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 4–9 | −34.4 °C to −1.1 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H5 | −15 °C to −10 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 4–8 | −29 °C to −1 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 1–6 | −15 °C to 15 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
About Parsley
Parsley is a biennial grown as an annual: it makes leaves in its first year, then flowers, sets seed and dies in its second, which is why a productive plant seems to give up abruptly the following spring. It comes in flat-leaved and curled forms, the flat-leaved generally considered stronger in flavour. The roots are long and taproot-like, so it resents being transplanted once established. Its seed is famously slow and erratic to germinate, a trait that produced a whole body of folklore about the seed travelling to the underworld and back before sprouting.
Growing notes
- Larval food plant for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars in its second-year flowering form
- Slow to germinate — 3 to 4 weeks is normal, do not give up too soon
- Flat-leaf and curly-leaf are the same species, just different cultivar groups — flat-leaf has more flavour, curly-leaf has more visual presence as a garnish
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Parsley against your zones