Chives, Lemon Thyme and Rosemary are perennials and they will do fine, although Rosemary can't handle frost. Since you'll have them indoors that should not be a problem. Keep in mind, however, that they will continue to grow. Rosemary can get quite large over time.

Parsley is a two year herb. It die down after year one, then come back in year two. It will go to seed in year two, so it will reseed itself.

None of these things need a cold dormancy.

Rosemary can take frosts...it's very common around here as an ornamental as well as for culinary uses. Temperatures in the teens are not unusual. We had an especially harsh winter this year with lots of snow, prolonged sub-freezing temperatures...rosemary did just fine.

I'd be more concerned about the size of the pot intended for these large growing plants. Thinking that you can keep them pruned doesn't address the fact that the root systems get large, too. Also, there are differing cultural requirements for some of these plants, mostly in their water needs.

I have several Rosemary bushes planted in ground that have survived many winters where we have had snow and ice storms. Our cold snaps are short lived, usually only a few days at most (thank goodness!) and then it gets warmer. We have frosts usually starting in November ending in March. Doesn't seem to bother Rosemary at all. Rosemary bushes can get very large. Pruning can keep them under control, but in mixed herb containers I found their root system will crowd other plants if you leave them in the container for more than one season, and then none of the plants are very happy.

Chives will die down for the winter so forget that one for indoor herbs. Parsley is a biennial. It may do ok for a while, but I would suspect it's biennial nature combined with indoor conditions to make it a bad choice for bringing in for the winter. Chives and parsley like different growing conditions (water, soil, etc.) than rosemary and thyme. I would not combine them all in one pot. Plant your chives and parsley outdoor garden bed for best results.

Size can be an issue with rosemary - if you can manage do the hard thing of overwintering it indoors!

FataMorgana

Thanks for all of your replies. I planted rosemary last year outside & it did not come back. My parsley also did not come back - I don't know why the parsley did not come back, as I usually have good luck with that. I was not too surprised about the rosemary. I may just forget the pot to bring inside.

papillon, I didn't make myself very clear about the rosemary, sorry. Though it can take heavy frosts and freezes, your PA location is probably too cold for too long. Those of us in warmer locations (than yours) can plant them and expect them to thrive for several years.

I believe most of SE Pa. is zone 7. My rosemary went through this VERY harsh (zone 7 Winter) with some minor die back but they are hardy to zone 7 (probably not to 6a without an excellent site). Having spent weeks under deep snow, they are now covered with beautiful, bluish flowers and are quite tall. But I do know people one hour's drive north and west of me, and they can't grow them. 'Arps'is supposed to be the cold hardiest but most of I ones I end up planting are of unmarked varieties. Good luck!

Parsley is a biennial. And even though it is supposed to come back after the winter to bloom and die, I see that very rarely and there is no good quality harvests even if it does. Just treat it like an annual and plan on planting parsley each year.

I'm technically in zone 6, though used to be zone 5 until a rezoning a while ago. There are some gardeners here with the right microclimates to over winter the hardiest rosemary outdoors. I'm not one of those lucky ones. I would plan on overwintering rosemary indoors, if I was you. It is difficult because it does not like the typical indoor winter conditions of low light and low humidity. You keep orchids so maybe you'll fare better than most.

FataMorgana