Hi, Meixue
It is Shiso - Perilla frutescens. There are a few varieties available (ranging in colour from green to dark purple).
Rose-Marie

Great! Thanks for helping me ID this. I did some web reading and it says you can use this in salads and to steam fish or chicken in. I think I'll try a stirfry with some chicken chunks, shiso chopped, red chilis and a dash of fish sauce. Thanks again.
Meixue

used to flavor and color pickled plum,crush leave and smell

it is one of my favorites..as an herb and as an ornamental ..i cut up strips if the leaves as a garnish on most anything and in salads or to wrap up foods and eat them .. it reseeds easily even here in Zone 6A, and can be transplanted when small

looks great in flower pots too and is fairly deer prooff ( so far )

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I have Shiso Briton variety from Johnnys Selected leaves and it really is a beautiful plant. I have not used the leaves yet. If somebody has recipes for using them I would appreciate it.

Lot of info at the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: shiso (perilla) leaves

Earl, thanks for the recipes. Ran into Burdock on one of the websites that looks interesting (edible root) am looking for some seeds. I'm going to try to trade some Fuscia Miribalis Jalapa or Datura seeds for these on the seed exchange forum. Thanks
meixue

it also makes a great pesto , in place of basil

Hi, just following up on this plant. It looks awful now. It is turning yellow and leaves are dropping. It just went through a profusion of seed making and I have pinched off as many seed growths as possible but the plant is looking lethargic. Does anyone have experience growing shi-so? Is the plant going through normal phases of shedding? Should I cut the plant down? Does this plant grow year round or is it going dormant for fall?
Thanks for any advice.
Meixue

From what I have read, it is an annual

Reinbeaux, thanks for your post. Ok I guess I dont have anything to worry about then. I think its just going through its Fall shedding. Thanks
Meixue

meixue,

Shiso is an annual and reseeds readily, so much so that it is considered a weed the second year many people have it. It is a gorgeous, just beware.

Thanks violet. I really like the shiso but never did have a chance to cook with it. Thought I'd try a shiso with minced chicken thai style dish. I did collect lots of seeds from the plant and will plant some next year. My old shiso is in a pot, starting to wither and die. Thanks again.
Meixue

meixue,

Did you ever try the chicken dish? How did it turn out? Have a recipe?

Hi, Violet I did try the chicken recipe. It was a smash. I just sprinkled some chicken (either minced or cut up into small strips) with corn starch, added a few teaspoons of chinese rice wine then fried it in oil. I added minced garlic to the cooked chicken, cooked for a while longer until the garlic was done then about one minute before I took the chicken off the stove I added two huge handfuls of the shiso. It was very tasty. The plant does die back in the winter. I collected seeds and planted them about one month ago. They shot up pretty fast but some are yellow. I think the yellow ones are those that were in smaller pots. I dont think they like to be rootboung or too close to one another. Mine are very croweded in. Next time I will really space them out and use one large pot (I think they should be deep pots, maybe a 5 gallon). Most likely will throw the seeds in the large pot then thin out to maybe 5-8 plants per pot to get better growth. May try pinching back too to get more leafy growth. I will always try to grow this in my yard (in a pot).
Thanks
Meixue

You can also start Perilla from grocery store cuttings. The green & purple varieties are common in Asian markets, & are very easy to start. Anyone know if it over winters in warmer climates?

You all say Shiso is easy to grow, but so far two years running I'm not having any luck, seeds from two sources [local & Johnnies> Directions say treat like basil & I have but so far no luck. Does it need to be dark to germinate? I don't usually cover basil seeds and haven't been covering the shiso either. Do you think that's my problem? mary

Here is a link that might be useful: my garden pages

ladymari,

What type of medium are you using? Is it sterile seed starting mix?

Are you starting them indoors or out? How are you watering?

Here in Tennessee, this kind of Korean shiso is a weed in my garden, and I have not been kind to it till this year, when I learned it was truly edible. I'll bet it likes to be moist to germinate, just like anything else in the mint family. I have been making fritters or maybe you'd call them a kind of Asian hush puppies to eat with fish. I chop a bunch of shiso leaves, some garlic, onion, hot peppers, and tomatoes together. I add eggs and masa flour, enough to hold everything together. They are great with plain fish. Once I took the leftover cooking liquid and leftover bits of fish and stirred them in, we just ate the stuff for snacks that way. I love just making up recipes to use whatever is in the garden. Donna

Hi, ladymari
You need very FRESH seeds to germinate Shiso and the commercial seeds you have been using are probably past it. Your best bet is to get some seeds from someone growing it at the moment or get a cutting and plant it out. Like Donna, you will soon have it growing like a weed!
Rose-Marie