How to Grow Sweet Cicely USA

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing and cold period	0	Sow direct into a well-prepared seedbed in autumn so seed gets the cold it needs, or chill seed in a fridge for four weeks and sow into pots in spring, one seed per pot (Gardener's Path).
Seedling establishment	1	Thin seedlings to about 25cm as they grow, transplanting in spring if needed, or plant out pot-raised seedlings once all frost risk has passed; water regularly through the first season to root in (Gardener's Path).
Clump development	3	Plants build to 1-1.5m tall and 0.5-1m wide over two to five years in partial shade on moist but well-drained loam; keep evenly moist but not waterlogged (RHS, Gardener's Path).
Flowering, seed and harvest	6	White umbels open in early summer and are followed by large ridged spindle-shaped seeds; leaves are picked through the season, green seeds eaten fresh and ripe seeds used in cooking. Dead-head regularly, as sweet cicely self-seeds freely (RHS, Gardener's Path).

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Drainage	Moist but well-drained
Lifecycle	perennial
Edible parts	leaves, seeds, roots

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: RHS: leaves, seeds, and roots all edible raw or cooked; when grown as a culinary herb, "remove flower stalks as they develop to improve the quality of the leaves"; fresh green seed pods used to sweeten rhubarb.

Storage

Best used fresh

Sweet Cicely, the Aniseed Herb That Sweetens Sharp Fruit

A substantial clump

Plants build to 1-1.5m tall and 0.5-1m wide over two to five years in partial shade.

Naturalised in the north

Long naturalised in northern Britain, sweet cicely is a familiar hedgerow and roadside plant.

What the research guides add

Sweet cicely is a perennial that grows best in the shade where many herbs struggle.

• An aromatic herbaceous perennial with fern-like leaves and umbels of small white flowers in early summer, followed by aniseed-scented fruits. (RHS)
• Grow it in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil in dappled shade. When used as a culinary herb, remove the flower stalks as they develop to improve the quality of the leaves. (RHS)
• Propagate by seed or by division in spring or autumn. If grown in pots, it needs a deep pot to accommodate its deep taproot. (RHS, Missouri Botanical Garden)
• It is generally free of pests and diseases, and should be cut back after flowering. (RHS)

Sweet cicely in the USA: climate data

Dates are the median 32°F freeze dates and freeze-free days from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map (ZIP code of each city centre).

Sources for this section

• Royal Horticultural Society: Myrrhis odorata (sweet cicely)
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Myrrhis odorata (Plant Finder)

Section researched and checked on 25 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.

Sources

The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Gardener's Path, GBIF, Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to sweet cicely; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.