Quick Facts: Most culinary herbs fall into one of two camps — perennials like rosemary, thyme, and oregano that come back year after year, and annuals like basil, cilantro, and dill that you replant each season. Knowing which type you have is important to your planting plan.

By Nicole Johnsey Burke: Founder of Gardenary and Author of Kitchen Garden Revival

Perennial vs. Annual Herbs: What's the Difference?

Herbs are a broad category of edible plants, so they can fall under both!

Let's look at some definitions first to make sure we're on the same page.

Perennial Herbs

Perennial herbs can live longer than two years. The word perennial actually means "through the years." After enjoying their growing season, perennial herbs will die back in colder climates in the fall or winter, only to return from their roots in the spring. Each March, my chives are some of the first plants to pop back up.

Annual Herbs

Annuals, often referred to as soft herbs, complete their life cycles in just one growing season. That means they go from seed to seed within one year. Some annuals need to be replanted each year, while others are great at self-sowing and will grow from seeds dropped by last year's crop.

Tender Perennial Herbs

Some herbs are capable of living for several years in their native habitats but, when grown in colder climates, will die in the winter because they're not cold hardy. We call these herbs tender perennials, or short-lived perennials, and basil is a prime example. Basil will die during the first frost of the fall/winter season, causing gardeners in colder climates to treat basil like an annual and plant new basil each warm season by seed or from cuttings.

In warmer climates, gardeners can enjoy growing basil outdoors for several years. Fennel, feverfew, lemon verbena, and lavender are other tender perennials that are often treated like annuals.

As you can probably tell from the definition of tender perennials, an herb's life expectancy in your garden can depend on your climate. If you live somewhere with extremely cold winters, herbs that are typically considered perennials elsewhere might not make it more than one year in your garden. Most herbs, after all, are native to warmer climates, places like the Mediterranean or Southeast Asia. With that in mind, even the hardiest of perennials can often benefit from some type of frost protection over the winter.

Which Herbs Come Back Every Year?

The majority of the herbs in the mint family are perennials, including rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, lemon balm, marjoram, anise hyssop, and mint. These guys are often referred to as woody herbs due to the development of a woody stem over time.

Perennials continue growing throughout the entire year in moderate climates and can grow to the size of bushes and small trees (think bay laurel).

In colder climates, perennials will slow their growth and eventually turn brown. When snow or frost arrives, they'll die back, though some herbs in the mint family, particularly winter savory, can withstand temperatures below freezing for a bit. In the spring, once the weather warms sufficiently and there's no longer the threat of frost, these perennials will send up new stems and leaves from the roots and start flourishing again. Those same herbs that can grow huge elsewhere might only grow to be about a foot tall within the growing season before they go dormant again.

Basil and summer savory are the odd-herbs-out in the mint family since basil is so sensitive to frost it's often treated as an annual and summer savory is an actual annual.

You'll also find some perennial herbs in the daisy plant family, including echinacea and tarragon. Just to make things confusing though, their cousins calendula and marigolds are annuals. Even trickier, German chamomile is an annual (though it self-seeds so readily gardeners might think it's coming back from the roots), while Roman chamomile is a perennial.

A List of Perennial Herbs

• anise hyssop
• bay laurel
• chives
• echinacea
• fennel
• feverfew
• lavender
• lemon balm
• lemon verbena
• marjoram
• mint
• oregano
• Roman chamomile
• rosemary
• sage
• sweet marjoram
• tarragon
• thyme
• winter savory

Which Herbs Do You Need to Replant Each Season?

Most of the herbs we find in the carrot family are annuals. Cilantro, cumin, and dill are annual herbs that will spend about 90 to 120 days in your garden before going to seed. They love growing in cooler weather, and so the arrival of warmer weather and longer days typically signals the end of their life cycle. This is when they bolt, which basically means they'll produce a thick center stem and pretty little flowers that will dry and become seeds for next year's plants.

Parsley, another herb in the carrot family, is technically a biennial, which means it can grow for two years before producing seeds. Fennel, another cousin, is a short-lived perennial that is often grown as an annual in cooler climates.

In the daisy family, German chamomile, marigolds, and calendula are annuals. Feverfew is short-lived perennial often grown as an annual.

Some annuals need to be replanted by seed each year. Others, like borage, calendula, and chamomile, self-sow so freely if conditions have been right for them that you'll have herbs regrowing in your garden each year without any effort from you. (Yay, free plants!)

A List of Annual Herbs

• basil*
• borage
• calendula
• chervil
• cilantro
• cumin
• dill
• fennel*
• feverfew*
• German chamomile
• marigold
• parsley**
• stevia**
• summer savory

*tender perennial often treated as annual

**biennial

How Do You Grow Herbs Year Round?

If you’re in a warmer climate, you can enjoy freshly cut herbs every month of the year; and if you’re in a colder climate, you can have fresh herbs for half the year (while they’re growing outside) and dried herbs that you picked when things were green for the other half. 

You can also bring herbs in the mint family indoors during the coldest months of the year. Lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, and even bay laurel can be potted up and moved indoors to escape frost. Your herbs won’t necessarily produce lots of new leaves (and they might shed some leaves while they're adjusting), but many plants will continue moderate growth if you keep the soil moist and place them in the sunniest spot you have in your home. When the ground thaws in spring, these herbs can go right back outside.

Here is what an entire year of growing annual and perennial herbs could look like:

• In the early days of spring, you buy your favorite perennial herbs from a local nursery and begin harvesting from them right away.
• You plant seeds for annual herbs that can tolerate cold like dill, cilantro, and parsley.
• Once your last frost date has passed, you plant seeds for basil.
• You harvest almost daily from your herbs during the height of their growing season.
• At the end of summer, you plant dill and cilantro again for a fall harvest.
• Just before your first frost, you harvest as much as possible from your herbs, enjoy lots of leaves fresh, and either freeze or hang the rest to dry. Move your favorite herbs in the mint family to pots and bring indoors.
• Enjoy your saved herbs and small harvests from the herbs you brought indoors all winter long.
• Before you know it, perennial herbs like chives and oregano will come back.
• Repeat.

That is how you can grow and harvest your very own year-round supply of herbs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Perennial and Annual Herbs

Is basil a perennial or annual herb?

Basil is a tender perennial — it can live for several years in warm climates where frost never arrives. In most of the US, however, basil dies at the first frost and is treated as an annual, replanted from seed or transplanted each warm season.

Which herbs are the easiest perennials to grow?

Chives, mint, thyme, and oregano are among the easiest perennial herbs to grow. They're hardy, low-maintenance, and return each spring reliably. Just note that mint spreads aggressively — plant it in a container or a contained bed to keep it in check.

Can I grow perennial herbs in containers?

Yes. Rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender all do well in containers and can be moved indoors during cold winters to protect them from frost. Use a well-draining potting mix and make sure your containers have drainage holes.

How do I grow herbs year-round in a cold climate?

Grow perennial herbs like thyme, oregano, and chives outdoors during the warm season. Before the first frost, pot up rosemary, sage, and lavender and bring them indoors to a sunny window. Grow cold-tolerant annuals like cilantro and parsley in early spring and fall, and plant basil once the weather is reliably warm.

Annual or Perennial Herbs? Grow Both!

Both perennial herbs and annual herbs have their advantages, and I recommend growing a combo of both. Annuals are typically super easy to grow from seed, and perennials will give you loads of leaves over their longer lifetime.

For tips on how to set up your own space and grow these herbs, check out our Ultimate Guide to Growing Herbs.

You won't regret growing your own herbs, no matter how long they last in the garden!