Parsley is a lush plant growing up to a foot high in a beautiful rosette of green foliage. Try growing parsley plants as companions to annuals, perennials, and herbs in beds, containers, and window boxes. Plants make a nice seasonal edging and provide a striking contrast to colorful annuals, like yellow pansies or bright pink petunias. Curled parsley has a more ruffled appearance than flat-leafed parsley, but both are equally lush.
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Bonnie Plants Italian Flat Parsley is renowned for its deep, distinctly parsley flavor which holds up better in cooking than curly parsley, making it most popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Easy to chop, the nutritious flat leaves are high in iron and in vitamins A, C, and E. A high chlorophyll content makes it a natural breath sweetener, too.
This is a great plant for containers, especially for fall and winter in zone 7 and south. Of course, you can also use it in vegetable and herb beds. In a flower bed it makes a nice, green leafy companion to small flowers such as pansies. It is also more tolerant of hot weather than curly parsley (which can struggle during the peak of summer) and is frost tolerant.
Organic varieties are only available at retailers.
- Type Biennial (it grows the first season and blooms the second)
- Planting time Spring, fall
- Features Flat, green leaves are easy to chop
- Light Sun to part shade
- Soil Light, well drained
- Plant spacing 15 to 18 inches
- Plant size 1 foot tall
- Garden use Containers, flower and herb beds
- Culinary use Garnish, seasoning, salads, palate cleanser
Quick Guide to Growing Parsley
- Plant parsley in spring once the ground is workable. The edible green foliage is great to grow on its own, but is also a wonderful complement to flower beds and window boxes.
- Space parsley plants 6 to 8 inches apart in an area with full sun and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.7. Offer partial shade if growing in warm climates.
- Before planting, ensure your native soil is packed with nutrients by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
- These leafy herbs enjoy consistent moisture, so check soil regularly and water when the top inch becomes dry.
- Promote prolific leaf production by regularly feeding with a water-soluble plant food.
- Harvest parsley stems by cutting them at the base once they’re large enough to use. Never cut more than one-third of the plant at a single time.
How to Use Parsley in the Kitchen
Parsley pairs well with meat and egg dishes, potato and pasta dishes, vegetables, rice, salads, and soups, as well as cottage cheese and herb butters. Add chopped parsley to a dish near the end of the cooking process or sprinkle it on vegetables or salads immediately before serving to keep the fresh flavor. Parsley is also a chief ingredient in bouquet garni.